One unintended result from having a virtual school year has been the rise of Roosevelt athletes finding themselves seeking out a new pursuit in their local sports communities: coaching.
Katie James, a senior captain of the Roosevelt women’s swim team, started coaching kids ages two to twelve last summer for the first time at the View Ridge Swim and Tennis Club. A competitive swimmer since nine years old, James reports that she’s learned to adapt her teaching style to each individual student, saying, “I think just everyone learns in a different way, so it’s kinda just about finding what way works best for them.”
James led private lessons for kids across a variety of swimming levels. “When you teach, there’s anywhere from won’t get into the pool, to people who are swimming or working on their technique or form,” she explains. “It just kind of depends on the age group you get.”
While James doesn’t know if she’ll swim competitively in college, she states that she is considering continuing to teach in future summers.
Another Roosevelt student, junior Simone Robinson, has been coaching kids ages five to eight for around five years in tennis. Robinson is part of the Roosevelt tennis team and the Tennis Center Sand Point at Magnuson. At 11 years old, she started working as an assistant coach at the center in return for free tennis lessons. Since joining the Roosevelt team in high school, Robinson has regularly competed in the singles event.
Roosevelt tennis player and coach, Simone Robinson, pictured above.
Before becoming a coach, both students explain that there are certain qualifications needed to be met, usually specific to each sport. In terms of swimming, James says, “You have to be a lifeguard. You have to be able to swim, but you don’t necessarily have to be a good swimmer.”
Robinson states that the requirements for coaching tennis include “having a middle school diploma, basic knowledge of tennis shots, and good communication and people skills.”
Throughout their experience of coaching youth sports, both students have had some funny moments advising their kids– who are often very energetic and loud. James says, “Oh my god! There was this kid that everytime he went under the water he waved until he came up for air. It was so funny!”
This said, sometimes coaches have to find innovative ways to improve participation from their kids. James says that it can be difficult to convince her children to go underwater. “I’ll tell them there’s mermaids underwater,” she admits. “If they go in, they’ll finally put in their face and I’m like, ‘Did you see the mermaids?’”
As is the case with any leadership position, there are obstacles and challenges to consider when interacting with kids and parents as a student coach. Robinson and James report that kids can get distracted easily, and as coaches, they often need to come up with activities that instantly get their attention.
Another issue surrounds the fact that student coaches are still in the process of learning themselves. James says, “Sometimes it’s harder to teach the people who are good. Sometimes they ask me in private lessons to teach them butterfly and I’m not even good at that.”
When asked if she had any challenging experiences with parents, Robinson says, “Many! Parents have complained in the past about the material that we’re teaching, about how many kids are in the class, about the coaches’ engagement level.”
James has also encountered a few complaints, but says, “I mostly decided to teach as I was instructed to by my boss, and most parents were grateful after a while and stopped complaining as much.” When asked to give advice to new high school students who are starting to coach, James states, “My advice would be to be willing to try new things and have an open mind, and wanting to have fun.” Robinson agrees, explaining that it is normal for the experience to be nerve racking at first when you are around your students, but to just enjoy it and be creative.
