Put me in, coach
9/6/2023Coaching is about much more than teaching the fundamentals of a sport. It is about developing the heart and mind of an athlete. It is about encouraging, leading and building relationships. It’s about more than a winning season. It’s about developing the mindset of a winner — not only in competition but in life’s endeavors. Great coaches do that — and more, as the athletes whose lives they touched can attest.
Samantha Strauss
Cross country runner
Samantha Strauss credits a number of coaches for her successful transition from other sports to running cross country, including Coach Buchan with the Johnston program.
“She is truly a coach who shaped me into the runner and person I am today. Having a female coach as a female athlete was a huge blessing,” she says.
Having a coach who believes in you allows you to have confidence when you’re not feeling confident in yourself, Strauss says. Knowing there are people who believe you can accomplish something when you aren’t sure you can makes a world of difference, she adds.
At the state cross country meet her junior year, Strauss found herself struggling the last part of the race, but Coach Buchan yelled at her when she reached the last 400, “You’re a sprinter!” Strauss ended up passing three other girls on the homestretch to place 10th overall.
Strauss has continued her running career at the University of Iowa as a member of both the track and cross country teams and recently started her junior year.
Source: Johnston Living, August 2023; by Ashley Rullestad
Martha (Still) Wilson
P.E. teacher and coach
As a long-time swimming instructor and physical education teacher, Martha (Still) Wilson credits her high school swim coach, Mark Wagner, for her passion for coaching.
Wagner was a swimming coach at Valley High School where Wilson and her three siblings attended school.
“He was full of life. He was a great encourager. He knew how to push you to do your best,” Wilson recalls.
Swimmers were known as either “studs” — the best swimmers — or “puds,” who were not the best swimmers.
“Everyone felt that they were an important part of the team, whether they were a stud or a pud. You wanted to do well for Wags,” she says.
As she pondered life after high school, she realized coaching appealed as a career. She appreciated how Wagner coached her and his enthusiasm for others.
“Wagner is the reason I wanted to get my coaching endorsement. I thought, ‘What can I do that involves coaching?’ That’s why I chose to teach P.E.
“Everyone has something to offer and to be part of the team,” she says.
Source: West Des Moines/Jordan Creek Living, August 2023, by Jackie Wilson
Brian Tate
Coach and father
Brian Tate was the first Black head coach of a 4-A high school football team in the Central Iowa Metropolitan League when he coached at Hoover High School. He later coached at Drake and has recently devoted himself to coaching his sons’ teams.
He attended Hoover High School and said his football coach, Steve Lundholm, was the right type of coach. Lundholm’s mantra and guiding principles included making certain athletes lead by example.
“He told us how you conduct yourselves in the home and off the court or field represents the community. We were to lead by example. He was also so kind. He left the business on the field and modeled what he spoke. He always instilled in us that we were student athletes and not just jocks,” Tate recalls.
Since moving to Polk City, Tate has dived into coaching his sons’ teams.
“My identity was shaped by my coaches to become the best student athlete,” he reflects. “I’m glad to be a part of that community now with my sons and other kids.”
Source: North Polk Living, August 2023, by Jackie Wilson
Jinbang Jeong
Taekwondo master
As a 5-year-old, Jinbang Jeong began taekwondo training at his home in Seoul, South Korea. He became an Olympic taekwondo sparring athlete at age 11 and began teaching and coaching at age 22. Jeong says his first coach, Master Seo, was a dedicated coach, and the Olympic training was intense.
“Master Seo told us that taekwondo is not a fight with others; it is a fight with yourself. When I was a young man, I didn’t understand this very well,” says Jeong. “When I stopped being a sparring athlete, then I realized what he was saying to me.”
Today, Jeong coaches a variety of students from ages 4 to adult. Because of his coach, Master Seo, he says he spends much time pondering his influence at his studio.
“I hope when they see how proud I am of them, they feel important inside,” he says. “This is how we grow our self-esteem. It serves us well in life’s challenges. I assure them that they can do everything they dream of, if they don’t give up.” ♦
Source: Waukee Living, August 2023, by Jackie Wilson
