via Coach Dawn Writes:
Coaches rarely talk about these players, perhaps for fear of stating the obvious. But all of us have a player on our team that is good enough to carry the lion’s share of points. The opponents know it, they game plan for her. Our teams know it, they want her to have the ball in crunch time. She even knows it and hopefully accepts the extra burden that it represents. But coaches? We don’t like to “tier” our athletes, so we act like everyone’s operating on an equal playing field.

But that’s not true.

Just like some students can stay up all night studying for a math test and get a C-, while their roommate (the math genius) doesn’t crack open the book and gets an A…the same is true in the world of sports. Some folks, given the same amount of practice and coaching, will achieve a higher level of skill. Those are our studs.

Managing expectations. It seems obvious, but the stud carries the burden of being the stud…all the time. Even when she’s tired. Even when her game is off. Even when she got in a fight with her parents. Always. Our job as her coach is to guide her through what that will look like...

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