The Lewis & Clark Tigers compete in the Greater Spokane League in Washington State's largest classification (4A).
A few things we believe:
Soccer is a player’s game. We will make every effort to get our players prepared for match day. During a game, however, the coach's role becomes fairly limited. We will decide who is in the game and where they’ll play, but we cannot call timeouts to teach, we can’t manipulate situations and we cannot make decisions for our players. Our goal is that our players are so prepared they will act as coaches on the field. This means they communicate, they instruct one another and they hold each other accountable.
Responsibility and accountability are huge! Every player must have a coachable attitude and be willing to be accountable to coaches and fellow teammates when effort or decision making is poor or when their actions are irresponsible/not in the best interest of the team. Errors of execution will be excused as long as the proper work ethic is evident. Players can and should demand that their teammates rise above mediocrity, but must be equally accountable. This goes for coaches too!
If we are going to build this culture of accountability, we must balance it out with enthusiastic positivity! Our goal is to instill confidence in our players by positively instructing them, putting them in advantageous situations and by pointing out correct decisions and execution, rather than focusing on the negative. This duty does not fall solely on the coaching staff. Players are also expected to encourage one another and treat each other with respect.
We expect players to be completely committed to what we are trying to accomplish AS A TEAM. We understand that our expectations of a player may be different from what another coach has expected of them. What we also know though, is that when 11 players are completely committed to our system, we’ll be very tough to beat. In many cases, athletes must be willing to sacrifice their own desires for the good of the team. Those who are willing earn our trust, and those who earn our trust are more likely to play when the game's on the line.
We firmly believe that a lack of mental toughness will expose you – both on the soccer field and in life – and as such, we are pushing kids beyond what is easy or comfortable. We will work incredibly hard throughout the season, believing, “The harder you work, the harder it is to surrender.” –Vince Lombardi
LC Soccer behavioral principles:
FOCUS on the next opportunity - No dropped heads or poor body language
COMPETE - Never be outworked! It is the one thing you can control 100% of the time
LEARN from your/others' mistakes and take responsibility - We don't make or accept excuses
TRUST and respect teammates and coaches - Assume positive intent
SACRIFICE - Be willing to do whatever is best for the team
