We're training our first-ever traveling team, and practices are more
intense than everyone is used to. We skate harder, faster, longer
and stronger. It's paying off, too!

However, it has resulted in comments such as "this is boring"
and "practice should be more fun" and moral is starting to go down.

Can I get some suggestions from other coaches how you deal with this
sort of thing? We are torn between creating these great, though
practices and creating them "fun" so skaters enjoy their time.
Sometimes we think we have it down, and then we hear comments, and
know that we don't.

One thing we're going to do this week, is make the team vote on
weather this is a "Team Win" or "Team Fun". Once we get them all to
agree on what our goal is, we can better create practices that
support our goal. Hopefully the true derby girls will understand,
that training to be where we want to be, isn't always going to be
fun.

I personally want to train to be competitive... and fear that if we
don't make practices "fun enough" that people will begin to drop out
and we won't have a team left.

I would appreciate any ideas and feedback.

Thanks,
Justice