Editorial: In praise of coaches

Published 12:00 pm Friday, September 20, 2019

We frequently offer support and encouragement to our local student athletes here in these pages — and rightly so — but we want to take a minute to focus on the coaches.

Volleyball.

Football.

Softball.

Basketball.

Cheerleading.

Soccer.

Golf.

Track & Field.

Baseball.

Tennis.

Swimming.

Cross country.

At every school and in every sport, a good coach makes a difference. They make a difference not just for the team, but also in each athlete’s life.

Many of our area coaches have, at one time or another, talked about how team sports prepare their athletes not just for the game, but for life.

The rules, strategies, techniques, tools and training athletes are taught will benefit them for the rest of their lives, whether or not they go on to an athletic career.

With the right coach, a student athlete becomes a better person, and a team becomes a family.

Of course, try to offer praise to any good coach and they will point you to the team, to the students and the staff.

“They’re the ones doing the work,” they’ll say.

“I didn’t score any of those points, run any of those miles or make any of those goals,” they’ll say.

“I didn’t even step foot on the field during those games I coached,” they’ll say.

The greatest gift you can give someone is your time. Coaches across the sports spectrum do that every day, selflessly giving their time and energy to the students they lead.

So even though they’ll say it’s the team doing the real work, we thank, recognize and encourage our area coaches.

We encourage our readers to do the same.