The Journeyman

In the CMD program, there is a Rites of Passage, a Warrior's Journey that each one of us must experience and go through. As coaches, we naturally go through that, knowingly or not, but as athletes in the program we face our personal challenges, seek out a teacher, learn and complete the journey by facing our challenges in our re-born form and pass on that experience to the next generation.

This transition takes place when you are technically and mentally equipped to take on the challenges presented to you. This becomes your Rites of Passage and helps you to recognize that you have completed one phase of your personal travel along the CMD path.

It can be as rewarding and interesting as you make it or not but it will definitely be challenging on many levels. Fortunately, there will not be mountains to scale, oceans to swim or dragons to slay, but you might meet their equivalent in the form of time constraints, difficult communications or non-complying individuals.

Research and experience has taught us that athletes do best in an environment that has the training mapped out for them. They know what is required from stage to stage and that their progress is conceptualized around each individual. Look at any popular children's TV show and you will see a common thread: TMNT or Power Rangers for example. Each character possesses a different skill or power and with that an explicit or implied limitation to their skill. They are each different yet at a glance, seem remarkably similar. They share a uniform crest, symbol or uniform signifying teamwork and belonging. Often, their supplementary modes of transport or power allows them to be unified as one singular unit with discrete functions. Ask any 10 year old which is their favourite TNMT or Ben 10 character and you can learn not only about that character's attributes but also the aspirations and dreams of a 10 year old. Powerful stuff and the same stuff that dreams are made of.

Having said that, I will soon announce the Journeyman (J) phase for those who are ready, in my opinion, to take on this challenge, what it entails and why it is important. The Journeyman is to identify those who are on their personal journeys as described above. I will mark your Journeyman status next to your name on the KDTA.com website. We will talk more about it individually next time!

Live it!