What effect can a coach have on a kid's life? For Suzanne Plant, 17, who has been coached by Hilary Oliver in gymnastics for eight years, the answer is simple: "She teaches us a lot of different qualities that will help us in our lives, not just in the gym -- things like perseverance and teamwork and working toward personal goals. She really teaches us to believe in ourselves."
That was just one of this year's 1,100 nominations for the Most Caring Coach Awards sponsored by USA WEEKEND and CBS' The Early Show.
Our distinguished judges: New York Yankees manager Joe Torre, figure skating coach Audrey Weisiger, Carolina Courage coach Marcia McDermott, U.S. men's Olympic swim team coach Mark Schubert and Golden State Warriors coach Dave Cowens. Here are six fellow coaches who earned their admiration; each receives $500.
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Tom McDonald
Fairport, N.Y.
Hockey, football and track got McDonald, 30, through school, so he knows the powerful effect sports can have on a struggling student. Last season, one member of his Penfield (N.Y.) Patriots hockey team "was struggling with himself and wanted to be off the team. I told him, 'When you work out the things that are going on, we'd love to have you back, and you'd make us a better team.' " The sophomore returned for the second half of the season. With just four seniors, McDonald knew team building was key, so the Patriots cooked Thanksgiving dinner for the homeless, built a storage room for their gear and watched Remember the Titans. To keep practice fun, the boys played baseball on ice. Says former team captain Scott Goergen, 18, "Coach doesn't just care about hockey; he cares about how everyone's feeling." McDonald's methods helped Penfield to its best hockey season ever: 14-7-2.
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Ron Hazlett
New Haven, Conn.
Suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, Hazlett lived in the tunnels of New Haven for almost two years before he went to Fellowship Place, a psychiatric rehabilitation center, for help. "They encouraged me: Just about anything you want to try, they'll support us." When, in 1989, a patient at a state hospital escaped and killed a girl, Hazlett saw the tragedy as an opportunity to change minds about mental illness. He organized a softball tournament and raised about $3,000 for a camp fund in the girl's memory. From that grew the Mental Health Awareness Softball League, with nine teams in Connecticut ... and counting. At 59, Hazlett's a player and coach for the Fellowship Allstars. "In 13 years, we're 284-13." But "the focus is getting people to believe in themselves." One once-troubled player has gone to college and gotten a job. "These guys have worked hard, they've come across a lot of hurdles and personal tragedies," says Hazlett, who writes grants, holds an annual dance to fund the league and strong-arms other board members at Fellowship Place for help. "He provides a great outlet for people who have very limited resources, who are disabled," says John Sullivan of The Consultation Center, a Yale-affiliated social services group. "Instead of being a patient or client, you're on a softball team. In that way, whether they win or lose, they are all winners."
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Karen J. Collins
Grove Hill, Ala.
Collins, 39, has no children of her own --unless you count the girl's basketball, volleyball and softball teams at Clarke County (Ala.) High School. She packs lunches for road trips for girls who can't afford their own, works to get seniors into college and rented a beach condo for team building. In this rural county there are few jobs, and most of her girls are being raised by one parent or grandparents. Basketball was once the only team sport for girls at Clarke; Collins credits a supportive athletic director for adding volleyball and softball. All three teams made the playoffs this year. Says parent Jaimi Bradford: "She pushes the girls to the max; she expects them to do their very best. [Collins] backs them up not only on the coaching but in the academic part of school."
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Lonnie Porter
Denver
Basketball helped Porter, 58, who grew up poor in Indiana, get the education he wanted. Now he wants more children to get the opportunity he had, through the Lonnie Porter Summer Academy. Porter starts his 25th year as basketball coach at Regis University this fall; with 403 wins, he's the state's winningest men's basketball coach. But the statistic that means more to him is his players' 94% graduation rate. Beyond the basketball records, he wants to be remembered for the academy, which takes 85 promising inner-city children each year to spend three weeks on campus, learning life skills, computers, physical education and more. Each year he raises $60,000 to fund the operation, but his goal is to endow the academy so it will last long after he is gone. Kids who complete five years at the academy get a full scholarship to Regis, valued at about $80,000. As a coach, he is strict: no earrings or gaudy jewelry; it's "yes, ma'am" and "no, sir"; no hats or caps inside. "They are begging for discipline. They don't want you to be their buddy. As long as they know you genuinely care about them, they will do anything for you," Porter says.
