by Coach Ronnie Peacock
• Ideas That Work -- Coaches Quarterly
• Retreat Report -- STV
• Leaving a Legacy -- Vertical Magazine
• Beyond the Lines -- Texas Coach
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Mark Howard
Centennial High School
Frisco, Texas
There is no greater profession on the face of the planet than the one you and I are a part of. The older I get the more I realize how very special the coaching profession is. Two of the things that make coaching so special are the relationships that are built with the coaches we work with on a daily basis, and the relationships that we as coaches get to build with our players. Watching our players grow and mature from middle school boys to young men ready to face the world, is extremely rewarding. Howevenanother relationship that I've been privileged to watch over the past 2 years-and I might say the most important one-is the relationship between a father and his son. I would like to share with you something that our FB coaching staff has been very fortunate to be a part of, with the hope that your staff can benefit from it also.
We, as coaches, are continuously looking for ideas to promote team chemistry and build a powerful bond among the players on our team. A little over 3 years ago, I contemplated having a retreat for our varsity team in an attempt to strengthen that bond between players. Like a lot of other things, it became just a good idea as time got away and it became logistically impossible to plan a retreat before the upcoming season. Later that fall, l received my monthly issue of FCA's "Sharing the Victory" magazine. In that October 2007 issue, I read an article by Head FB Coach Ronnie Peacock of the Rogers Mounties (Rogers, Arkansas) that described the annual "Father / Son Retreat" that he had for his senior football players and their dads. ln this article he described how the fathers and sons who attended the retreat took their relationship to a whole new level. For the fathers and sons who already had a strong bond, their bond increased even more. For the fathers and sons who weren't very close, the experience allowed them to start over or build on what their relationship was before the retreat. There were numerous activities that took place that allowed the fathers and sons to do things together that they had never experienced before or probably would never have another opportunity to experience had they not been part of thefootball team. They talked about things that would change their lives and things that would be remembered by one another for a lifetime. The retreat that Coach Peacock conducts covers numerous things, but to quote him, here are just a few:
The list goes on and on but you can see that there are some very powerful interactions that take place during the retreat. I was so excited when I finished the article that I immediately looked up Coach Peacock's number and called him. I told him that I had just read his article and had to know how I could go about doing something similar for our senior players and their dads. He said we could do it one of two ways. Hewould be willing to come to our retreat and be the facilitator, or he could come and share ideas and train our coaching staff to conduct the rmreat ourselves. We chose the latter so that we could continue to do this on an annual basis. We completed our 2nd Annual Father/ Son Retreat this fall and are committed to doing this year after year. The following are just a few of the comments made by some of the dads who have attended the retreats ...... "l've never spent this much quality time with my son". "My son and I were close before we experienced the retreat but now our relationship has been taken to an even higher level". 'This is the first time I can remember my dad telling me things I've wanted and waited to hear for a very long time'. "This time with my son is something I will remember for the rest of my life". "Thanks for the retreat. It changed our lives". The quotes and comments go on and on. Conducting this retreat is truly something that has changed our coaching staff as well. It has helped us as husbands and fathers as we try to refocus our priorities. I can honestly say that taking part in the retreat these past 2 years is the best thing l've ever done as a coach!
The August '09 retreat was extra special for me in that l had just hired my son (Zach) to coach on my staff, and we participated and experienced everything just like the other sons and their dads. My son and l have always been close but after going through the retreat, that bond was strengthened even more. We got to share things with one another on a heart to heart level and it just doesn't get any better than that.
The largest majority of coaches will never get to experience a state championship even though that is always the goal. Your worth as a coach will never be defined by how many games you've won or lost. lt will be based on how many lives you've touched and influenced beyond the lines. I encourage you to conduct a Father/Son retreat for your players. lt will be the greatest and most rewarding thing you've ever done as a coach!