Social media has done many things both good (and bad) to our lives and how we live them but perhaps it has become the great equalizer – in sport, politics, business and life. It has enabled conversation (and by extension education) between people who might otherwise never interact.
I have met Jason deVos twice – both times of which I’m sure he does not, nor should remember – we’ve had one phone conversation. Through Twitter though we have conversed many times and he has always respected my views and opinions even if he has not always shared them – I’d like to think we’ve treated each other as equals.
That’s the awesome power and potential that a social platform like twitter allows – two like minded individuals who rarely communicate by other means or even meet can have a discussion about shared interests, banter and potentially learn from one another.
This how a coach from rural Ontario can get “coached” on defending by a former Canadian Team Captain and International Defender while having a discussion about a goal allowed in a Canadian national women’s team friendly.
The “lesson” all started with a more than flippant comment I made while watching the Canada vs USA game in January…
I say flippant because “a crime against defending” has become a bit of a catchphrase for deVos in Twitter circles and I to be honest threw it out there without really thinking about what had happened in the actual moment of the game.
My gut reaction is the Canadian women were out of position, defending too deep, had over committed to the threat along the wing but hadn’t really analyzed things much beyond my gut and blurted out a “cute” remark.
Somehow I had missed the news (or forgotten) that deVos himself was with the Canadian team specifically to work on their defending (thereby putting my size 11 Copa further into my mouth).
The next day Jason responded in a totally unexpected but enlightening way and in a way that perhaps shows the potential for this medium as a coaching tool…
(Note: despite my best efforts the timeline capture here is far from perfect and any contextual errors are mine and mine alone.