Don't wait for an invitation to get involved

Ronda Graff coaching soccer on Weiland Field in 1996.

Courtesy photo

Last Saturday, YMCA soccer teams filled the fields behind McCook High School and Junior High. The early morning games of 7th and 8th graders were in full swing with those playing at an advantage over those of us on the sidelines, just trying to stay warm.

As I yelled instructions to my team, my lone substitute player standing next to me asked out of the blue, “How long have you been coaching soccer?”

“Longer than you’ve been alive,” I responded as I tried to concentrate on the game.

“When did you start coaching?” he continued.

“A long time ago,” I replied, stopping the ball as it rolled out of bounds.

“When was that?” He was not going to give up until I gave him an exact answer.

“27 years ago.”

“Wow! That was a long time ago,” he said as he trotted onto the field.

He knew it was his turn to sub into the game, while probably not knowing it was a good time to put some distance between himself and me.

I began coaching soccer in McCook nearly three decades ago. Having played soccer in high school and college, I wanted to share my enthusiasm for the sport after I moved to McCook.

In the spring of 1996, I stood on the sidelines of Weiland Field, 5 months pregnant with my first child, surrounded by a dozen 7th and 8th graders, coaching my first game of youth soccer.

I didn’t have a child in the program. I didn’t have a relative on the team. I didn’t even have a friend’s child playing. I had lived in McCook for less than nine months so I knew hardly anyone.

But I volunteered to coach because I simply loved the game and it was the best way to share my passion for the sport.

The past few weeks I have emphasized the need to be “invited.” And while we need to invite others to join us whether it is for a conversation or at an event, we also need to take the initiative to get involved. Additionally, we need to set aside our preconceived notions about who should be doing things. We need to step up and be willing to share our hobbies, our interests and our skills with others. We need to be willing to step outside our comfort zone to take on something new. We need to buck the system of who we normally think should fill a role.

For example, the job of a lifeguard at our pools has evolved to be filled by high school students. This makes sense since they have their summer off from school and that is when there is most need for a lifeguard.

But there is no reason that adults cannot fill the job of lifeguarding at our local pools. In fact, if we are going to want the new outdoor city pool and the YMCA indoor pool to be open as many hours as possible, we are going to need more lifeguards — lifeguards of all ages.

And it just so happens, that it doesn’t cost anything right now to get certified as a lifeguard as the McCook Community Foundation Fund granted funds to the YMCA to cover the cost of certification for the next two years. So that excuse is taken off the table.

Another area where we seem to have a preconceived notion of who should be a volunteer coach. There is no rule that says you must have a child in the sport to coach the team. Grandparents have stepped up to coach their grandchildren. Friends of the child’s parents have volunteered when asked. But it could also be as simple as what sport you did when you were younger.

Recently, I had a friend begin to help coach junior high track even though she didn’t have a child in the program. Having participated in track and field in high school, she had the experience, ability and desire to share those skills with young people. The more adults who can help with a program, the better.

Another friend is taking on the role of baseball coach this summer, even though his own children are not yet old enough to play on the team. He understands the need for passionate, caring individuals to step forward if want to have these programs in our community, now and in the future.

Or maybe you have a passion for the theater but singing in public or memorizing lines terrifies you, so you say that you aren’t a theater person. But there is always a need for help with costumes, makeup, choreography, and building sets. Again, it is breaking the preconceived notion of what makes a theater person — not everyone is out front on the stage but they are still just as important.

It takes all of us getting involved to keep our communities growing and thriving. Consider sharing your hobbies or your interests or your skills with others because ultimately, it is like gift-giving: it is better to give than receive.