If you were an athlete in your youth and you had a good time, there’s probably a coach you think of that had a positive impact on your life. I can’t name every teammate that I’ve had or remember many games, but I remember every coach and the lessons that I learned from each of them.
That’s part of the reason that I started volunteering my time to coaching youth sports. I wanted to give back to a sport that gave me so much growing up. But I also wanted to volunteer because I’m a type of coach that is in high-demand. No, I’m not a superstar sports savant — I’m a non-parent coach.
I’m capable of doing my job without any biases from the get-go. Even the best of the parent-coaches are subject to second guessing if their son or daughter is getting playing time over another child. It’s part of the gig, I suppose.
That aside, volunteering my time to teach youngsters how to be good teammates, how to respect the game that they’re playing, and how to enjoy themselves is one of the most gratifying things I’ve ever done. I know that at the end of a long season, my players want to come back next year. And, frankly, if that happens then I’ve done my job.
There’s a great opportunity to coach numerous sports in this town and, coincidentally, Urbana Park District is looking for coaching volunteers. You can find out how to get an application in here.
It’s important to teach our youth about sportsmanship, effort, and fun. Three things that, as we’ve gotten older and away from organized sports, we should still value. If you can spare a few hours a week, there’s no more gratifying experience.