Tip of the day.

Today's tip: Being a positive team mate.
When you are on the field with a team mate, at a practice, or at a tournament, practice the life long lessons: be encouraging. If a team mate screws up: little secret: they probably know it. Encourage your team mate. I don't know if you saw the 'white team's' high five and positive reinforcement line in goaltimate today, but it helps. Support your team mates at all time. It will make them play better. Then we will win more.

A team sport carries the huge burden of letting others down when you screw up. If we make a mistake, we have to live with our own mistake, but also the heavier burden of letting our team mates down. You will be a better player and better team mate if you give a little energy to picking your team mates up. It is a good habit, and it will win us a game one day.

Along the same line: Don't bash on other teams. Yes, if they make a bad call, calmly ask them to explain their call. If you talk to them calmly, rationally, you have a chance of getting them to take it back. If you yell, forget about it. If you talk a ton of smack, you'll probably just get them angry. Sometimes this works. Probably not. We don't do this.

I'll allow you a little leeway here. We need more competitive scrimmages. Exhort (urge, advise) your scrimmage team mates to pick it up at practice. Always play games to get better, and then win. By all means, pick an opponent (abillity-buddy) and bet them this: +1 for a goal, +1 for an assist, +1 for a 'd', -1 for a turnover. The loser runs sprints. Or your each run 10 sprints for each -1 at the end of the day. Whatever. Push yourselves to get better. While lifting each other up.

But when in doubt, be nice. And then win the game.

 1 team to coed.