Written by Claire Schmaltz
Athletics are an important part of most students’ lives. For them to achieve what they are capable of they need a dedicated coach to help them set and reach their goals. The students at Salem are very lucky to have the coaches that are able to do all of this for their athletes.
Schools often find it hard to find coaches because at the high school level all teams need a good coach to be able to lead them to victory. There are many educators that have also stepped up into a coaching role, which takes up a lot of their time and our school is lucky to have people that are willing to do this.
Seth Purlee is one of these coaches. Purlee has been coaching middle school basketball for seven years and JV basketball for 10 years. He is an important part of the Salem boys basketball team.
“Salem Athletics was a big part of my life growing up,” said Purlee. “Salem helped make me the person I am today and I wanted to give back to the school and community that gave me so much. Being a coach allows me to get to know students better and hopefully allows me to make a positive influence in the lives of others.”
“Coach Purlee has made sure the whole team is involved and has continued to drive us to get more defensive stops and take better shots,” said freshman Ty Hobbs.
“There are a lot of things I enjoy about being a coach and part of the basketball staff here at Salem,” said Purlee. “The family atmosphere and getting to know our student athletes outside of the classroom is something you don't necessarily get just from being a teacher. But what I probably enjoy the most about coaching is seeing our student athletes grow as individuals as well as athletes. Seeing the young men work hard to attain their goals and the excitement they have when they do so, is what makes coaching enjoyable. Seeing these young men go on to be successful productive citizens makes it a rewarding experience.”
Nick Roby is the middle school tennis coach. He played college tennis and has created a path for young athletes.
“I thoroughly enjoyed my tennis career and the coaches I have had along the way inspired me to want to become a coach as well,” he said. “I love the team aspect and coaching middle/high school is the closest thing to playing that I can do!”
Eighth grader Tynlee Richards plays tennis for Roby.,
“He has helped me improve on being a tennis player by giving me confidence and encouragement,” she said. “He also does technique drills to help us with hitting the ball.”
To be a coach you must not only show up to all the games and practices, but these young athletes need to hear important lessons that they can remember and carry with them throughout the rest of their athletic career.
Gwinn Miller has been the SHS track coach for six years and thinks it is very important for her athletes to hear these kinds of lessons.
“I try to teach athletes that things are not always easy, but hard work pays off,” she said. “It's fun when you PR during meets. Those PRs show that hard work pays off and that working hard can be fun! I want kids to fall in love with running! I love to watch kids run! Running is a lifetime sport and something that can make an impact on students' lives in the long term.”
It is more important for the coach to love what they do. If they enjoy what they are doing then they can make the athletes love their sport even more.
“Coaching adds so much joy to teaching,” said Miller. “Coaching allows you to build different relationships with kids and then once you have them in class they know and understand how you operate. They understand your expectations from the track/field/court to the classroom. I am guessing a lot of coaches have high expectations of their athletes, along with their students. Based on this alone, I would totally say coaching is worth all the extra time! There are past students, who were also players for Mr. Miller and myself, that join us on our family vacations each summer! Coaching allows more time to build those lasting relationships with students.”