Division Ill coaches display love for sports

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Although sometimes overlooked, the coaches at Cabrini play a major role in the ·success of their teams and the college. Coaching and recruiting leave little time for anything else, yet most are payed less than high school coaches. Why do they do it?

by Kevin Scott staff writer

Coach. Just that ·one word brings about thoughts of a fearless leader who is almost, in a way, programmed to hone the talents of his or her players. Images of them pacing up and down the sidelines thinking of last-minute strategies that may be the difference between winning and losing also come to mind. This, however, constitutes only a small part of Division III coaching duties.

"One area where they are clearly overlooked is their ability to .recruit student athletes," Athletic Director John Dzik said.

In order to field a team that has any chance of being successful, a coach must recruit. This is a very difficult and arduous process.

Because Cabrini is a Division III school, coaches are not permitted to offer athletic scholarships to potential recruits.

Without this valuable tool, it can be very difficult to compete with some of the bigger schools in the area who are able to offer scholarships, which pay for part or all of an athlete's tuition.

Even though the college is unable to offer financial assistance, it is up to the coach to show the student the benerits of attending Cabrini. A knowledge of all of Cabrini's majors and programs is a must.

Coaches have to give the students reasons, other than athletics, to attend Ca-~rini. In this way, they almost .act as representatives of the· admissions office.

For men's and _women's tennis Coach, Reggie Day, recruiting can be a very hectic process.

It is often difficult to see a potential recruit in person because the high school and college schedules overlap.

When he does have the chance !O see a potential recruit, long drives to New York, New Jersey or Ohio are not un~ommon.

Sometimes, he will even combine family trips and recruiting trips into one. This way, he gets to spend valuable time with his family while trying to attract new talent to Cabrini.

For women's volleyball

Coach Jim Harrigan, it is a somewhat different process. In addition to coaching at Cabrini, he ~lso coaches volleyball at two area high schools- the Baldwin School and Cardinal Dougherty High School.

During the sumIJ1er,he also - runs a volleyball camp, which is held here at Cabrini.

"These three avenues really help in the recruiting process," Harrigan said.

Coaching at the high school level permits him to see many of the area's best players and the camp allows him to build up a mailing list, which he can use for potential recruits.

"The main benefit of the camp is that the players have already seen the campus and have also had a chance to become familiar with my style of coaehing," Harrigan said.

According to Dzik,. almost 200 of the 250 student athletes currently attending Cabrini were recruited by the coaches.

"Each student is worth about $10,000 to the school," Dzik said. "Multiply that by 200. Now think about how much these coaches mean to the school."

Once they get the players, a different set of responsibilities ar.e placed on the coaches' shoulders.

The coaches are supposed to work with players in order to improve their game. This is done through scheduled practices along with one-on-one instruction.

Another big part of their job is getting the players to and from the games. They are in charge of planning the trip itself and they often have to drive the team in a van, which is provided by the college.

Some of the other duties of a coach include scouting opponents, being able to recognize how serious injuries are when they occur and getting publicity for the team and players.

Often it is assumed that as you •move up the job ladder, your pay will increase as well.

According to Dzik, most of Cabrini's coaches are paid equal to or a little less than most high school coaches.

One of the reasons for this is that most high school coaches tend to remain in that same position for a number of years. Because this is the case, they subsequently receive small raises each year for their continuing service.

On the college level, ·however, there tends to be a higher turnover rate of coaches, which k~ep salaries at a fairly consistent level.

When comparing salaries with other Division III schools, Dzik feels that Cabrini is offering a middle-of-the-road salary,

"We are, however, starting to lose ground on the conference;" Dzik said.

Even though. they may be ·underpaid, the coaches do not let it affect their performance.

"They put up with the bare minimum and still manage to keep a positive attitude," Dzik said. "They are a very important part of this school."

"We have a nice program here along with some of the best Division III coaches around," women's basketball Coach Dan Welde said. "I definiteJy feel like I'm appreciated. When it comes down to l:t, these people are here for one reason. They love what they do.

"Coaching isn't done for the money, you do it because you love the sport," Day said.