Weedin leaves Viking ship after six years as captain

Published 8:00 am Saturday, February 25, 2006

POULSBO — An impromptu decision to apply for the head coaching spot of the North Kitsap girls basketball team turned into “a great six years” for Dan Weedin. And as he departs the captain’s chair, his advice to whomever replaces him lies in confidence.

“It’s like Shakespeare said, ‘To thine ownself be true,’” Weedin said, offering his wisdom to the next Lady Vikes’ skipper. “And keep it real.”

Because after six years of coaching, accruing a 39-81 overall record, Weedin said he has found it’s become increasingly difficult to please everyone. With the pressures of parental oversight, in addition to off-court administrative duties as well as game-day managerial tasks, head coach is a tough role to fill.

“I don’t think people understand the amount of administrative work that goes into coaching, behind the scenes,” Weedin said of everything from eligibility checks to bus scheduling and practice plans. “That was the thing that made it too daunting, at this point, for me to continue.”

In August 2005, Weedin started his own insurance consulting firm out of his home in Poulsbo. After noting the likenesses of running a 4A high school varsity to running one’s own business, he said that it had become apparent over the course of the year that there was not enough time for the two to coexist.

But he leaves the sideline with lessons learned, affection for the game and a host of memories that won’t soon fade.

“It’s been a very rewarding experience and a great six years,” Weedin said. “At least for a few kids, I know I’ve had a positive impact and they’ve had a positive impact on me as well. I’ve learned as much from my players as they’ve learned from me.”

Since taking lead for the Lady Vikes in November 2000, he has seen the highs, lows and pretty much everything in between at the helm of a varsity girls’ squad. Through it all, he noted humility as the No. 1 lesson he takes away from coaching.

“You learn that there is more to the game than winning and losing,” he said. “I got to come in contact with a lot of great young people (from) our community and gained a lot of insight into (their) commitment and passion.”

And those young ladies have in turn gained a look at the two sides which make up a good leader: intensity and integrity.

“He (got) really intense during games, then when we’d go on trips, we got to see him out of his shell and laugh and joke and have fun with him,” said senior Lady Viking Ali Lydick.

During her three years as one of Weedin’s athletes, her most memorable moments came from those adventures, specifically the annual Northwest Basketball Camp in Spokane.

“He was just a really good guy,” Lydick said. “And he thought of us as his family.”

That’s ultimately what a team is, Weedin said, much like an extended family as part of which everyone is accepted and accountable. He hopes that those and other character traits — like discipline, poise and confidence — are the lessons which he has imparted on his players.

“We stressed, as a program, learning character through sports,” Weedin noted. “I wanted (my players) to come away feeling that they’d grown as a person even more than as a basketball player.”

Though he is not envisioning ever coaching in a varsity head coach capacity again, Weedin said he may find a place as a volunteer coach for a team somewhere down the road. Until then he is immersed in the business world.