Changing staff is a challenge for athletic success

New to Waldorf staff, cross country coach Cory Bins understands the strees changing staff can have on student athletes. Photo by Tyra Brown

By Tyra Brown

In recent years Waldorf athletic teams had the burden of adding on coaches to their staff or switching them all together. This has made it hard on the players from season to season to get adapted to the style of play the coaches want and to overall success throughout the season. This year alone Waldorf has eleven new coaches in the athletic department.

Football introduced Richard Bond, Derrick Crumpton and Steve Bravo Brown to their staff this year. Bond thinks the team is adapting to the new coaching staff pretty well. “They have a high level coaching staff, the coaches bond, and the team has now gained a bond with not only the staff but their other teammates as well,” Bond said.

Senior Joshua Forrest thinks it is very easy to adapt to the new coaches. “The coaching staff is very honest and respectful,” Forrest said. “No matter how much they critique you, they still find a way to say positive things about your performance as well.”

Red shirt wrestling senior Angel Gomez thinks switching staff can be a good or bad thing depending on the situation.”I think switching coaching staff too often is bad because I feel there needs to be a joint effort from the team and the staff if you want to be good,” Gomez said. This year wrestling introduced Bo Bettinson as its new GA.

Cross Country senior Cody Clark thinks it is always hard to get a new coach. “Everybody goes about things a little bit differently,” Clark said. “I have had four head coaches in my four years of varsity collegiate cross country here at Waldorf. It was tough, always getting a new coach every year because it doesn’t allow you to put anything together or build anything. That’s why it’s been nice this year having a set head coach.” Cross-country added Cory Bins an Ashley Conway to their staff this season.

Senior Men’s basketball captain Erik Brewer thinks the change in staff is good. “I’ve adapted well do to the fact that we’ve got new assistant coaches and GA’s every year that I have been here and players have no choice but to adapt quickly I think switching so often is a good thing,” Brewer said. “It’s always better to learn new coaching methods and ideas as well as using old ones that previous coaches left.”

Men’s basketball introduced assistant coach George Hemmingson and GA Gunsby DeJohnett to their staff.

“Waldorf athletic programs can only go up from here. Each program has to have a 1/ 0 mentality and take it one game at a time,” said Brown.