WOODBURY — Every coach has a reason, a spark that keeps them coming back to the field, the court, or track, season after season.
For some, it’s the love of the sport. For others, it’s the opportunity to shape young athletes into strong people both on and off the pitch. Joshua Kornblut, who started coaching in his late teens as a baseball coach, sees coaching as another teaching experience.
“It’s like teaching, except all of the kids want to be there,” Kornblut said. “It’s a lot of fun just being able to see a lot of the students in a different light in an environment that they truly want to be in, and compete in.”
Like Kornblut, Nonnewaug boys cross country and track and field coach Deborah Flaherty shares similar motives while in a coaching position.
“It’s the same thing as teaching, like when you take somebody to learn something and train them in a certain way, overtime, you see kids grow and develop,” Flaherty said.
For other coaches, the reason is due to the history they’ve developed with the sports in their life.
“Having really good experiences as an athlete with my coaches made me realize that I want to try to do the same thing,” Nonnewaug varsity girls soccer coach Adam Brutting, said. “So staying involved in the sports that I played has been such an amazing experience.”
Nonnewaug golf coach Ryan Campanario found his passion for coaching rooted in a desire to stay connected to sports after his competitive high school years.
“Because of my love for sports, I wanted a way to continue it and give back in a way to these younger generations,” Campanario said.
Many coaches other than Campanario give back in their own ways: for Brutting, it’s the lessons he can teach his athletes, and what they can take away from the experience.
“I continue to love it,” Brutting said, “because the highs and lows and the challenges that I get to help my athletes through. I think the most important part to me is just trying to get people to understand what it means to be a part of a team.”
Kornblut appreciates the culture and relationships as well.
“A huge part of it is the climate and culture that you kind of build with the students,” Kornblut said. “Being able to have that connection with students and have an even stronger relationship and it just really means a lot.”
There are a lot of emotions through the ups and downs of the outcomes, but Flaherty sees sports more than just wins and losses.
“I know people would expect a coach to say the winning factor to it, but it really isn’t for me, although I love to win, it’s really not about winning,” Flaherty said. “Honestly, teaching kids to be accountable and athletic and have good sportsmanship is what truly matters to me.”
