Oct. 28, 2016
SPORTS
Blueprint 11
DGS coaches impact goes beyond wins and losses By Sarah Major, Print Features Editor Sydney Hall, Reporter Throughout DGS history, sports have been an essential part of school spirit and student involvement. Coaches at DGS work behind the scenes, training their players and helping them represent DGS. During their respective seasons, coaches sacrifice their personal time, often prioritizing their team and job over their own family and friends. Because most sports also engage in off-season workouts, coaches rarely get a break from having to balance coaching and teaching. Because there is so much variation among each sport, there are discrepancies regarding how coaches should be evaluated. According to student-athletes Lindsay Tom and Anthony Alcantara, as well as softball coach Lauren Meister, a coach’s success does not always depend on the scoreboard. Rather, it depends on the personal relationship that coaches build with their athletes. Varsity softball coach Lauren Meister believes that the relationship that coaches build with their players is one that lasts long after
the final games have been won or and [shown me] that I can achieve lost. After playing for retired softball [my] goals if I work hard and do my coach Ron Havelka during her four best and am determined,” Tom said. years of high school, Meister still Coaches are often compared to one maintains a solid relationship with another in terms of wins and losses, the man who helped influence her but evaluation does not always while attending depend on the final DGS. score. Softball coach “Coach Ron Lauren Meister beHavelka has lieves that a coach’s been a constant success is deterrole model in mined by player demy life. After I velopment instead graduated high of the scoreboard. school, he was “Coaches should my reference be held to a high for a job, and he standard ensurwas definitely ing that they are a Every sport needs coaches that positively someone that influence their athletes. good role model for I kept in touch Photo by Sarah Major athletes. Coaches with so that should be providhe was able to talk on behalf of my ing the resources to not only make character. He’s always been a kind a good student athlete a great stuof acquaintance that I can go to for a dent athlete, but remind them to be voice of reason,” Meister said. consistently a good person overall,” Junior golfer and gymnast Lindsay Meister said. Tom has interacted with numerous Senior Anthony Alcantara plays coaches throughout her years as on the boys varsity soccer team for an athlete. Similar to Meister, Tom coaches Jon Stapleton and Nathan believes that her coaches have all Terry. After playing on the team for helped her development as a person. two years, Alcantara has a solid basis “I’ve grown as a person under the for how coaches should be evaluated. influence of my coaches because they “I think the coaches should be chohave helped with time management sen by their desire and commitment
towards that sport,” Alcantara said. Through her experiences with different coaches, Tom has been able to determine how coaches should be evaluated here at DGS by comparing the different styles of coaching that she has interacted with. “I think that coaches should be evaluated by their knowledge of the sport, their ability to cater to each athlete’s individual learning styles, their ability to teach each athlete to reach their full potential and their ability to motivate the players,” Tom said. Catering to learning styles is something that Meister has made her personal mantra since she began coaching the softball team at DGS. “I understand that there are different types of learners, so I feel when I coach, I can’t really rely on one coaching style. That is where the essence of coaching comes in. It all comes down to making connections with athletes and figuring out the most effective ways to help them in a consistently positive atmosphere,” Meister said. Regardless of the results of games or matches, DGS coaches who have the most impact on their athletes are the coaches who work diligently to make their players better individuals on and off the field.
Secrets to mastering the college recruitment process By Lauren Smith, Copy Editor High school student athletes, already plagued with stress and busy schedules, are often reluctant to transition their focus to college. However, the college recruitment process is incredibly important for those who hope to play sports after high school. Not only is college recruitment a crucial part of any athlete’s career, but it has the potential to define what the next four years of their life will look like. Although the process may be stressful, it should not to be avoided, but embraced. Varsity soccer coach Nathan Terry, also a former assistant college coach, supports getting a head start on the process and encourages athletes to waste no time reaching out to colleges. With at least four athletes on his current varsity team planning to play in college, Terry makes an effort to support and offer advice to any athlete looking to play in college. “We always talk to our students who are serious about it to start making contact with coaches [by the] middle of their sophomore year, but really to start the process themselves freshman year,” Terry said. Junior Maddie Manganiello, who participates in track and field, is currently in contact with University of Miami, SIUE and Stanford, but she’s still in the process of deciding where she would like to continue her athletic career as a long and triple jumper. “I started [the recruitment process] my sophomore year, and then it’s been progressing recently,” Manganiello said. Senior Jeremy Canfield, who is in the final stages of the recruitment process, started looking at colleges
early his junior year and agrees that recruitment is finding a school that an early start to the recruitment profits the student, not just the athlete. cess is the best way to go. As a former collegiate soccer player, Canfield has recently committed to Terry strongly encourages students play Division III baseball at Cornell to look for a school that is not only a College in Iowa next year. good fit athletically, but socially and It is important that student athacademically as well. letes not only begin the process “The scenario we give our athletes early, but that they instigate contact is you go there on your first day and with universities and coaches. Both you get injured and now you can’t Canfield and Manganiello began play…you want to be comfortable their recruiting experience by reaching out to schools of interest, and they encourage other athletes to do the same. “[The beginning of the process] basically is emailing coaches, researching schools and going through video and send- Coach Terry directing senior forward Dylan Mobley on the sidelines. Photo by Lauren Smith ing that out and drawing interest,” Canfield said. with the choice you made about Terry agreed that a student athlete where you’re going to be,” Terry said. must take charge and initiate conManganiello agreed that finding a tact with colleges if they wish to be school that fits an individual’s perrecruited. sonality should take priority over “You have to market yourself,” athletics. As a junior in the process, Terry said. “The biggest thing is to do Manganiello considers specific feayour work and put yourself out there. tures like their academic programs Instead of letting the world come to and campus atmosphere. you, you’ve got to go to the world.” Canfield shared his own factors Terry also made the point that alas well, which were very important though DGS is rather successful from when it came to making his final dean athletic standpoint, the school is cision. Although Cornell College ofnot on many colleges’ scouting lists. If fered him a great opportunity to play athletes want to be seen, they must baseball, he did not make his decision reach out and invite coaches. without considering what else the Another important aspect of college school had to offer.
“A lot of [my decision] has to do with preferences, so size, location; the biggest one for me is student ratio,” Canfield said. Another consideration that is overlooked by many prospective collegiate athletes is the importance of maintaining a good reputation. When asked her opinion, Manganiello shared her perspective on the importance of reputation and maintaining a respectful attitude throughout the recruitment process. “All the college coaches talk to each other, so if you don’t respond or you respond in a negative way, that gets around. I want to make sure I have a good profile as an athlete,” Manganiello said. “[Also] make sure you don’t have anything bad on your Twitter or Facebook or any social media because they look at that.” Terry urges his athletes to portray themselves in a positive light as well. “Take any opportunity you can as an individual when you happen to see those coaches at an event to go and make that personal contact with them. Those types of interactions are where the fibers start to connect and coaches can then make a better generalization about you as a person and as an athlete,” Terry said. Terry, Canfield and Manganiello also encourage athletes to stay in contact with schools as long as possible to keep options open. Although the process of college recruitment can be overwhelming, it is an important process to go through and should not be delayed. Terry offered a last word of advice. “Take your time and enjoy the process...Once you find that place it can be very rewarding. You can look back on it with fond memories later on in life. ”