National Coffee Day

Today was National Coffee Day in the US (and Canada).  I stopped at Starbucks in Hudson to indulge in a Nitro Cold Brew with Sweet Cream.  It's been my go-to at Starbucks as of late.  Liz is keen to the seasonal Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew.  Yes, both drinks scream big franchise chain coffee, but they're delicious.  Which is why we spend so much money on coffee these days.

I wrote a blog 10 years ago about making the decision to start drinking coffee.  Here's the link if you're interested...  I wasn't a coffee drinker and the social buzz around coffee was still in its infancy.  Nothing like it is today.  I didn't like the taste of coffee, so I masked it with sugars and creams and predicted that I'd acquire a taste for it like my grandma told me adults do.

Since writing that blog 10 years ago, I've become somewhat of a "coffee snob" and more sophisticated than I did in my pre-coffee years.

I've probably had a majority of my coffee at big franchises like Starbucks or Caribou, however, I enjoy most those quaint little coffee houses that roast their own beans, make their own syrups and carefully craft every drink on the menu.  I've had some dandies and thought I'd take a stab at my 10 most memorable cups of coffee in the last 10 years.  Disclaimer: I don't know how to give coffee reviews and I'm a legit poser when it comes to understanding the ins and outs of coffee (although I've watch a few documentaries).  The coffee listed below is a real list of the drinks that pop into my head when I think of the best coffee I've ever had.  Nothing more.

1. The best cup of coffee that I've ever had, hands down, came from Dixon Coffee Company in Rapid City, SD.  A few years ago, we took the long way home from Colorado Springs so we could see Mt. Rushmore.  Liz and I spotted a cute little coffee truck in the parking lot of a grocery store with a long line, so we gave it a shot.  I ordered a caramel latte and she went with a vanilla latte with half the syrup.  It could have been a combination of many things other than the coffee, but we still talk about those drinks and long to go back to Rapid City for Dixon's.

2. Last summer the World Team Trials were in Raleigh, NC and our hotel was two blocks from Jubala Coffee. I stopped there several times in the three days that I was there and was introduced to an unforgettable coffee and lemonade concoction that changed my outlook on summer drinks for the entire Summer of 2019.

3. We make regular trips to Prescott, WI to visit our favorite local coffee shop - Twisted Oak.  I've had many great experiences there with my bride and others who visit us.  My drink of choice is the Paul Bunyan.  It's a latte with organic maple syrup.

4.  Liz and I had a special date night a few months ago and went to Minneapolis and tried a fun little restaurant.  After the meal, we walked through the city and enjoyed being sans children and we got some late night coffee at Spyhouse Coffee on Nicollet Ave.  I ordered their signature "Spygirl."  It was a delicious lavender and vanilla latte (with almond milk).

5. I will include another Spyhouse drink on my list because we went with several others, including our boys.  I thought outside the box and got their advertised special with golden turmeric and oat milk.  It was interesting and I enjoyed it.

6.  Just last week we ventured around Minneapolis and found a Peace Coffee cafe in Wonderland Park.  I chose their seasonal option called the Harvest Moon Latte.  It was a latte with brown sugar and pureed squash with almond milk and some additional spices.  It was incredible.  I've already recommended it to others and will be going back soon.

7. We visited Alaska two years ago and drove a few hours outside of Anchorage and made a stop in Talkeetna to try the famous Spinach Bread.  Liz and I were more excited about the breakfast burrito that was on their menu.  Next to that Airstream food truck was Conscious Coffee.  They jammed a ton of character in that little building and made a great drink for us, especially for a rainy morning.

There are a few international memories, too:

8.  A few years ago we stayed at the national training center in Paris, France called INSEP.  This little coffee experience makes the list because it's memorable, not because it was a good cup of coffee.  One of my athletes encouraged me to purchase a little espresso for 1 Euro.  It came in a paper shot glass-sized cup and was the strongest taste of anything I'd every put on my lips.  Needless to say, I didn't finish the 2 ounce drink.  I set it on the desk in my room and I took a nap.  When I woke up, the gasoline-like espresso had eaten through the paper cup.

9.  If you ever get the opportunity to try traditional Turkish coffee, it's a must.  The World Championships were in Istanbul in 2011 and we drank a lot of Turkish coffee at little street side cafes (along with "street meat").  They grind the beans very small and brew it with sugar.  I'm pretty sure the beans remain in the coffee when you drink it.  It's a special texture and extra frothy.  Good stuff.

10.  I have to "name drop" the Olympics in this post because there was a very small coffee option outside the venue in Rio called Café Leão.  It was a unique specialty coffee brand launched by McDonalds in Brazil.  It was the only place that I could find coffee besides the Nescafe truck next to my apartment.  It was actually very good and a fun little portable coffeehouse.

