Coach P Retired - From High School Soccer

Can't believe it's been six months since I posted anything here.  Not like there wasn't anything going on in soccer.  Just not enough hours in the day.  Maybe once taxes are finished I'll be able to write more.

For now I just wanted to mention my "retirement" as treasurer of Haddonfield High School Girls Soccer Booster Club and stadium announcer.  I started the group in 1994 when Kirsten was a sophomore (her first year on varsity) and as I always used to joke, she graduated in 1997 but they never found a way to get rid of me - until now.

As I told this year's Booster Club coordinator (I don't use "president" because that suggests an election) Jen Siok: "It's time."  Twenty-six seasons is plenty.  The bookkeeping isn't that hard although I always like to say I can barely count past 10 and thank heavens for Excel.  But the most fun has always been the games and we have virtually no night games any more where we used to have a third to a half of our schedule under the lights.    We always drew good crowds at night against West Deptford and the local schools: Audubon, Collingswood, Haddon Heights and Haddon Township and we would play some of our games at night at their fields.

As long as I keep a day job I can only get to games on nights and Saturdays.   So less games to attend means less contact with the players and their parents.  That aside, I am closer in age to the team grandparents than parents - keep in mind our oldest grandson is a freshman in high school.

I recall how much Kirsten enjoyed playing under the lights, especially on a Saturday when a lot of her friends would come to the game then they'd walk over to someone's house for a party.  I remember one year at our post-season banquet one of the captains said how much she loved hearing the National Anthem and running out onto the field when I announced her and the other starters.  She told me I was part of her high school experience.

The parents who did not have flexibility with work schedules liked the night games as well.

I always tried to run a professional operation to make the experience the best possible for the players and parents.  This post from 10 years ago describes the production:
http://coachpssoccerblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/nighttime-in-high-school-stadium.html

And this post from the same year detailed things that could go wrong:  http://coachpssoccerblog.blogspot.com/2009/10/fans-dont-mind.html

But times change.  And the lack of night games was not the reason I decided to step down.  As I told Jen, it was simply time.

It was a great run and I met so many exceptionally nice young ladies and equally nice parents.  I worked with three head coaches: Charlie Keil, Glenn Gess and the current coach, Lori Quintavalle, whose older sister, Beth was on the team with Kirsten.  Lori is a great coach and a great friend.  I was honored to serve on the committee which recommended her to the AD for the head coaching job - we obviously made a good decision.  I was also on the committee that recommended Glenn, another excellent choice.

I had the pleasure of working with eight Booster Club coordinators:  Greg Lupinski;  Siegrid Kiep; Pat Cosnet; Ginger O'Malley; Michelle Sehdev; Chris Stanton; Lynn Green; and these past two years, Jen Siok.  The enthusiasm and energy each of these awesome people put forth for the program and our girls was inspiring  

I leave with many fond memories of great games and great people, including those named elsewhere in this post.  Some of the memories are recounted on this blog under the "High School" label.  

I gave a farewell speech at our banquet last week and as I told everyone, it was truly my pleasure over the 26 years.  I was touched that Lori gave me the game ball from the South Jersey final (that we won), one of the T-Shirts that the girls wore, and a nice plaque.   

I'm not going anywhere and maybe if I ever retire from my day job I'll be able to get to more games.  And if Lori or the Booster Club needs anything, they know that help is just a phone call or email away.  But it was time to let someone else to take over the checkbook.  I told Glenn when he stepped down as coach that we'd miss him but the program would get by.  Trust me they will get by just fine without me.

I enjoyed all 26 years.  As I said every year at the end of the Seniors Night ceremony and at last week's banquet, "Ladies, thanks for the memories."