ABSTRACT
Over the last four years, I have coached several sports at Ohio’s Pickerington High School Central, including volleyball, baseball and, most recently, softball. My athletes range from seventh to twelfth grade (twelve–eighteen years old), but my primary work is with high school students (grades nine–twelve; fourteen–eighteen years old). I also acted as the strength and conditioning coach for those three sports and many individual athletes. I played for both athlete-centred and coach-centred coaches during my playing career, but it was one in particular – Stephen Gussler at my high school – who led me to coach as I do today. It was obvious that he cared about much more than his athletes’ playing ability. He wanted to see us succeed and grow as people, and he became a mentor for many of us. His guidance certainly made me a better player and a better person, and I continue to follow his example in my coaching of team sports.
