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With playoffs here, I thought it might be interesting to put the spotlight for a moment on those...not quite in the championship hunt. They work just as hard from day 1 as the rest of us. Special thanks to Coach Roseberry, Chass, and Sumwalt.

http://www.scsoccer.com/zone/ImprovingSoccer.pdf

Well done, Dr. Young.

Hats off to all three coaches who seem to really know how to motivate, and create realistic benchmarks for measuring success.

It's tough, Hurst. I remember when we were getting Hanna started and a coach would shake your hand and it seemed they were talking down to you. "Your girls try really hard." Maybe it was the insecurities bubbling up, but it was enough to make you want to say "There is nothing wrong with my coaching! They need more time!"

I know these guys could easily move around and try their hand somewhere with more history, but they are doing a good job and deserve the recognition.

Very nice article, and much appreciated! I think, though, the nod needs to be extended to the players who show up and work every afternoon of their week to try to close a huge experience gap, who push themselves hard enough in competition that their effort masks a lot of their lack of "formal" training, and who have a great enough attitude to not only will themselves to win, but to understand that there is building and accomplishment even in a scoreboard loss. They not only keep themselves motivated enough to keep improving, but their enthusiasm is contagious enough to keep drawing more and more athletes with more dedication to the sport. If the players don't have the desire, there's only so far any coach can push them, and they deserve credit for it.

I know what you mean about the feeling that another coach is patronizing after a big loss...I've been on both sides of it, and I know it's not intentional, but there's always that "something" you feel the need to say, and it never quite comes out right. In that light...

Emptiest compliment I've heard on the field: (after a big-margin loss, from the opposing coach) "Your girls try hard."

Best compliment I've heard on the field: (last year, near the end of a 2-0 loss to James Island, overheard from a slightly frustrated JI player on the field) "Oh my god...these girls play with so much ****ing heart!"

So...hats off to all the young athletes out there who play with determination and heart, no matter what the odds...championship or not, it's a great way to make a coach proud.

Oh, and as for being tempted to go somewhere else that already has some "history"...why would we want to do that when we can stick with the players who've stuck with us and try to make some of our own?

What a nice thing to read about our program, and we appreciate every kind word and thought. It might seem hard viewing from the outside, but the main word I heard today as we got together to play in the playoffs was "fun". This has been a magical year at Blue Ridge.

Thanks again.

Love that word "magical." There's not much better way to express how it feels when things start to come together. Good luck in the Battle of Stumpduck Ridge...no matter how it comes out, we'll know that two good men led teams of great young players into a game to remember.

Can't ask for much better than that.

Amen, brother.