Profile by emma paige

emerging from the

EAGLE’S NEST merging from the nest of children at Bald Eagle Sports Camp is a tall, bald man. He walks directly towards me with a big smile on his face.

Instead of stopping to greet parents, Coach Bob pulls me aside and asks,“Emma, have you ever considered switching to Los Altos High School?” Coach Bob knew I was having some challenges at my current school. He approached me and asked me about my situation. As parents dropped off campers, we sat on a bench talked about his experiences as a teacher and coach at Los Altos High School. He spoke with so much passion and reassurance. Bob told about the community at the school and it sounded like a community almost created by himself. So positive and welcoming (like Bob). The next time I looked up, the parking lot was empty. Camp had started and Coach Bob was still sitting on the bench with me.

That same school year I walked onto the Los Altos

High School campus and there was Coach Bob. With a warm smile, he asked me how my day was going. Kindhearted as always. This was probably the best decision of my life, I was so happy, and I can thank all of that to Bob McFarlane and his inspiring talks. The impact he made on my life was significant.

But I am not alone: “ that’s what inspires me is being a part of people’s lives and helping make a difference in their life if I’m given that opportunity to do so” (mcfarlane).

Coach Bob’s passion for making a difference in people’s lives is infectious. He demonstrates it everyday at Bald Eagle Summer Camp where he greets parents, high-fives counselors, and bends down to comfort new campers intimidated by his stature. For six weeks every summer, Coach Bob will eat, breath and sleep summer camp. His jeep with the “GO BALD” license plate will be the first car in

BY: EMMA PA IGE

the camp parking lot and the last car to leave. More than 1,200 water bottles, t-shirts and backpacks will be given to a f lock of campers, and every week 200 young sweaty faces will leave the nest of this non-traditional multisports camp with a foundation in teamwork and inclusion, and hopefully a desire for “more Bald.”

Bob McFarlane is not only a teacher, father, coach and employer, but also an inspiration to everyone he meets.

Coach Bob’s moral character and coaching philosophy builds on his belief that it is a gift to be a part of person’s life and that it is his responsibility to make the most of that gift by making a difference in everyone he meets.

His greatest role model is Coach J o h n Wooden. “ in my opinion he is the greatest

coach ever and the impact of his person, of his charac ter, of his drive , of his message, of his humility, and overwh elming success, is one of the most inspiring people i’ve ever know and read about.” (McFarlane).

Coach Bob stays true to his coaching philosophy which is based on the Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) model. Coach Bob is the first ever employer to run a PCA approved camp. The Positive Coaching Alliance is a national non-profit developing “Better Athletes, Better People” by working to provide all youth and high school athletes a positive, character-building youth sports experience. Coach Bob is inspired by Coach W ooden, who said, “Be more concerned with your character than with your reputation. Character is what you really are; reputation is merely what you are perceived to be” (Wooden 199).

Coach Bob also strives to be the man that God wants him to be. “I want to be that man that He wants me to

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be, and if I’m that guy that He wants me to be, I know that everything else will work out,” shared Coach Bob. But, behind that infectious smile and solid moral character is a story of a man who has struggled to make ends meet and leaned on his faith in God to find a path to success. “ bald eagle was actually created out of the hardest time in my life that I’ve ever gone through,” said Coach Bob. Living on a teacher’s salary, his wife’ business was failing, and the family was about to lose their home.

Coach Bob dug deep into his faith to find what he could do to generate extra income.

Tragedy has touched Coach Bob throughout his life. He grew up in a large, close-knit working class family in the Bay Area, but then tragedy struck his mother twice in a short time.

Her first husband died of Lupus at age 30, and left her as a widow with five young child ren .

Several years later, Bob’s preschool aged sister drowned in their backyard pool. His mother never truly recovered from these tragedies and Bob was left to raise himself. Coach Bob explained, “She drank a lot of martinis every night and was just in a bad way for most of my high school years.” From these tragedies came Coach Bob’s passion for making a difference in children’s lives. He fondly remembers being called Uncle Bobby by his 15 nieces and nephews. He was really involved with these younger kids, trying to give them the childhood he never had with his parents by hanging out with them and later taking them on snowboarding trips.

Early in life, Coach Bob knew that he aspired to be a teacher. He felt the calling to make a difference in young people’s lives, and stay connected with them to build a long-lasting relationship. Coach Bob believes that all teenagers need guidance and mentorship, but that

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they need to be treated with starting a new sports camp, respect. He teared up as he Coach Bob never lost his sense said, of humor. “i think there’s a lot “ it doesn’t just yank at my of power in being able to laugh at yourself, and to be able to heart and tug on my heart kind of shake it off and realize strings, but it chokes my you’re not perfect and you’re heart in a good way to see going to make mistakes. I someone grow and evolve think opens us up to being and to have any little bit of more human and allowing a part of that is inspiring to ourselves to make mistakes, me.” and to own up to them, to acWhile hatching the idea for tually be vulnerable to others.”

Bald Eagle was driven by (McFarlane). tragedy, it was also inspired Coach Bob shared a funny stoby Bob’s calling from God. ry about the origin of the Bald He said, “I was prompted all Eagle name. While the Eagle my life to get into the camp ref lects the mascot of Los Albusiness, to run camps, to tos High School where Coach do camps, and I never really Bob teaches and coaches, the wanted to give up my time to “Bald” was inspired by Bob’s do that, to follow God’s plan wife. She said, “If it’s your for my life.” Coach Bob contin- camp, why ued to be challenged by fail- don ’ t ure. He started his first camp and only six children signed up. He barely broke even on costs, but he saw the potential for a new type of sports camp.

