by Jason Strunk
Lubbock High School Head Football Coach
Follow @WestTXCoach
I’m not much of technology guy. Sure, I use the technology. But, I am not crazy with it. You won’t see me waiting in line at Target for twelve hours before Black Friday to buy something. I just roll with it. When I get it, I get it. No big deal.
The same can be said about me and social media. Not a fan, although I do use it. I need to find practical applications for me to to get involved. I’m a simple guy. This is what brought me to Twitter.
Someone told me, “Hey, Twitter is like texting”. That’s all I needed to hear. Texting is simple. It’s a quick way to communicate. Twitter offers the same thing. I don’t need that Facebook rubbish. Who cares what your status is? Seriously, if you are over thirty and use Facebook like you are still in high school or college, you have some issues.
Anyway, I have found Twitter to be a useful tool in coaching. It allows for professional development, networking, talking X’s and O’s and even hiring new staff members. Two years ago, Nate Gensler, our Linebacker Coach, found me on Twitter. We talked, interviewed and now two years later, our ‘Backers are playing the best they ever had. Twitter helped me out. Twitter landed LHS a quality coach.
Now, back to the present, Twitter has helped LHS again. A good friend of mine, Greg Gerber, who I was able to meet through Twitter, has been added to our staff — in a unique way. Gerbs, as I call him, has been added to our staff to do our advanced scouting. Coach Gerber decided to take a year off from coaching, but he still wanted to be involved someway. Twitter and HUDL made all this possible. You see, Gerbs is located in Wisconsin, not Lubbock, Texas.
Coach Gerber’s role is significant for us. He will begin breaking down our opponents film one week ahead of us. This will save us valuable time. For example, every Wednesday he will login into HUDL and begin watching film of our opponent one week ahead of us. While we prepare for one team that week, Gerbs is getting us ready for next weeks opponent. It is good stuff!
Technology is a good thing. I don’t need to go crazy with it but understanding how certain aspects of technology and social media work can really help your program out.
Welcome aboard, Gerbs!
