If you thought the pressure was on for students whose parents are teachers, imagine how hard it can be for students whose parents are their coach. And “sadly,” some students, like myself, have to deal with both. We’ve all had our parents coach us sometime, whether it be our soccer team when we were six or our HYF team in elementary school. But having your mom or dad coach you in something as serious as a high school sport is a next level kind of crazy–and as a track and field athlete coached by my dad, I know all about it.

Having your parent be your coach isn’t all bad. You always have someone there watching you do what you love. On the other hand, you also always have someone who knows exactly everything you did wrong and isn’t afraid to tell you. While you always have a ride to and from practices and games, you may end up waiting for everyone else to leave before you can go home and shower.

Freshman Justin Marx’s dad, Andy Marx, is his basketball coach. He believes the hardest thing about having his dad be his coach is “They’re always hard on you…They try to push you to do your best. They pick at everything but they’re always there to help you.” Justin says the best thing about having his dad coach him is “Endless opportunities. He can always help me.”

Sophomore Caiden Baird’s dad, Chris Baird, is her wrestling coach. Caiden says that the best thing about having her dad coach her is “The advantages I get.” She goes on to say that these advantages are “…getting extra spirit wear…” and “… always being on time.” Caiden believes that the hardest thing about having her dad be her coach is “The pressure it puts on you because you feel like you have to be good at it.” She goes saying “He pushes me extra hard in practice.” 

Some other students whose parents coach them are Jack Ward (Senior), Tucker Ward (Sophomore), Mason Barnes (Freshman), Owen Dennis (Freshman), and me! Many other students who wish to remain unnamed also have this “problem.”

Though it may seem hard, those of us with our parents as well as our coaches love it! We get to see our parents more. Our parents get to share something they love with us. Most importantly, we grow as humans by having these experiences.