Everyone knows that coaches work hard, but what does a day in their life really look like? There is a lot that goes on behind the scenes to make our sports seasons happen.
Being a coach can mean a lot of things: a mentor, a teacher, and a friend who wants all of their student-athletes to grow as players and human beings. The first thing a coach has to do is to remember that every sport needs to exist to support the school mission of academic and social growth, and that they are helping their students live our core values.
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Here is what that looks like for the school’s football coach, Derek Rehage. Here’s what he does on a day-to-day basis: he supervises lifting in both the season and offseason, and during the season he also runs daily practices. Then there is game day, where he is at the school getting things ready from the crack of dawn until late at night. During the season, it is difficult to find time to spend with his family after football, but he knows that is so important as well. In addition to prepping each practice, thinking about how the team as a whole and individual players need to improve, he has his day job as a PE teacher. However, it is all worth it. Rehage says that the best part about being a coach is ‘’the kids and how much they mean to me. Something special about this job, something I won’t forget as a coach is making my players what they are today as a football player.” Seeing this growth makes all those hours worth it.
When you’re a coach, you have the expectation to win weighing down on your shoulders, and if it doesn’t happen, that pressure just grows for the coaches and the players. Coaches also worry about the development of the players and how their personal growth can affect their daily life if they are thinking about that certain player. There’s also a significant amount of personal sacrifice as they leave their family the whole season and offseason. Not seeing their family, a lot is stressful, effecting the coach on a day-to-day basis.
The football coach spends about 4-6 hours a day with football, watching film with his players and getting ready for his game can make his week a little bit more difficult than others would think. Additionally, weightlifting and doing other activities in the summer getting his football team ready for the upcoming season that happens.
The worst part about being a coach is leaving their family for football due to their dedication for the sport. Realizing that they haven’t seen their family yet can really impact the attitude of the coach, and it is something that our coaches have to work through.
Altogether, a coach is a valuable person in a sport, and having dedicated professionals willing to make these sacrifices for their teams can develop student skills both as player and as an individual. You truly can’t have the team without the coach. Coaching is about mentoring, having someone to lean on a bad time and to make you a better team player and keeping growing each year as a team. Thanks to all of our coaches! We are so grateful for the time you take to help us grow.
