For senior Zack Ciesinski, football practice does not mean getting dressed in shoulder pads and a helmet. Instead, it means a trip down to Terman Middle School to coach sixth grade flag football.

Ciesinski started coaching last winter for his brother’s eighth grade basketball team. This year he is coaching football with his friend, senior Miles Osgood. “I’ve been on a bunch of teams for different sports and I got a better sense of what works and what doesn’t while coaching a team,” Ciesinski said. His favorite aspect of coaching is helping the young athletes improve. “They’re doing something they like to do and we’re doing something we like so it’s great,” he said.

Osgood agrees that seeing their athletes improve is one of the best parts about coaching. “It’s basically just a lot of fun,” Osgood said. “Some do it as a way to get community service hours or the pay, but I think it’s just great to go to the games and get excited for your team.”

Despite having fun, Ciesinski says there are some challenging parts to coaching. “The hardest part about coaching is getting all the kids to be at the practices because we can’t be too strict about it,” he said. “But we don’t want to give the message that we don’t care if they don’t come to practice or else it’s harder for the rest of the team.”

Being a coach also brings more responsibilities to the team. “Leading a team is different from being part of one because [the students] look up to you and you have to lead by example,” Ciesinski said. “You can’t slack off like some people, otherwise the entire team will start slacking off.” Sixth grader David Lester enjoys having Ciesinski and Osgood as coaches. “They don’t work us too hard,” Lester said. “They always cheer us up with jokes and the things they make us do are fun.”

Ciesinski thinks having high schoolers coach is a positive experience for his athletes. He believes teenage coaches understand how the kids learn to play better than older coaches. “Some parents must have some concern that high school students are coaching their kids but after the first few games they realize that maybe it’s better because we can be role models that the kids can relate to better and look up to,” he said. “It’s fun to be their role models because you see how the kids respect and look up too you and it’s nice to know that that’s the way they think of you,” he said.

Volleyball season was off to a new start this year for junior Aileen Smith after she started her new job coaching girls’ seventh grade volleyball at JLS Middle School.

Smith says that coaching has been a fun experience that has taught her a lot about being a team leader and hopes to continue next year. “My girls are so funny and we always have a blast together,” she said.

Watching her athletes improve has been the most rewarding part about coaching for Smith. “It’s really great to see girls who wouldn’t move before actually playing,” she said. “It is just amazing to watch them. One of my girls couldn’t serve at all at the beginning of the season and I didn’t know what to do but we stuck through it and now she can serve. Perseverance definitely pays off.”

Although she enjoys it, coaching did not come naturally for Smith. “Trying to be a good example and teaching the girls has been kind of hard,” she said. “We’ve been improving, though. We won our first game last week we were so excited, and we haven’t had any problems with parents since they’ve all been supportive so that’s good too.”

Smith coaches her team alone and bases the way she teaches on methods she has seen other coaches use. “I wasn’t sure at first what the right level was for the girls but after a while you find a balance where it’s not too hard but not too easy either,” she said.

Smith concentrates on her responsibilities to her team and focuses on them to help the young athletes improve. “When I was on a team it was like, ‘There’s the coach and he knows everything,’” she said. “But now I’m the coach and I just have to focus on the game and have fun watching them improve.”

Seventh grader Christina Gandolfo feels that Smith’s best quality is keeping the team positive no matter what. “Having a younger coach is fun because they are more fun and way less harsh,” Gandolfo said. “We are all so lucky that we have people willing to coach a seventh grade volleyball team.”

Communication is one of the key elements Smith tells her team to remember. “Obviously, in volleyball I really want the girls to focus on teamwork and calling the ball to communicate to one another so there’s a good team effort,” she said. “I tell them to cheer each other on too so that they get excited and keep the energy high by giving a bunch of high fives.”

Wrestling is more than just a sport for senior Philip Hsiao–it is a passion. Each day, Hsiao can be found in the wrestling room practicing with teammates and teaching techniques to middle school students. Hsiao coaches aspiring young wrestlers at Terman Middle School everyday after school.

Hsiao, a member of the varsity wrestling team, has been participating in the sport for three years. He has also coached the Terman wrestling team for the past three years. Hsiao commits to approximately two hours of coaching each day and acts as a mentor to the middle schoolers.

Hsiao currently coaches with sophomore Phil Park, a fellow member of the varsity wrestling team. In addition, they accompany the middle schoolers to wrestling meets against other schools.

Hsiao and Park began coaching the Terman middle schoolers under Gunn Graduate AJ Giaccia. When he graduated, they were offered pay, but declined, opting instead for community service hours.

The time commitment to practice, coach and juggle a rigorous academic schedule can be challenging at times. Luckily, due to the schedule of the middle school and high school wrestling seasons, Hsiao is able to manage his time-consuming schedule. “The seasons are different,” Hsiao said. “The middle school wrestling season begins when the high school season ends. Still, the post-season practice and pre-season practice still overlap at times.”

Hsiao took the coaching position as an opportunity to help others develop their skills and ability. “It is definitely rewarding to see the middle schoolers perform a technique practiced and mastered, especially when they carry it out successfully,” Hsiao said.

Park is confident in their coaching and enjoys helping out. “Our coaching gives the kids a sense of fun in wrestling,” Park said. “It makes me proud to be their coach when I see them succeed.” Park also looks up to Hsiao as a mentor, and hopes he can coach like Hsiao does in the future. “He definitely connects with the kids,” Park said. “He is a good teacher to them.”

Hsiao hopes he has motivated them to continue with their success through high school. “I believe since they started wrestling early, they will have an advantage over others,” Hsiao said. “With their dedication to the sport, they will hopefully be dominant when they join the Gunn Wrestling Team.”