While many coaches can increase love and passion for a sport or activity, does anyone ever consider that they can ruin this love and passion as well? Several athletes in many different sports will never forget the coaches they have had; the reasons for remembering them, however, can be very different.

It is very common to hear that athletes have amazing relationships with their coaches, however, it is also very relevant that some coaches have destroyed athletes’ love for their sport/activity.  There is a fine line between being motivating and being destructive.

“I have had so many coaches throughout the years and all of them have had different impacts on me. There have definitely been some who made me want to quit, but there are others who pushed me in the best ways possible,” claims Kiki Sylvanowicz, a Pentucket junior.

Coaches can do a lot more than train athletes and put together a good team. They can affect mental and physical health in positive or negative ways.  For example, there are some coaches who truly want the best for their athletes and push them just the right amount. On the other hand, however, there are those who believe that pushing athletes until they break is a productive method.

Every person is different and the same style of coaching will not work for everyone. While some athletes may need to be yelled at before they do something correctly, others will crack under the pressure of yelling.  This makes it very hard for coaches to figure out a good method, especially when it comes to team sports.

The line between pushing someone to reach their potential and pushing them to their breaking point can be thin. No matter how much someone might love their sport or activity, it is always possible for them to burn out and sometimes a coach might be the reason for that.

I have had so many coaches that I have looked up to tremendously and have made me the person I am today.  However, it only took one bad one for me to be unmotivated and not want to go to practice. While my current coaches have brought me back to where I want to be, it was not easy to remember where my passion came from. 

“No matter how much passion I have, it would really only take one bad coach to make me start to burn out,” said Riley Bucco, a junior at Pentucket. 

All in all, sports are one of the biggest things in some students’ lives.  The impact of a coach can make you either thrive or struggle. All it takes is one good coach to make you the best you can be. But on the other hand, all it takes is one to make you want to quit for good.