Why do you chose to coach?
I choose to coach because it's my way of giving back to my community and the next generation of leaders. Sports is a playground for learning, not just skill but life's lessons. Coaching was a calling and I thoroughly remember my days as a young athlete and if it wasn't for my AAU track coach, I am not sure who or where I'd be. His involvement is molding the person that I am today, change the trajectory of my life. It is my hope that I can have the same impact on the young people that I encounter.
Please tell us a story about your best learning moment while coaching.
Coaching, like parenting is filled with moments of learning. As a coach, I would say those moments of learning come into play when you can figure out how to best reach each individual athlete. One thing about coaching, which is a lot like parenting, each athlete is different, and they all can't be coached the same. Some athletes you can reach with a direct approach. Others, you have to use the back door to get in, and then there are those that you'll have to crawl through the doggie door to reach them, but when it's all said and done, the moment of triumph, that moment when you gain total buy-in, is them moment that I as a coach have ascertained how to truly reach that athlete and in that moment I learn how to help that individual in their growth process.
What do you want your coaching legacy to be and why?
I want my coaching legacy to mimic my life. Christ made us in his image, and I like to believe that I walk a faithful walk, and I talk a faithful talk. With out faith, I (we) would not be able to do what we do. I strive to be transparent, honest and act with integrity. Coaches, I feel were put on this earth to guide people with their gift of counseling.
Sport is just the conduit, locomotive to delivering the message. When I retire from coaching, I want my girl's and their parents to take away that they are more than enough, they are worth the time and effort. I want my girls to know who they are. I want them to know "Whose" they are. A legacy means that you've left an everlasting impression on the individuals that you have encountered over the course of your life. and it is through this servitude that I want to help build more servant leaders. I want my legacy to be one that yields more coaches striving to do positive things in their own communities.
