The Gift of the Seven Hats
Swen Nater

You’re a first-year youth coach.
It’s been hard but don’t quit.
What I have in this sack
Might just help you a bit.

It contains seven hats
That you’ll need to get through.
They were once handed me;
Now I’ll give them to you.
 
A mortar cap worn
With the midnight oil burn,
As you study and study,
As you learn and you learn.

A Sherlock Holmes hat
So that all through the year,
Those kids get the basics.
“Elementary, my dear.”

The hat of the leader
Of a dogsled team,
A smooth-working unit
That is “one” at full-steam.

The hat of a jockey
Who’s uplifting call,
Provides the encouragement
Kids need most of all.

A ten-gallon hat
For that bleak rainy day.
Much patience you’ll need when
Things don’t go your way.

A siesta sombrero
For that key Sunday rest.
So you’ll come back refreshed
To give Monday your best.

A party hat so that,
When all’s said and done,
The game’s still a game
And the game is still fun.