by Will Gavett ‘12

Seniors Kevin Suen and Katarina Niedermair give back by spending time coaching youth recreational teams. Here they pose with their U-12 girls’ soccer team. Paul Scewczyk ‘12

Coaching a sports team can be a very rewarding yet stressful experience. However, several students at Sherwood have decided to take up this challenge, regardless. Whether they’re doing it for Student Service Learning (SSL) hours, just for the fun of it or both, these students give back to their community by coaching children from around the area.

“I got into coaching originally just in order to get SSL hours. I figured that I’ve been playing [Olney Boys and Girls Club] basketball since I was little, I should do something to give back to the organization. Coaching turned out to be a great experience,” said senior Aaron Bogage, who coached sixth and seventh grade boys’ basketball for the Olney Boys and Girls Club (OBGC).

OBGC is a volunteer-driven community sports organization that attracts many local youths to play sports. Since it is purely volunteer-run, opportunities for SSL hours are plentiful. However, some people do not coach for hours at all, but for the pure enjoyment of seeing the kids they train grow as athletes.

“Coaching is really about giving back and appreciating the look on your players’ faces when they improve, and being there for them even when they struggle,” said senior Katarina Niedermair, who has coached U-12 girls’ soccer for two seasons now.

All of these coaches have at least some experience with the sports themselves, but due to injury or for some reason or another could not continue playing their sports. Some coaches also used to play in OBGC themselves when they were younger.

“I only played recreational soccer for OBGC and when I got too old I did not want to give it up so I decided to start coaching,” explained senior Sam Fregly, who coached soccer with Niedermair during the previous spring and fall seasons at OBGC.

Most of these students coach for OBGC, in part because prospective coaches do not have to be hired. Most of the time this person is just one of the student’s parents, like senior Sam Fregly’s mother, Melissa, who signed him up. However, without an adult present, coaching children can be a challenge.

“I was also a little worried that the players would not take us seriously. It took a while to figure out how to get the girls to calm down at first,” said Fregly.

Getting the children to settle down and listen is not the only job involved with coaching. Eventually, their team will actually have to play in a competitive game. “The games are the most fun because it’s always fun to see what you teach them in practice work in the games … and what you need to work on in future practices,” said Bogage.

However, coaching is not just about winning the most games. Most importantly, it is about being a good role-model to every player.

“My favorite part of coaching is having the opportunity to influence the girls, not only on the field, but in their lives in general,” said Niedermair.