To be a successful athlete, several criteria must be met. First of all, enough sleep and adequate nutrition are essential for fueling the body. Additionally, determination and perseverance are crucial for getting through long seasons. However, one of the most important, and oftentimes most overlooked, components that factor into whether or not one becomes a successful athlete is coaching. As the name suggests, coaches are people who coach or teach athletes. Without them, athletes would not have the chance to receive instruction and mentorship to help them get better at their sport.
Coaches do not always remain the same, though, and with the constant change of coaches, athletes must learn to adapt to each of their respective teaching styles. Many times, this adaptation can be difficult, especially when coaches have varying approaches to training. Although all coaches have the shared goal of building their athletes’ skills in a particular sport, the impact that they have on athletes is not always the same as their goal. Sometimes, wishful thinking outweighs the reality of helping student athletes to improve. Other times, however, reality and wishful thinking are both possible.
For the 2025-26 school year, Claremont High School (CHS) has welcomed many new coaches. Whether it be in JV girls’ tennis, varsity girls’ basketball, or varsity girls’ volleyball. Each of these coaches has left their mark on student athletes and tried their best to help improve their skills.
The impact of coaches extends further than just on the playing field, though. Besides being responsible for aiding students during practices and games, coaches encourage team bonding through group drills, team dinners, or even creative, motivating slogans that teams can chant before or during games.
To get a firsthand account of how coaches’ guidance and encouragement for team bonding have truly impacted students, we turn to sophomore Lulu Thomas. As a doubles three on CHS’s girls JV tennis team, she explains the impact that her team’s new coach has had.
“[With our new coach] I think that everyone is more positive…I felt like I wanted to play more,” Thomas said. “One suggestion I have would be adding more drills, though.” Thomas’s views on how the new JV girls’ tennis coach has impacted her and her teammates reflect the views of many student athletes. Although coaches are always there to help student athletes improve, the instruction they give also always has room for growth. Nonetheless, coaches’ impacts on athletes are significant, and when considering the factors that make up a successful athlete, it is one of the most important.
