MEG PUCINO introduced me to Friday night lights!
When did you become a football fan?
When I was a little girl. I grew up in a NY Giants watching household.
What are some of your favorite football traditions?
I loved to go to my brother’s high school football games. I wanted to be a sports writer at a young age, so my sophmore year, I got a job for the local newspaper, the Branford Review (CT) covering the high school football games. I did that until I graduated. I also loved to watch game after game on Sundays with my dad and my brother. I soaked up all I could then.
What advice would you give women who are learning the game?
Watch with someone knowledgeable and ask questions. It’s best to learn watching on tv, you can learn from the commentary and replays.
Tell us about your football ‘coaching’ experience….
I was the assistant coach to my 8-year-old’s flag football coach. Really I was just the “herder of the cats” keeping them focused on the coaches instructions and the drills we were doing. My head coach was great. He was so patient with the kids. Football is a tough sport to teach to beginners. It is complicated. And he was trying to teach a little at a time without making it too serious. Most of the other coaches had playbooks. Needless to say, we didn’t!
What kind of lessons do the players learn on and off the field as a result of positive coaching?
Sportsmanship and have fun first. There are some pretty intense coaches at that age, and that could be a turn-off. At that age, we are teaching teamwork, playing positions, offense and defense, and basic fundamentals. But in all sports (I am team mom for a wrestling club for ages 8-14), it is so important to be POSITIVE with your athletes. I have watched some coaches trying to live vicariously through their children. Ultimately, they end up hating the sport, or their parent or both.
Thank you for the insight Meg- it’s always interesting to hear the parent’s perspective!