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Raul Garza
Chicago
Garza's YMCA Indian Princess name is Big Buffalo; "big softie" is more like it. An iron worker for the city, this year he coached four teams -- two basketball, one softball, one Little League -- in his working-class neighborhood. You'll know him by the white 15-seat Chevy van he bought just so he could shuttle players around to auto shows, Bulls and White Sox games, the movies, the batting cage or his year-end pool party. Two of Tina Trinidad's boys are coached by Garza, 41: "He has a problem with too many kids wanting to be on his team." Even his last-place teams get trophies. He has a way with parents, too: On Mother's Day, his players give out flowers. Schoolwork is paramount: "I make sure the teacher tells me if there's a problem," Garza says. "I use it as a tool to motivate these kids. I try to teach them to play fair, try their best. I try to be a positive role model, teach them that there's more than just winning."
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Hilary Oliver
Davis, Calif.
Balancing competitiveness and caring in gymnastics can be as tricky as the balance beam. Not so for Oliver, 32, team coordinator and head coach of the Davis Gymnastics team, with girls from elementary school through high school. To promote healthy attitudes about body image, she cautions her coaches not to complain about their own figures. Girls are told to bring healthy snacks when packing for competition -- "Your body needs fuel; you're asking it to do amazing things." Oliver also promotes healthy attitudes. Each week at the team meeting, the girls compliment each other on something they've noticed -- a new trick, a positive attitude, a helping hand. Says Susan Klasing, who has two girls in the program: "It's really about making better kids, using gymnastics to teach them about life. She's big on things like manners, respect, being kind."
--By Patty Rhule
Photos by FOREST McMULLIN (McDonald); GALE ZUCKER (Hazlett); JAY SAILORS (Collins); CHARLES LEDFORD (Porter); ANN RYAN/zrIMAGES (Garza); EDWARD CALDWELL (Oliver) for USA WEEKEND
Our Four Runner-Up Winners
Burke Adams, 57, rallied the community of East Greenbush, N.Y., around providing baseball, flag football, bowling and basketball for the severely disabled. He wanted his daughter Jaime, 17, who has Rett Syndrome neuromuscular disease and uses a wheelchair, to have the same sports opportunities his other four children did. "She smiles, her beautiful blue eyes shine, you can see she’s happy," he says. Adams enlisted the Rensselaer Elks to sponsor a team, high school students to volunteer at games, and the school transportation unit to donate trophies. Up to 100 kids participate. His next goal: A track and field program.
Jeff Clark took on the Priceville, Ala., Little League team when the coach, his friend Gene Scruggs, died in a diving accident weeks before the 2000 season. He gently coaxed the boys through their sorrow. "They were confused; they thought just old people die," Clark, 37, says. The first practice after Scruggs died, says Amy Swaim, mother of player Sam, "He said I know it’s gonna be hard. We’re gonna get through this because this is what Gene would want." Now, the Chiefs - including Scruggs’ son Spencer -- wear the initials "GS" on their caps. Clark’s 8-year-old son Bennett nominated him.
Susan Deaton, 33, puts values into volleyball at Wingate (N.C.) University. Developing good citizens is key to her coaching style, so her players read at elementary schools, mentor at middle schools, visit seniors, donate clothes to a rape crisis center, collect cans and toys for the needy and hold volleyball clinics for at-risk children. The team benefit? "It causes them to accept the diversity on the team and love each other regardless. They know our program is not just about winning. It makes them thankful for their abilities and their gifts. In learning who they are, hopefully, we encourage them to be good citizens, people who can be proud of themselves."
Monna Van Skyock, 40, of Yorktown, Ind., works as recreation director for Hillcroft Center developmental program, and volunteers as Delaware County Special Olympics coordinator, organizing bocce, bowling, gymnastics, softball, volleyball, horseback riding, swimming, track for her mostly adult "kids." She has coached her athletes to four world events. Says player Sandi Thomas, 31, "She tells me to do the best you can, just do the best you can." Parents marvel at Van Skyock’s firm yet playful approach. Says Van Skyock, "If anybody would come out and observe Special Olympics and see how the athletes compete, they would see they aren’t any different from anybody else."
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