Inspiring Coach
Andy Borland
Coach award winner uses empathy to reach his students By Randy Capps
For many people, the word “coach” conjures up memories of playing a sport or maybe getting a nugget of wisdom that one carries forever. Sometimes, that coach is someone who knows what you’re going through and tries to find ways to help you be successful. Andy Borland is doing a little bit of both, and for that, he has earned the 2020 Johnston Now Honors Inspiring Coach award. Borland, a Florida native who spent most of his formative years in New York, graduated from Clayton High School in 2013. And like many newly minted high school graduates, he was looking to earn a little extra money. “I had a little bit of experience when I was younger, maybe 11 years old, doing 10 | JOHNSTON NOW
taekwondo,” he said of his martial arts experience. “I didn’t stick with it all that long. But my passion for martial arts actually came after I got the job at Revolution (Modern Martial Arts), oddly enough. Most people in this industry, they start martial arts when they’re young kids, they stay with it and they eventually run a school or something like that. But it started as a typical 18-year-old looking for a job. I was recommended to go see Scot (Schwichow, the owner), went over there and ended up falling in love with it — working with the kids and martial arts in general. I trained just about every night I was there and just fell in love with it.” As a former lacrosse player and martial arts student, he knew he had an affinity for athletics. Finding out he had an interest in coaching young people was unexpected. “Honestly, it was kind of a surprise for
me, too,” he said. “It’s one of those things where the passion finds you. Coming up as a teenager, I was the typical, ‘aw, kids are annoying.’ But then getting into Revolution and seeing the kids progress and having those moments of pride in what they’re doing. (Seeing them) achieving things that they didn’t think they could do before. It’s just such an awesome feeling, and to be a part of that is just really, really special. I guess it just hooked me in.” It takes different approaches to reach the younger students than it does to get through to teenagers, and a good coach finds a way to do both. “It all comes down to what motivates them, really,” he said. “With a 3-yearold, pretty much everything is exciting. Everything is a lot of fun. So if you can make whatever you’re trying to teach them exciting and fun, they’ll usually stick
