As many know I am currently taking some time off from coaching soccer. I felt like I needed a bit of a break and when the team I was coaching all moved up an age group I decided it was a good time to step back for a while. I didn't completely leave soccer. I still play on our Men's and Co-ed Tauro team and I am also on the Technical Committee for Eastside Youth Soccer Association. However, I was asked to coach the U12 boys premier team again this winter but turned it down so I wouldn't be so busy that I couldn't spend time with my new daughter. I also gave up running our Men's Tauro team a few seasons ago and now just play on it.The reason I mention that is that in my past I have often been known as "the soccer guy" to many people...that's soccer guy, not god. I'm not the best soccer player in the world by any stretch of the imagination and truthfully I don't even follow international soccer or the European soccer all that much (though I don't mind watching a game or the highlights). But I have always been passionate about soccer. When I came back from Africa in grade 8 I wanted to play soccer in gym. In high school I was on the soccer team from grade 9-12 and was a captain in my final year. I played soccer at Bethany Bible College and really pushed to get the soccer program going convincing the school to let us go to tournaments in Abbottsford though it was a 16-18 hour trip one way. I pushed to get the coaching job at Bethany College to coach the men's and women's teams and then coached the men's team for many years. I started up the Alumni Soccer Tournament at the school to get players to come back and play. I took my soccer coaching courses and obtained my full Community Coach certification to get better and got involved in youth soccer in the city to become a better coach. I was an instructor in a soccer program to teach players that wanted to get better in certain skill areas. I have coached everything from college kids to kids 10-12 years old in a variety of skill levels (although mostly premier) and was even an assistant coach on the Saskatchewan Under 13 boys Provincial team.
That entire last paragraph sounds like bragging, but that's not how I mean it. The point is, I felt that my passion for soccer people saw gave me the stigma of being "the soccer guy". I felt that people thought all I cared about was soccer. When people I only knew casually would talk to me, they would start to talk soccer. After a while it seemed to get to me because I wasn't sure if I wanted to be only known for one thing. I was feeling like all people thought I was was a soccer guy.
Over the last couple years I've been trying to decide if that is what I want to be. Is it ok to be known as a one trick pony? I think these thoughts have stopped me from going further with my soccer coaching skills. For the last number of years I've been wanting to obtain my B-License in coaching which would be great to have, but I think part of me hesitates doing that because that will pigeon hole me even more into being labelled as "a soccer guy". I'm not sure why I don't want that.
What do you think? Is it better to be well rounded and mediocre at a lot of things, or is it ok to be labelled and always known as "the soccer guy", or "the ribbon dancing girl" or "the audio sound guy". Any thoughts?
