From a young age, around 4 or 5, I started to wonder: what is my purpose? What is my WHY? I think I started to wonder this because I could clearly tell what my father's "why" was: he was an outstanding football coach, an excellent communicator, a collaborative and intuitive teacher, and an incredible people person. One of the things I admired most about my father is how he would devote his full energy to whatever role he had. He would be up early for practice, he would teach a full day of school, have practice or lesson plans after school, and then come home and take care of two young children while being the very best father he could be. Even from elementary school, I could tell that my father was a person I wanted to emulate. I was exposed to so many different avenues of sports thanks to him, and I knew I wanted to have a career in sports -- I just didn't know which avenue. Growing up, I thought it would be fun to be a football coach just like my dad. Interestingly enough, this would come to fruition later on in a capacity I never expected.
As a middle schooler, my passion for sports, and high school sports specifically, would not go away. My dad introduced me to wissports.net, a website devoted to high school sports in Wisconsin. This quickly became my favorite website, and still is one of my most visited today. I can still remember the feeling I felt when my parents would allow me to have "computer time" and the only thing I wanted to do then was surf Wissports. I felt like I had the world at my fingertips -- my world. We had a family friend at a neighboring high school, New London High School, and this became my favorite school growing up. Our friend, Jake Hermsen, and his team made a miraculous run to the state football championships in Madison in 2007. I still vividly remember attending his state quarterfinal at Notre Dame High School that year. For my birthday in middle school, I always wanted to go to a high school football playoff game because my birthday is in November right during the playoffs.
From elementary school on, I always wanted to be a leader. I wanted to be the very best athlete, student, brother, friend, and role model that I could be. This was shown to me by both my parents, who are incredibly hard-working and passionate about what they do. Everyone looks up to them. I remember laying in my bed one night in fifth grade telling my dad "I don't want to be good, I want to be great!" This became my drive and motivation throughout middle school, and onto high school and beyond.
Once I got to high school, I was fortunate to have my dad as my football coach. This was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I saw the impact he had on his players when I was growing up, and I knew he would have that same type of impact on my life. Other coaches, like Davis Manci and Mike Stock, grew my love for sports and showed me that to be a successful coach and leader, you have to care about people. The greatest quote I've seen is "leaders need to have a high consideration factor." My coaches had a very high consideration factor and cared about students as people more than they cared about winning or losing. It was a great feeling to know that my coaches cared about my well-being more than anything, and that is the type of leader and coach that I strive to be on a daily basis.
When I went to college at Ohio University, I still had a passion for sports and for making a difference in the lives of others. I became a student manager for Ohio University baseball, and after six months was promoted to head student manager. I traveled with the team, helped out during games and practices, ran social media, and did any dirty work that was necessary. I formed lasting relationships with coaches and players. To this day, the baseball coaches have written me letters of recommendation. This meant a lot to me because they've told me they appreciated my work ethic and drive, and how I was willing to complete any task put in front of me. I have tried to emulate my experiences at Ohio wherever I go, and that experience at a Division I athletic department shaped my passion for college sports and springboarded my career in college athletics.
During COVID-19, I spent 17 months at my parents' residence in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Unable to be at school with my friends, with minimal sports going on, I was defeated and felt like I wasn't making a difference in the lives of anyone. In September of 2020, I received an opportunity to be a varsity assistant football coach at Shiocton High School. This was an incredibly rewarding experience. I was able to coach a sport that I love, gain experience working with students, and interact with them on a daily basis. I felt like my life had purpose again. I loved going to practice every day ... I tried to exhibit a "get to" not "have to" mentality during the season. Seeing kids improve week by week was extremely rewarding and satisfying. I cared much more about player development and kids having fun than winning, and at that moment I realized that I was starting to be the coach my dad was -- the coach I always dreamed of being.
I know that God has given me the ability to coach because I am knowledgeable about sports, but I also know what it takes to build personal, lasting relationships with students. Without my experiences growing up, thanks to my father, I would not be where I am today. Every experience that I have I try to use as a learning experience and build on it for the future. I am beyond blessed to have had coaches and mentors in my life who care about me and are always there for me. They have shaped and molded the type of coworker, coach, and leader I want to be in the future.
Currently, I am an athletic communications graduate assistant at Pepperdine University. While I will not be coaching for a couple years, my mission and vision remain the same. I am committed to being the best student, learner, friend, and coworker that I can be. I strive to help out wherever I can to improve the lives of others. I want to build personal, lasting relationships with every individual I come in contact with. My passion for sports and for leadership will never go away, and I cannot wait to see where the next step in my leadership, coaching, and professional journeys take me!
