The school year and school athletics are underway! Football, women’s volleyball, men’s soccer and both cross country teams have started their seasons. Most of these teams have already competed multiple times.
At the end of the 2023-24 school year, Coach Schmidt asked math teacher Rosemary Sidwell about if she would be interested in helping coach the team in the upcoming school year. Schmidt wanted to find a coach who also had running experience, but had a different personality than him so that the two of them could share perspectives to help the team improve.
Over the summer, former assistant coach Marissa Lenger left to take a coaching job at Portage Northern, leaving an opening for Sidwell.
“She [Sidwell] might see stuff that I don’t see. That’s why I purposely sought out someone who’s different than me,” said Schmidt. “They see things differently than I see things. If I pick an assistant coach who is just like me, they’re gonna see the exact same things I do, and we’re going to miss stuff that helps kids.”
As a veteran runner who ran for four years in high school, Sidwell fit that description perfectly. She found that her experiences as a runner led her to take more interest in the coaching job.
“My senior year, I was injured, so I was in charge of all of the kids who were also injured, and I was a co-captain on the team,” Sidwell said.
Being in the building all day with students is something that Sidwell finds very valuable for her as a coach. Teaching and coaching go hand in hand. The communication skills required for teaching are similar to those that are needed for coaching, which will allow Sidwell to use her experience as a teacher to coach.
“Being a teacher has just taught me never assume anyone knows something that they are supposed to know,” said Sidwell. “Being really clear with the expectations helps a lot with coaching.”
The new coaching hire not only helps Coach Schmidt, it also helps student athletes on the team. Having a second coach makes it much easier for members of the team to receive help, support and information during practice. Different members of the team run at different speeds, so it can be hard for a single coach to run with many of them and keep them informed about the route and paces they should be at for the remainder of practice.
Senior runner Holly Quinn has noticed that having another coach available has improved her communication with the coaches.
“She [Sidwell] runs a little bit slower, like in the back more,” Quinn said, “so she’s easier to talk to for me, personally.”
Both Schmidt and Quinn feel that having Sidwell’s second opinion on team matters during practice will be beneficial.
“I think it’ll help the team just by having someone else to give advice, and help us, give us tips and be there for us for what we need,” said Quinn. “Just another perspective on how the team’s doing.”