There are more, of course, especially Duluth Coffee Company and the several in Colorado Springs (Switchback) or Fargo (Beans serves each drink with a mini doughnut).  Liz and I were excited about Colectivo in Madison last weekend, too.  I try to collect stickers from all of these coffee shops along with the memories.  I'm still on the hunt for my first cup of kopi luwak.  I'm sure that one will get its own blog.  Coffee has been a new and exciting part of our lives and we enjoy the camaraderie mixed in with the mystery of trying new drinks and places.

Happy National Coffee Day.  FYI, October 1st is "International Coffee Day."

Building a Culture That Values People

I stumbled across this list in my notes.  It was posted on Coaches Toolbox.net and the site gave credit to J.P. Nerbun.

1. Be authentic and vulnerable with your team.
2. Read and journal together as a team.
3. Stop using conditioning as a punishment.
4. Use boundaries and consequences to develop self-discipline.
5. Give your athletes a voice at every opportunity.
6. Stop chasing talent and invest in grit.

College Freshmen, Choose Your Path Wisely

It's been one month since brand new college students moved into their dorm rooms on campuses all over the US.  The first few weeks go quickly as these young and men and women enjoy their many new found freedoms.  Now, one month in, everyone begins to find themselves establishing new routines.

In the opening month of college, incoming freshmen are flooded with opportunities to be involved in a variety of student organizations and groups.  With excitement and curiosity, they give some a try and once in a while some of them stick.

I was heavily involved with Athletes In Action while I was in college.  I wore many hats within the Christian athlete ministry.  Each start of the school year, we would put together freshmen welcome bags and distribute them during "welcome week."  Several new student-athletes would check the box on the information card that said they were interested in knowing more about AIA, so our leadership group would divide names and follow-up with those interested.

One thing I remember most about welcome week was the value of making others feel included.  We knew that a freshman student would likely chooses his/her spiritual path within the first month on campus.  We had a short window to help those fresh faces make their faith a priority.  For many, that first month set the trajectory for their spiritual involvement for their entire college years.

This is why today is so important to those college freshman.  It's been one month on campus.  Time is up.  That first month has passed and routines are established and priorities are being revealed.  For some, their personal faith journey didn't make it high on the priority list and it's not part of their routine.  Their college years will fly by and soon they'll wake-up as graduating seniors having missed out on critical years of growing in their faith.

This blog post today is my big attempt to encourage those new college students to make their faith a priority.  Check the box that says you're interested in hearing more about Athletes In Action, FCA, Cru, Intervarsity, Navigators or the Bible Study in your dorm room.  Don't cut it out of your life because you just never got around to it that first month of your college experience.  Reply to that text message or answer the phone call or e-mail from that person who is following-up about your interest.

The path you choose leads to a destination.  Choose it wisely.

Transition Wrestling is "Badass"

"You either walk inside your story and own it, or you stand outside your story and hustle for your worthiness." - Brene Brown.

Gabrielle Lord-Klein took on a big adventure because she saw a big need.  She also had a very big burden.  As a former college athlete and women's wrestling coach, she saw a growth opportunity for the advancement of women's wrestling: the media.  Like many, she was frustrated by the lack of coverage.  Instead of begging other media outlets to do more for women, she owned her story and started a website.  Now, she reports on the most up-to-date women's college wrestling stories and has quickly become the go-to resource for breaking news.

You can find Transition Wrestling on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and everywhere else you'd expect to see women's wrestling news.

Coaching changes and new programs have been the most relevant stories on Transition Wrestling until this week when she broke the news that the NCAA women's wrestling programs will have an opportunity to compete at an exclusive championship event.

Through Transition Wrestling, Gabby is moving the needle in the women's wrestling scene and this most recent article could very well put her into an entirely new realm of women's wrestling coverage.  A media outlet like this is exactly what women's college wrestling has been starving for - someone from the trenches investigating and representing thousands of female wrestlers.

Transition Wrestling is raw and real.  It's a passionate and powerful female stepping up and doing what no one else is doing.  And she's doing it on her own.  Her vulnerability magnifies her impact.  She's not a traditional journalist.  There's no man introducing her.  She not piggy backing off someone else's platform.  She knows who she is and where she's from and is jumping into unfamiliar territory in order to give others hope and a voice that can be heard.

Brene Brown also said, "when I see people stand fully in their truth, or when I see someone fall down, get back up and say, 'Damn.  That really hurt, but this is important to me and I'm going in again' - my gut reaction is, 'What a badass.'"  That pretty much sums up Gabby.

Performing Under Pressure

Remember the scene in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves when Robin of Locksley (Kevin Costner) was teaching his new friends how to use a bow and arrow and asked, "can you perform under pressure?" He had been instructing them on how to accurately shoot an arrow at a fixed target.  When they demonstrated that they had mastered the skill, Robin tickled one of them on the ear with a feather causing him to lose concentration and send the arrow off into the surrounding woods.  He explained that in the heat of battle, there are distractions all around and performing a skill to perfection is useless unless it can be done under pressure.  Then Robin demonstrated the concentration necessary to block out all distractions as his students made as much noise as possible.  He had honed his skills so he could execute in all situations...except for the gentle distraction from Maid Marian.

