4/9/05

Parks & Recreation Anticipates Need for Volunteer Coaches

Do you like sports? Do you enjoy encouraging children to like sports? Do you want to make a difference in someone else's life? Consider volunteering to coach a team with Holly Springs Parks & Recreation. Volunteer coaches are needed for upcoming seasons; with an ever-increasing number of youth sports participants comes an ever-increasing need for more coaches.

“When in your daily life are you able to teach kids how to have fun at a game you also love?” asked Jed Poston, athletic programs manager with Parks & Recreation. “Our sports like soccer, basketball, baseball and softball are open to as many kids who want to participate. But, if we stop getting volunteer coaches, we're going to have to start limiting numbers. If you don't have coaches, you don't have a team.”

Coaching positions for the upcoming baseball/softball season are filled, but Poston is looking to the future and an anticipated need for fall soccer, winter basketball and 2006 baseball/softball coaches. While volunteers are often available to coach older teams, volunteers for the younger teams are harder to come by, Poston said.

Parks & Recreation Director Len Bradley agreed.

“You don't have to be an expert at the sport, and it doesn't matter if you are a woman or man,” Bradley said. “What matters is that you have a love for the game and a love for teaching children.”

Head coaches are responsible for organizing practices and coaching games. The coach also is responsible for team equipment provided by the Parks & Recreation Department. In addition, the head coach is expected to attend the one organizational meeting at the beginning of the season. It is at this meeting that practice schedules are decided, sport information is distributed, and league rules are discussed. Ideally, what Poston prefers is a team of three or four coaches supporting a head coach. If a head coach can't attend a practice or game, one of the other volunteers steps forward.

Cary Binz, who has coached more than 15 Holly Springs youth teams during the last six years, said his new passion is encouraging parents to coach, not just because of the rewarding experience but also because of the need for coaches.

“I see so many parents that are at almost every event,” Binz said. “And then I hear that people don't have time to do it (coach).”

Binz emphasized that volunteer coaches don't have to be experts on the sport, and coaching can be a shared responsibility among several parents on a team. He also talked about how volunteer coaching is a good way to be a part of the town, and coaching also helps parents get to know their children's friends and parents. Binz said that he often runs into children he has coached in his daily life, as he runs errands or visits a local pizzeria. The children greet him and ask how he is doing, and he gets to visit with them.

“You just can't explain how cool that is,” he said. “As these kids grow up, they'll always know you.”

Another longtime Holly Springs volunteer coach, Kelly Elwell, agreed with Binz about the significance coaches have in children's lives. Elwell has coached boy's basketball and baseball.

“ With the exception of being a parent, for me coaching is the most important and rewarding job I could do,” Elwell said. “Seeing the joy in a child's face the first time they make a basket, score a goal or catch a fly ball is priceless. And, when a team comes together to execute a play to perfection, it is so neat to witness how much they enjoy their group accomplishment.

“So, if you like sports and enjoy teaching you will love coaching,” she said. “And if you enjoy participating in sports but your body is constantly hinting to you that it's time to hang up those cleats, consider coaching as a way to stay involved with the sports you love – without the need for the heating pad.”

To be a head coach, visit the Hunt Community Center and fill out a coaching application about a month before registration for that sport begins. A background check will be conducted, and your application will be reviewed. Applications are currently being accepted for fall soccer and basketball. Call Parks & Recreation at (919) 557-9600 for more information.

Town of Holly Springs - PO Box 8 - 128 South Main Street - Holly Springs, NC 27540 - (919) 552-6221 - Holly.Springs@hollyspringsnc.us