There has been more mistakes that I’ve made in building Bald Eagle than there have been successes, and often times I think some people beat themselves up for their mistakes; whereas, I tend to try and look at it with a positive grain of salt and a willingness to laugh at like, Wow, I really butchered that one.

Though all the challenges of

we call it bald eagle because you have a big bald head.”

Coach Bob’s response was, “You know, I’m just going to name it that. I think that’s catchy.” This once again supports Bob’s belief that everyone needs to make the best of every situation, even being bald. Together, the Bald Eagle Camp logo embodies not only Bob’s sense of humor, but to him the bald eagles also stands for pride, integrity, passion and courage. Another part of the message of Bald Eagle according to Coach Bob is that “life sometimes can really get to you and you can really seem like you’re down and out and things just can’t ever recover.” Citing a poem by an anonymous author, John

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Wooden echoes Coach Bob’s camper to strive for the weekexperiences in launching Bald ly Triple Impact Competitor Eagle Sports Camp: Award. A long-time camper commented, “He coaches very “ looking back it seems to me, posit ive l y all the grief that had to be, and it left me when the pain was a f o’er, stronger than I was befectfore” (wooden 27). e d Coach Bob’s life mimic this m e quote in both his personal and b y professional experiences. From his struggles as a youth with a distracted mother, to the near loss of his family home, and near failure of his new camp business, Coach Bob has this amazing way to share these experiences in a positive light, ref lecting on how they made him stronger in the end. This strength has given him the drive to persevere and succeed with Bald Eagle Sports Camp.

He only hires coaches who embody this mentality and encou r age s ever y

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helping me make new friends, making me more happy and telling me how I can be nicer to people, while still being competitive” (Paige). Since Coach Bob’s multi-sports camp is non-traditional, the goal is to simply get kids to run around and have fun. Yet, having fun is one of the key philosophies of positive coaching. Little League coach David Burnett reminds coaches, “If we coaches keep it ‘light’ while continuing to teach skills, we’re helping the kids have fun” (Burnett).

Coach Bob not only helps kids have fun, but he fosters a work-hard playhard family environment for his staff. This is one of the reasons that working at Bald Eagle is the highlight of the summer for many local high

school athletes. Coach Bob creates a family environment for his counselors. Double Goal Coach Connor Allison explains “ i think the biggest lesson I’ve learned from Coach Bob is just work your hardest no matter how small the job, just do your best and do it right the first time.” Allison and other counselors take this work ethic seriously and see how they can apply it in future careers. The impact the camp has on these teen counselors leaves a lasting impression on Coach Bob: Some want to be on the team and buy in and jump in and do it for the experience and appreciate the moments and others are a little more temporary maybe and get a little something out of it. That’s what inspires me is being a part of people’s lives and helping make a difference in their life I’m given that opportunity to.

(McFarlane) Coach Bob opens every session of camp by quoting a Bible verse. One of his personal favorites is “No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house” (Matthew 5:15). He believes, “If you’re just focused

on keeping your light within the basket, you’re not going to really live out what God’s purpose is for you.” Coach Bob is a testament of living your faith. On a daily basis, he stops to ask God: “What do you want in this moment, Lord? What’s your plan for this moment? What do you have for me?” He cites countless examples where he felt his life was not moving forward, and then when he put it in God’s hands, he found an answer.

Coach Bob embodies the advice shared by Coach Wooden: “ be true to yourself, help others, make each day your masterpiece, make friendship a fine art, drink deeply from good books - especially the Bible, build a shelter against a rainy day, give thanks for your blessings and pray for guidance every day” (Wooden 64).

To this day, I have a very strong personal connection to Coach Bob. I have known him for six years, both as a counselor and a camper. His desire to be a role model and make a difference touched me personally and changed my life. Coach Bob is a living testament to Coach Wooden’s philosophy in that, “Being a role model is the most powerful form of

educating. Youngsters need good role models more than they need critics” (Wooden 5). Coach Bob never criticized my decision about switching schools. He took the time to sincerely listen to my story and gave me advice based on his own personal experience.

Every time I see the icense plate on his Jeep, it makes me smile. Bald Eagle Sports Camp may just be a summer camp for some kids, but for me it is a way of life.

I aspire to walk in the shoes of Coach Bob one day. My feet may not be as big and I hope never to go bald, but I will never forget the inf luence C o ac h Bob had on my life.

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WORK CITED Allison, Connor. Personal interview. 7 Oct. 2015 Bornstein, David. “The Power of Positive Coaching.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 20 Oct. 2011. Web. 5 Oct. 2015.

Bornstein, David. “The Power of Positive Coaching.” Opinionator: The Power of Positive Coaching Comments.” N.p., 20 Oct. 2011. Web. 07 Oct. 2015.

Burnett, Darrell J. “Positive Coaching: 14 Ways to Keep Youth Sports Positive.” Little League. Little League, 2013.

We b. 5 Oct. 2015.

McFarlane, Bob. Personal interview. 29 Sept. 2015 .

Paige, Carter. Personal interview 9 Oct. 2015.

TrueSport. “The Importance of Coaches & Coaching.” True Sport. U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, 2014. Web. 5 Oct. 2015.

Wooden, John, and Steve Jamison. Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Ref lections on and off the Court. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1997. Print.

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