Two events in recent weeks have created a strong sense of nostalgia for my early coaching days. I was first hit with the feeling when in Boston with Kai Barber at the NCAA National Championships. The second time was when I shared my coaching background with the Coaching Methods class I am teaching this semester.
I graduated college in May 2000. That summer, I was painting houses and living in St. Paul with college friends. I had no long-term career plans and had not given it much thought. I often joke that my girlfriend Erica, now wife, felt sorry for me. She was moving to Boston to volunteer with an AmeriCorps program called Athletes in Service and invited me with. I don’t remember giving that decision much thought either and decided to tag-along.
We packed up a trailer and my minivan (yes, I was 22 and had a minivan) and made the big move to Boston. While Erica volunteered, I quickly found a job as an exterior house painter with seasonal workers from Ireland. The job went relatively smooth until fall was ending and I realized the job would end as well.
In a rare moment of serendipity, I was reading the Boston Globe employment section and saw an ad for a Division 2 sprints coach at Bryant University in Rhode Island. “I can do that for the winter,” I thought. I had not really considered coaching as a profession, but it seemed like a good way to occupy my time during the winter. Thankfully my college track coaches, Hamline’s Kent Stahly and Paul Schmaedeke, taught me enough coaching theory to bluff my way through the interview. Maybe Coach Stahly was covertly preparing me for this opportunity when he gave me a stack of books for an independent study on track coaching. The class had no assignments or papers, just the simply instructions to read the books.
The coaching position earned me a meager stipend for the year. Added to my wife’s AmeriCorps position, we lived simply and relished visitors who would take us out to eat. The first weeks of coaching went well until the jumps coach was fired. In response, the head coach asked if I would be willing to coach them as well. I had jumped in high school and it meant a pay increase. “Of course!”
Coaching was fun and challenging. I loved being able plan training and learn more about the events I was coaching. However, I was 23 years old and many of the athletes were nearly the same age. To separate myself I tried to look older. I’m not sure the long hair and beard were the right choice, but the team definitely stopped asking me to social functions.
During my second year at Bryant, Erica and I moved to Providence, RI to be closer to the school. As the indoor season was ending, our throws coach abruptly decided to retire. What do you do when the head coach asks, “Are you able to coach the throwers for a little extra money?” Definitely! Did I know anything about coaching the throws? Not a chance. However, I had great coaching mentors who were willing to direct my learning and a good group of athletes who understood my lack of knowledge. It was a collaborative effort, but I learned quickly.
I coached at Bryant University for only those two years before Erica and I headed to graduate school. That story will have to be for another time. It was great to be back in Boston and reminisce about my first years coaching. I appreciate how that first experience shaped my career and provided a unique learning opportunity.