Importance of Coaches to Aberdeen, ID Kids

Football Volunteers Get a Kick Out of Kids!

by Vickie Oddino

For the fifth straight day, I pack enough to keep my nine-year-old daughter Emily and me busy for James' two-hour football practice. Water bottle, another water bottle, grapes, pretzels, a book, my to do list, my daughter's portable CD player, and an extra sweater.

We repeat this routine five days a week for five weeks. Luckily, when school starts, he practices only three days a week with a game on Saturdays. And in the middle of all of this, I have to get Emily to her dance classes four days a week.

So it's official. I have become one of those Moms. You know the ones. They never stop to chat because they are always racing from one activity to another. I always wondered when they had a moment to themselves to rest. I found out...they don't.

But I am not alone. On the field are twelve six-year olds, laden down with shoulder pads and helmets, running plays, catching passes, making tackles, and enthusiastically celebrating each other's accomplishments.

The West Valley Eagles offers tackle football for boys aged 6-14. The boys are not alone. They rely on a crew of volunteers.

It's one thing to drop your boy off at practices. It is quite another to stay and work those practices, committing yourself to perfect attendance. But clearly, these volunteers are interested in much more than football fundamentals, and they are getting just as much out of this as the kids are.

One of those volunteers is Chris Gutierrez, who has coached his son, seven-year-old Cruz, in everything from baseball to basketball to soccer. He also played football as a kid and remembers, "Every one of my coaches had an influence on me." Now it is his turn to have an influence on a team of determined little athletes. His satisfaction comes in being able to influence these kids not only in sports, but in so many other aspects of their lives.

On the other hand, Coach Sal Medrano doesn't have those kinds of memories. He loved sports as a kid, but when his mom and dad separated, he ended up dropping out of sports. His parents weren't involved, so he did not have that positive influence to keep him motivated. That's why as a single dad of Johnathan, 6, he makes sure he is active in his son's life, including football.

He doesn't know a lot about football, he admits, but it doesn't matter. He knows kids. And he knows he has an opportunity to influence these kids. We all do. His message to parents? "It doesn't matter if you are a single parent. You don't have to be Super Dad or Mom - just be involved."

But when you look out on the field, one coach in particular stands out. He's the one leading the six-year-olds on a lap around the park. He's the one showing off his clapping pushups. He's the one rolling around on the ground with a pile of kids in helmets. He's Carlos Gutierrez, 19, and he doesn't have any children, on or off the field. Yet he shows up every evening, smiling and eager to get down to business.

What brings Carlos, who actually has to use his vacation and sick days to attend the weekend games, out here? Love - for the game and for the kids.

He also played football at six and continued in high school. And the kids? He wants to teach them the fundamentals as well as responsibility, dedication and sacrifice, "just like I was taught."

Bob Bishop, the President of the West Valley Eagles, understands how important these volunteers are. They "share a little moment in these people's lives. And they carry these memories forever," he explains.

Carlos also understands the part he plays in these kids' lives. "Kids call me coach," he proudly says. "And they listen, so I gotta be careful. They'll remember."

And apparently they will. Just wander the stands at the next Eagles game and listen to the parents: "There was this one game when I was a kid - it was snowing and we drank hot chocolate at half time..."

For more information about West Valley Eagles football, contact Bob Bishop at 818-734-9955 or log onto www.wveaglesfootball.com.