@Sarahdateechur on: iCoach

Two more days.  I have two days until basketball tryouts, and I am terrified.

Will I be good enough?  I know they're all going to be looking at me, dissecting my every move...seeing if I can handle the pressure.

They've been doing this for a while, playing in rec leagues, some even on select teams.  I'm just a rookie.  A nervous, bumbling rookie.  But I can't let them see that.  I've got to put my game face on and look tough.  Why?  Because I'm the coach.

Truth: I haven't played in a while, and I'm a little rusty on the rules of the game.

Truth: 75% of the players trying out are taller than me, and many of them can't even get into a PG-13 movie.

Truth: The last time I watched a season of professional basketball, my favorite team was the Bullets.  I think I have a Shaq rookie basketball card somewhere.  It may be worth some money now.  Hmmm.

But never fear, @Sarahdateechur...technology is here!  And just like that, I shall be *iCoach!*  (Cue theme music here.)

I've been cramming hard.  These are the ten tech steps I've taken so far...time will tell how effective they turn out to be.

1. Went to the Kindle Store and downloaded a variety of books on basketball coaching, including:
• Coaching Basketball for Dummies (because I am one)
• Better Basketball Practices
• Plays for Basketball
• Coaching for Success
• Survival Guide for Coaches
2. Went on Pinterest and created a new board called Coaching.  Did a search and pinned like 30 things, then stalked...ahem..followed those people's boards.
3. Started reading the first book, and brainstormed a list of things that I need.  Stuff like whistles, a clipboard, and some other stuff that has been sitting in a box by my stairwell for the past month.  Ordered it using my Amazon Prime (thanks, Mom), and got it in two days.
4. Saw a megaphone in my suggested item list on Amazon, and got that too.  BECAUSE I FELT LIKE IT!
5. Had the bright idea to see which coaching apps were in the App Store.  Spent more money than I probably should have.  Got such apps as:
• Whiteboard (to make plays, but I can't figure it out)
• Ubersense (super-cool...analyzes videos of kids so you can help them correct mistakes)
• iTouchStats (statistical data)
• Total Coach (no clue, but I bought it anyway)
• Coach-Assist (no clue)
• CoachMe (no clue)
• rTeam (nc)
• No Turnovers (nc)
• miShotTrack (I guess it says where the kids miss shots or something)
6. Created a permission slip and tryout packet by looking up other schools' stuff from Google and tweaking it. (Ha!)
7. Went to the district coaches' meeting, and took notes on Evernote.  I also did this with the kids' jersey sizes and the list of games, because I lose everything.
8. Created a roster of who is allowed to stay after school by downloading the All-Star font I saw on Pinterest.  (Hey, I'm a Virgo.  Details matter.)
9. Watched a tutorial on how to run try-outs on Youtube, from which I learned nothing.
10. Planning to create a Google Spreadsheet to take notes on what the kids show me at tryouts.

What did we ever do before all this tech?  Shoot...pretty much anybody can be an expert on anything.  I'm probably using the term wrong, but since I'm jocking everybody's stuff, is this like crowdsourcing intelligence?  What a mindfreak.

Seriously, it's amazing how far internet tutorials will take you.  Look at this logo I made on Photoshop, knowing absolutely nothing about Photoshop!  Don't ask me to explain the steps...I just did what the guy on the video told me to.  I only wish there was some magical video guy to run tryouts for me.  Twenty years from now: hologram coaches.  You heard it here first.