Providence Catholic high school is known for its phenomenal sports teams, but there can’t be a team if there is no coach, right? Well, out of all the coaches in the school we got a few to answer many questions about why they put all this effort into our school. We asked soccer, tennis, and volleyball coaches a variety of questions to see their perspectives.
When the coaches were asked, “Why did you decide to coach at Providence Catholic High School?” there were some similarities between the answers. The most common reason for why a coach would dedicate their time to Providence was because not only do they get to teach the sport they love but they also get to practice their faith. Coach Brenda Gatea from tennis keeps it very straight forward when saying this: “Because I get to practice the two things that are most important to me: tennis and God.” On the other hand, some coaches decided to come here because they saw the opportunity Providence had for improvement in some sports. One example is Coach Mike Taylor from soccer, who states, “I did not want to be an assistant coach anymore because I had always been a head coach, and here they had an opening for the head coach of the boys and girl’s teams. So, I told them I would like to coach both teams.” No matter why the coaches chose to devote their time to Providence, we are always grateful to them.
The next question we asked was, “What makes Providence different than other schools?” and for such an open-ended question, every coach has some variant of the same answer: Providence is like a family. By being a smaller Catholic school, coaches believe this allows people to connect more closely and really get to know each other. Coach Juan Rodriguez explains, “Providence has a family feel to it, because everyone here is very close and connected. I feel like that is unique because everyone here is very willing to help each other.” Coach Lucy from the volleyball department explains, “From the moment we arrived at Providence, we have felt very welcomed. The student athletes we coach are very responsible and motivated. Our
job is made easier because they want to become better players. It gives us great pleasure and satisfaction to see them grow in confidence, discover their strengths and become (as Coach Lee
emphasizes) better humans.” Both coaches emphasize not only how family like the teams are but also how willing the athletes are to help and grow for the better.
When the coaches were prompted, “What are your goals for the season?” the three main answers were to learn to love the sport, to have fun, and, of course, to win. Building a successful team ultimately relies on the goals and how each player is going to work to achieve them. Coaches must individually go through and try to help each student become the best athlete version of themselves. Coach Trevor Gerlock touches on both the grow as a team and win factors of his goals stating “[my goals are] To win, to win as much as possible, and for everyone to get closer together.” Coach Juan Rodriguez explains the importance of enjoying one’s sport to grow as a player, “To just have fun and make sure that everyone stays engaged and to help the players and the team grow. The biggest thing always is always having fun, no matter if you are on or off the field.” Similarly, Coach Lucy, volleyball, has the same beliefs as the other stating, “Although we did not set any for the team, our goals are to make this team better players and better teammates. Not all our volleyball players get to play during games; however, they all play an important role on the team.” Though not always stated, every coach has very specific and achievable goals for their team each year.
After that, we asked the coaches “What do you do to motivate your players?” and the results of this question were interesting to say the least. We learn that tennis coach Trevor Gerlock motivates his players by threatening to make them run. The soccer coaches took a different perspective, explaining that motivated the players by explaining how they believe in their players ability to win and by doing so they can take a more positive look at the oncoming game. The volleyball department’s technique for motivation is to give the players confidence and have their teammates encourage them out of any mental struggles. Coach Lucy states the most clearly, “As coaches we are there to give them the confidence they need to believe that they can achieve their goals. We are there to give constructive feedback, cheer for them when they win and support them when we lose. Luckily, we have a great group of girls who have grown together as a team and who have worked very hard at practice. We look forward to a great season.” Essentially, motivating your players depending on the team depends on its players, and ultimately, each coach has their most effective way to get their players going. 
Finally, we asked the coaches “What is your favorite team other than the one you coach?” To begin, Coach Juan Rodriguez claimed that Club America was his favorite team, but upon further consideration he ultimately said Providence’s girls’ soccer team. Similarly, Coach Taylor chose Manchester United as his favorite team. To go a different route, both tennis coaches listed more broad sports, with Coach Trevor Gerlock supporting the volleyball team, and Coach Brenda Gaeta talking about her love for baseball. Lastly, Coach Lucy chose her favorite team to be Quincy University Men’s volleyball team, with a little bit of bias due to her son being the head coach. To summarize, many of the coaches at Providence Catholic prove that coaches often have a love for sports as a hole, despite specializing in one sport as a career.
In conclusion, coaches play a vital role in athletes’ careers on and off the field. Their dedication and care for their teams in something extremely valuable and something not to be taken for granted. Thank you, coaches!