As coaches, we must be able to teach athletes to perform skills at the most optimal time.  When your athlete is tired and in a pressure situation, can he or she execute the technique that you have focused on during practice?  Remember, in the moment of truth, it's not about perfectly executing technique; it's about delivering under pressure most efficiently and effectively.

We use a blueprint that includes seven levels of development in learning skills.  It's not enough to just show a technique to athletes and give them time to repeat it.  It must be learned and then tested in several ways to be done during competition.  Unfortunately, many coaches stop at the first or second level.  However, to be successful, we must practice the performance at the following seven levels:

Level 1 - Learn the Skill - create a positive learning environment where athletes want to learn and are engaged with the process.  This is when the technique is broken down mechanically.  It's the "how it's done stage."  Like the ABC's and 123's.

Level 2 - Master the Skill - repetition, regular practice and quality feedback are essential.  Muscle memory is the goal.  In order to repeat a skill, an athlete must first know and comprehend the skill from Level 1.

Level 3 - Perform the Skill at Competition Pace - athletes learn skills at a controlled speed, however, the pace is much greater in competition and development must account for this difference.  Proficiency from Levels 1 and 2 are essential.

Level 4 - Perform the Skill When Tired - the result of many contests is determined in the final seconds, so it's essential that athletes perform skills very well in the final 5% of the contest when they're tired, dehydrated, glycogen depleted with heavy legs and lead feet.  Fatigue impacts the quality of execution, so creating practice situations that demand excellence in execution when tired is critical if we hope to see athletes do it in competition.

Level 5 - Perform the Skill When it Matters - training with a sense of urgency and demonstrating technical excellence under pressure is a learned behavior.  Many athletes crumble under pressure because they haven't developed the capacity to handle it.  Practices should be challenging and demanding so athletes learn how to "find a way."

Level 6 - Battle Ready - athletes must be consistent in their training and development of skills.  Too many athletes have a separate training mentality and competition mentality.  The best carry with them a "no compromise" attitude while training that is similar to the competition mindset.

Level 7 - Battle Tested - when all the chips are on the table and the athlete is tired, his/her preparation, development, and training must give him/her an edge. Their skills must be consistent in competition conditions.

These seven levels must be carefully planned and implemented in order to get the most out of athletes and help them be prepared to succeed in competition.  The levels build on themselves.  Ask yourself if you're preparing athletes to only be great technicians or to use championship skills during high stakes competition.

The scene in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves mentioned above is an example of how the seven levels are implemented into development and training.  If athletes aim to perform their best at the most optimal time, they must consider everything and their coaches need to account for everything as they improve their skills.

Goodbye 30's

I only have a couple of hours left in my 30's.  Tomorrow I will officially be Over the Hill.  At this time, I have nothing planned for tomorrow other than getting the boys on the bus and writing a blog before I go to bed.

I remember precisely when I turned 30.  I was in Herning, Denmark at the World Championships.  Since that day, I've had a lot of ups and downs.  My body was mostly sore the entire decade, although I've reorganized a few things and changed my diet, so I'm certain the next decade will feel much better.

I had a couple of kids in my 30's (one in my late 20's).  We lived in the same house and cycled through several vehicles in those 10 years.  I've done some coaching, career changes, world and local traveling, a few family vacations and over half the decade without Mountain Dew.

We entered into the elementary school world and sleep overs for our children.  We also bought a pop-up tent trailer and have been down a lot of water slides.  We've watched a lot of Netflix and kid's shows.  And House Hunter.

The best part of my 30's is falling more in love with Liz and our love overflowing into our children and welcoming other people's children into our lives and home.  It's sure made things interesting.

My apologies to those who read this blog today looking for a thought or two on an important topic.  See ya later, 30.

I'm cold

I have a few little "nuggets" that I like to share whenever the opportunity comes up with students, athletes and anyone else.  If I hear someone under my guidance say, "it's cold in here," I step in to share an important life lesson.  Well, at least that's what I believe it to be.  The truth is a very small percentage of people internalize the message.  Most of them roll their eyes.

Instead of saying, "it's cold," one should say, "I'm cold."  It's cold assumes that things are out of your control.  It's a victim mentally.  I'm cold comes from a place of power or personal responsibility and ownership.

It might be cold, however, we have the control to layer up or move around a bit.  We should always look for ways to increase personal responsibility and own our situations.

Next time you're feeling a little chilly, try saying, "I'm cold" and taking responsibility for your life and refrain from seeing yourself as a victim.  It's a very small thing that could have much bigger implications.

Change your words and it will change your life.