Mark Meier, a teacher for 30 years, coaching for all but one, has become familiar with how to coach. Having coached Cross Country, Swimming and Track, he knows his sports. Being the oldest coach at Benson is a high accomplishment and having coached some of his co-coaches, he has a high reputation to hold.
Starting to coach can be stressful and daunting, many athletes and students depend on their coaches to help them reach their potential. Coach Meier was no different, but he had a role to fill and he jumped at the opportunity.
“There was no cross-country team at Benson so I was like, ‘We can’t have a school with no cross-country team’ so me and Chad Crouch started it up the next year,” Meier said.
Being a coach is one thing, but starting a whole new team is another thing. Being a coach is a large responsibility, and coaches must hold themselves accountable too, if they want to succeed and have their kids succeed; They must learn from mistakes and become better.
“It was terrifying because I’ve never done it before, and I was smart enough to ask for help from a lot of people,” Meier said. “I came up with my own way and learned there is no one way to coach each kid. You just grow. It was terrifying.”
As they learn from their mistakes and grow as a coach and teacher, they change. They might change how they coach their team, or they might change their attitude when it comes to dealing with problems.
“I’ve mellowed a lot,” Meier said. “I am just an intense individual because I believe athletics can serve you well in life.”
Learning from mistakes and experiences allows coaches to become the best they can be. Sports are important for many, it can help kids get through many situations or bumps in the road. It can be a way to clear your mind and focus on bettering yourself. These hardships and struggles can change how a student’s life goes and what is in store for them.
“I think I would have quit high school if it wasn’t for sports,” Meier said. “I found that sports came rather easy to me, and it got me interested to go to college.”
Anything can change the course of someone’s life. for coach Meier it was sports that led him to go to college to become a teacher and coach. Coaching for so long is a commitment, and having a reason for this very strenuous commitment can make it a lot easier.
“I never expected to do it this long,” Meier said. “But it’s been a privilege to be involved in so many young people’s lives.”
It is important for people to enjoy what they do in their lives, Meier enjoys teaching and coaching kids so it was easy to stay in the job for so long. After coaching for so long they get the hang of it, but they will never figure it out.
“If we all had that figured out, everybody would be a state champion every year,” Meier said. “I try to just let every kid know that they matter.”
Coaching is difficult no matter how much time someone puts into it, they might never fully understand it or get the hang of it.
