A Coach’s Life

What coaches do when they’re not coaching

BY WILLIAM LAMPE Staff Reporter

We know what a coach does when they’re coaching, they tell us how to get better, they teach us how to play the sport correctly, push us to do our best, but what do coaches do when they aren’t coaching? This article will talk about what they like to do, and what they do to prepare for their sports.

Coach Walker Cross Country Coach

Coach Kelly Walker is dedicated to her fall sport: cross country.

“I spend between 18 and 28 hours each week [on cross country] during the season. I’ve been known to buy a bunch of Epsom salts, so everyone can take baths and heal with it. And so I’m like breaking up bags and bringing them out to the team. There’s a ton of administrative work and setting up transportation to the needs of communication with the parents. So I spent two hours Monday through Friday with the athletes and a minimum of an hour. Prepping for the practice and the meet ahead, etc. Also doing the driving takes a lot of time, I took the Varsity guys to Fresno last weekend,” Coach Walker said.

Coach Walker doesn’t coach in the offseason, but does have a job and three kids to take care of.

“I’m a holistic nutritionist. I work in oncology coaching adults and how they can mitigate the effects of cancer treatment and try to reverse the cancer in their system and heal their bodies. So that’s my profession. I have three kids who are 13, 11 and 9, so I’m also busy with them. I’m the lesser of the out of the house worker, believe it or not, between my husband and I, so I carry the majority of that load. And then I also, you know, work to exercise and keep myself healthy too.”

Coach Bitner Boys Water Polo Coach

Coach Bittner does not only stand by the pool and coaching. “I spend [time] actually on the pool deck, there’s also a bunch of administrative work that I have to do behind the scenes, making sure that all the games are good, making sure that everything gets uploaded properly, scores get reported that all the paperwork is okay for every kid and dealing with the school and, and the league and everything like that. I watch film back on my own time and, and kind of go over things in my head a lot of times like when I’m going to bed,” Bittner said.

Coach Bittner spends so much time on water polo he doesn’t take many breaks.

“I coached summer all the way until this current season fall so I have been going nonstop with I think like small two week breaks since last August,” Bittner said.

Coaching water polo year round may seem like a very time consuming task, but not for coach Bittner.

“Honestly, it’s a side job for me. I actually have a full time job as well. As an engineering manager, for an education technology company. And so I’m pretty busy. I mean, I’m effectively working two full time jobs,’’ Bittner said.

When the busy coach does have some time for himself, he does have some things he likes to do.

“I travel a lot. I’m actually leaving tomorrow to go on a trip with some friends to go to Texas. So most of my time is pretty busy. I’m just like a pretty busy guy in general. I like to keep my schedule pretty full because I find it keeps me focused and motivated. But in my actual off time if I’m purely relaxing. I would play a lot of video games and watch shows. I try and do like fun activities with my girlfriend and family,” Bittner said.