AFM Home | The Staff Report | June 2003

Bob Ladouceur
Head Coach, De La Salle High School (Calif.)
2002 Schutt Sports National High School Coach of the Year

Whatever I say today is purely subjective. The only thing I know – is what I have experienced. In my 24 years in education and working with teenagers there are certain maximums I have found to have merit, such as:

1. I’ve discovered as my age increases my I.Q. decreases. In other words, the older I get the more I realize how little I know – but this is OK. This is the first step of self-awareness.

2. Teenagers need trustworthy adults in their lives to help guide them – other than their parents. When I was a young coach I used to have parents come to me and ask if I would talk to their sons about – getting a haircut; taking more time on homework – among other things. They used to say “They’ll listen to you.” I used to think “What’s wrong with these parents? This is their job not mine.” Then my daughter turned 16 and I realized exactly what they were requesting. Parents need help, so do kids.

3. Remember Father Flannigan from Boy’s Town? He said, “There’s no such thing as a bad kid.” I believe he was right. There is no such thing as a bad kid. But there are kids who make bad choices, choose bad behavior, and sometimes are victims of bad parenting.

4. Teenagers are not lazy. When they have no direction, no passion or goals then the symptom is a lack of motivation.

5. Whatever we (as adults) want and need – Teenagers want and need also.

6. Teenagers pay more attention to the messenger than they do the message. So if you’re the messenger then live the message.

7. Believe in a higher power. Personally I am not smart enough or good enough to shepard myself through life’s journey. And what I found out is that journey is not an outward journey but completely and absolutely an inward journey.

8. Everybody wants to be a success. I’ve never heard anyone say I want to be a failure. One person may have one idea of success, another person may have another idea of success, but everyone wants to be whatever it is their idea of success may be.

We measure our success by how well we have embraced the spirit and essence of those intangibles.

Success to us is understanding that where preparation meets opportunity – greatness can be achieved. Preparation for us is long, tedious, and difficult, and the windows of opportunity are brief short and intense. I know for a fact that nobody – at least our opponents – out work us. We prepare well and, when ready, we welcome, not fear our opportunities. Hard work is the cornerstone upon which all achievement emanates.