“Thank you, Coach!” Part One
Darren Pitzner
I love a culture where kids leave the gym and say, "Thank you, Coach!" By the time they graduate, most kids come to see how much their coach cares for them and they usually have an idea of the preparation and dedication their coach has given to their team. This site is about promoting kids and 99% of the content here is laser focused on that awesome mission. But after a long season and in light of so much turnover in coaching jobs, every coach in Colorado deserves a shoutout and some serious love.
If you think the only shortage is with qualified officials, try finding an experienced coach who'll lead a program for twelve months a year through team camps, summer workouts, fall ball, tryouts, and the endless counseling of kids through life's curveballs where a coach will step in and offer guidance. Plus, oh by the way, there is the entire twenty-three game season to maneuver!
There are so many open coaching positions. Coaches have been let go, have retired, have been nudged out, have chosen other avenues by which they can make a difference, there are all sorts of reasons. So I thought I'd give voice to the coaches who consistently keep coming back, keep building, for almost no money. No coach I know does it for the money. They do it for a wage that would make Napoleon Dynamite seem well-compensated when he looks up from counting his coins at the chicken farm after drinking lukewarm egg yolk and says, "That's like a dollar an hour!"
Below are sincere, honest answers. These coaches didn't even know the purpose of the question. I just asked them, "Hey, what keeps you coming back each year?" I knew the positive, selfless theme of the answers I'd get because of the character of Colorado coaches. But I don't think the average parent understands. If your coach isn't quoted below, I GUARANTEE they'd have a similar answer with nothing but love for each player and belief in who they can become.
Coaches, what keeps you coming back? If you're a parent, these are the amazing people leading your kids:
- Alan Gibson at Berthoud: "Number one, it’s the players. They are unselfish teammates who genuinely enjoy being part of the program’s success. These are girls who have been coming to our camps and clinics since elementary school. To see these kids as they grow up and then eventually become freshmen in our program is very rewarding. And then to see them advance from C to JV to Varsity completes the cycle of learning about basketball and all the values and benefits that come from being on a team." He goes on to praise his assistant coaches, the administration, the parents, the community, and the fans, while also admiring the multi-sport athletes in the program.
- From Skyview coach, Chris Kemm: "For me, it really is about the kids. I started coaching because I had a couple coaches that were pretty hard on me and sent me down the right path, giving me a chance in life. The adversity our kiddos face on a daily basis is truly amazing. It’s about watching the kids grow, become young adults, finding their way through to the next level in life, and it’s our job to prepare them for that level. Winning becomes a byproduct of your culture." When Coach Kemm had the opportunity years ago to move on, he was told by his mentors, "If we don’t coach them, who will?" That comment has never left him.
- Brady Meeks - Arvada West: "I love the Arvada West community! The administration, staff, and parents are super supportive and I see a bright future for the program. I would not want to be anywhere else because the Arvada West students are fighters and leave it all on the floor when they compete. As a coach, that’s all we can ask for!"
- Adam Williams at Littleton had this to say: "I keep coming back for a few reasons. First is the kids. When you have great young people who are willing to work hard and come together for the good of the group, it can be a lot of fun and a valuable experience that people don’t always get in other walks of life. The idea of that level of competition and sacrifice is often countercultural. The other big reason for me is the chance to continue to build something for our community that our school and kids can be proud of at LHS. We aren’t always looked at as a premier athletic school in our area so it is that much more rewarding with the success we’ve been able to have over the years. We want to do something special here at Littleton."
- Scott Arrasmith - The Vanguard School: "Coaching makes me a better person. As I teach our culture to the players who come through our program it helps me to reflect on the areas I need to improve on myself. Hearing the players repeat our vision for our culture, it helps the teacher get better. Our culture revolves around love, care, and acceptance. You don’t always have to like each other but you have to love each other."
- Rhonda Moser - Glenwood Springs: "The energy around high school sports is magical and authentic. To watch girls succeed on the court is something they can draw from the rest of their lives. I like teaching things in the gym that translate into their daily lives. The humor and laughter my players bring to my life, the ability to take players of all backgrounds, personalities, and skill sets and make them work together as a team. Honestly, I love it all! I love the game. I love the ability to feed my competitive spirit but also share my love and passion with my players."
- Jerry Knafelc - Arapahoe: "Coaching is about relationships!" He discussed the importance of the relationships with his players, their parents, and his coaching colleagues. When asked what keeps him coming back, coach said, "The challenge! The challenge to help kids understand commitment to something beyond themselves, to get them to understand their strengths, weaknesses, and work to enhance their strengths and mitigate their weaknesses which is a great life skill. The challenge to understand, for me, what I need to learn or construct for our players and coaches to be the best they can possibly be! I have to be willing and able to learn, work, commit, and communicate every day. I expect everyone involved in our program to have passion and commitment because this is a "we" deal. All of this should be fun, not goofing around fun, fun in setting and meeting self/team goals and expectations. Fun to know one’s role in the success of the team and execute that role with passion. Fun in seeing individual improvement. Of course winning is fun, and we all too often measure success for a program or a team or coach based on wins, but winning is a result. Success is a process. Refining our processes is the greatest challenge for me and I love that challenge."
- I had a conversation with Jeff Neal, former coach at Roosevelt. He won't be back next year to lead the Roughriders (despite Great 8 success on the court) but that's not by his own choice. He discussed how sports helped him rise from a low income family to attending college to play basketball and baseball and become a lawyer. He then became a sports agent with the goal of helping kids and it led him into coaching where he fell in love with the competition and, more importantly, the relationships. He mentioned how coaching has its challenges but seeing kids accomplish great things makes most of it worthwhile.
