“I am looking for someone with expertise and someone who is able to recognize my flaws and give me constructive criticism on them,” says Jared Acevedo (II), captain of the BLS track team, concerning the most important qualities of a high school athletics coach. Coaches play a fundamental role in the physical and mental development of student-athletes as they progress through high school. A good coach can make all the difference in a student’s athletic success. High-intensity training and commitment is required from both students and instructors alike.
BLS cheer coach Gina Sedita says that her “typical day runs from when school starts (7:35 A.M. for teachers) to 4:30 P.M. or 6:30 P.M., when [cheer] practice ends.” Football games on Friday, which the cheerleaders attend and cheer at throughout the year, can last even longer. These demanding hours become manageable because of her passion for cheerleading and supporting the students and athletes she coaches. She remarks, “During the season my schedule can be very busy, but I love it! I genuinely look forward to practicing every day.”
BLS girls’ varsity soccer coach John Rudzinski shares a similar sentiment about the commitment it takes to coach after school each day, saying, “Coaching high school soccer requires an intense time commitment for 11 to 12 weeks each year.” Even when he is not at a physical practice or a game, Coach Rudzinski is still investing time into the team. He is often planning and strategizing before and after practices and games, for example. He believes that “preparing for a practice takes as much time as the practice itself!”
High school can be tumultuous for many, a constant struggle between academic pressure and social stress, so adding a sport to such a demanding schedule can seem overwhelming. A good coach can be an incredibly important factor in the decision for high schoolers to stick with a sport and possibly pursue it in college. Coach Sedita thrives on kindness, community and commitment when trying to be the best coach. Similarly, Coach Rudzinski places value on “commitment, teamwork and sublimation of the individual for the collective.”
Considering the sometimes draining combination of a professional work day and evening practices or games, some may wonder why a coach would choose to work with high school students. When asked why she chose to support high school student-athletes instead of a youth team with fewer hours, Coach Sedita remarks that she chose to coach high school cheer because being a member of her high school cheer team was extremely impactful for her and gave her a heightened sense of community. She says that she cares “so deeply about the student athletes in [her] program and making sure everyone feels welcomed,” which was similar to Coach Rudzinski’s hope to “[instill] a love of the game in young players.”
Both of these coaches clearly love working with students because they hope to lift up their players and create a sense of community. High school sports are an opportunity for students to build stronger relationships with their peers through a shared love of a sport, and the coaches at the school work hard and commit huge amounts of their time in order to ensure individual and team success.