WHY I COACH

This fall, I am the assistant coach on Nicholas' soccer team for the second season in a row. This is probably one of the most - for what word I am looking? - challenging things I have taken on. It is not for the reasons you might suspect - worry about favoritism of Nicholas, worry about being too critical of Nicholas. Rather, it is because many of these boys on our team act like five year-olds rather than eight or nine year-olds.

One of the top coaches in the world is Arsene Wenger, the manager of Arsenal Football Club in the English Premier League. He is famous for saying, "I am here to help players who are motivated. I am not here to help motivate players." The life of an under 9 (U9 for short) coach is a a far cry from Anfield Stadium in North London where Mr. Wenger plies his trade.

However, despite the disobedience and disrespect exhibited by some players, I have enjoyed watching every minute of Nicholas practice and play.

Yes, his footwork and ball handling have improved, and Nicholas routinely scores goals. More importantly, Nicholas is a leader on and off the field. He does not misbehave. He listens to advice from me and the head coach, and he tries to get his teammates back on task if they act up. There is a calmness about him, and he does not get frustrated despite several blow-out losses this year and fairly crummy conditions due to the Pacific Northwest fall weather.

Nicholas truly loves playing the game of football, and he has an encyclopedic knowledge of the contemporary teams and players. He spends hours drawing out scenes from games and writing down the squads for teams - both great and meek.

I hope Nicholas never changes, and I hope I have many more years of watching him play this game. At some point (perhaps soon), I will be sitting in the parents' section rather than the coaches section. However, I will always remember these two seasons with him up-close. I hope he will have fond memories of these seasons, too, one day.

Put simply, Nicholas is why I coach.