Reflections from a Coach-Mentor

Soccer For Success: A Coach-Mentor Story 

By Leo-Paul Wahl 

My name is Leo-Paul Wahl. I have served as a Coach-Mentor for Chester Upland Youth Soccer  (CUYS) for two years, and I can say that it has been a very fulfilling role. I grew up playing  soccer since I was four years old, playing a balance of intramural, club, middle school, and high  school soccer. My love of the game grew through all the years of practices and games, and with the pass of soccer seasons I also picked up a good knowledge of the game. All those years of  soccer helped bring me to serving as a Coach-Mentor for CUYS. 

Going into last year serving as a Coach-Mentor for the first time was a challenge itself. I had always been a player on a soccer team, but now I had to wear the other set of shoes and serve as a coach for younger players. Top that off with needing to be mainly virtual due to COVID-19  restrictions, and it proved to be an interesting season. A lot of the traditional soccer practice  models that had been used in past years had to be modified, given that gathering a group of 20+  kids in person wasn’t an option. Zoom soccer practice became the standard, with kids and  coaches meeting on laptops and phones to go over footwork and talk about nutrition. 

Despite these drawbacks, the season was still a fun one. Kids and coaches alike adapted and  made the most of virtual soccer practices, using yards and living rooms as personal soccer fields. Zoom also served as the perfect setting to have a big dance party with coaches and kids from  different schools all coming together. We were also able to have some limited in-person soccer days in the spring as the weather warmed up and restriction began to ease and allow for small  groups. 

Coming back to help again this year, I had an idea of what soccer practices would be like, but it  did not prepare me for the contrast between virtual and in-person soccer. Being in person on a  soccer field brings out a lot more energy in kids than Zoom soccer did, likely due to being able to  play soccer on a field with other kids. Being in-person also leads to higher attendance, and more excited players who might be over eager to skip drills and jump straight into scrimmaging. The  biggest part of in-person soccer however is the ability to build better connections with players  and other Coach-Mentors and see the kids’ progress throughout the season. 

Over these two years of being a Coach-Mentor, I have gained a lot from being able to help coach these kids. Soccer was a huge part of my development and growth both as a child and later in my  adolescence and being able to help give that to others warms my heart. I also enjoy the break it  gives from stressful things such as college coursework and other jobs. Getting out on the soccer field and getting into the game is both a fun and relaxing way to be active and clear your mind.  These two years have been quite the ride, and I’m looking forward to many more with this program and these kids.

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Join Leo-Paul as a Coach-Mentor, or support CUYS in any way that suits you. See https://cuys.org/donate to get involved.