I think that it's sometimes tempting to see someone like me who looks like they have a pretty "successful" life...happy marriage, healthy children, booming business, and assume it came easily.

But the truth is, I didn't have an easy, normal childhood and I haven't even had it easy as an adult. I have lost people dear to me. I have lost friendships. My home was totally robbed once. I have had 2 miscarriages. Jason and I have been broke. We've gotten laid off from jobs. We've been taken advantage of. We waited years and years and years to adopt. I have been rejected by my biological father and paid dearly for that. There are many things that haven't gone right or normal or as planned in my life.

But...I have refused to let trauma and hardship in the past define me today. I have worked hard to retrain my brain on how to think about all of the things that have happened to me in order to not get stuck today.

I have done tons of coaching and therapy in my life. I have had incredible success in the business coaching space coaching well over 10,000 women and making well over $10 million in recent years.

But I want to help all of the women who need additional help. The women who maybe don't have a business. The ladies who feel alone, stuck or in a rut.

So I got my life coaching certification in spring 2022 so that I have the professional tools I need to help set other women free as well. Changing how I think has been the difference maker for me and I believe is the secret to my "success."

The bible says we are to renew our mind daily (watch our thoughts). The bible says that as a man thinks in his heart, so he is. The bible is full of scriptures that teach us how important our thoughts are. And I am determined to help women think differently so that they can get different results and do all that God has for them to do on this side of Heaven.

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Reframed Life Coaching with Jennifer Allwood

There were quite a few surreal moments in Dalton Grants 34-minute chat on his YouTube channel with Toni Minichiello this week, in itself his decision to interview Minichiello at all more than a little odd. If he had opted to be challenging, to ask a few tough questions, then it might have been fine, but well, its hard to know where to start.

It was only last August, after all, that UK Athletics banned Minichiello for life from coaching after their investigation into him which had been prompted by complaints from multiple female athletes and coaches. They found that he had engaged in sexually inappropriate behaviour, emotional abuse and bullying during his coaching career.

Minichiellos best known charge was heptathlete Jessica Ennis-Hill who won gold at the 2012 Olympic Games, an achievement that subsequently saw him given the BBC Sports Personality of the Year coach award.

While insisting that she was never on the receiving end of any sexual behaviour, she described the allegations as shocking and upsetting, but Minichiello vehemently denied them. I have been a coach for over 30 years and while I have been robust and demanding, I have not behaved inappropriately towards any of my athletes, as very many of them would confirm, he said.

He is, he told Grant this week, intent on challenging UK Athletics findings and his ban, describing their investigation as one-sided and unfair.

Among the allegations made against him, the details of which you will be spared, were the inappropriate touching of athletes, the making of inappropriate sexual references and gestures towards them and engaging in inappropriate and sometimes aggressive behaviour, bullying and emotional abuse. An example of the latter was him making an athlete sit with a cone on her head to mimic a dunces cap.

His habit, meanwhile, of referring to a particular part of his anatomy as his spicy Italian sausage probably tells us a little more about his personality, and his levels of maturity, than we really wanted to know.

So, for Grant - a former British high jumper of note and now a coach, mentor and motivational speaker to invite Minichiello on his YouTube show was, to say the least, strange. Kelly Sotherton, another successful former British heptathlete, went a little stronger: Disgraceful.

As hard a watch as it was, not least the parts where Minichiello portrayed himself as the victim in all of this, and received a sympathetic ear from Grant, it was revealing too. And gave an even greater understanding of why it must be so hard for sports people to come forward with the kind of allegations that were made against him.

Take this exchange. (And you have to remind yourself that its not just a chat between two random blokes on the internet, its between one of the leading coaches in British athletics over the last three decades, and one of Britains top athletes during his day who was a captain of the British team, a board director for the London 2012 Olympic bid team and who is now a coach).

Minichiello: Athletes will use you, they will accuse you, and theyll abuse you. They want success, they want your knowledge, they want you to make them better ... and then eventually, theyll just abuse you because that is human nature.

Grant: Yeah, definitely... do you think theres a jealousy because of how you are and the way you coach?

Minichiello: Athletics is like life, there are elements of jealousy..

Grant: Jealousy, jealousy, jealousy!

Jealousy, jealousy, jealousy.

And then this.

Grant: Is there anything you could have done differently to protect yourself . because, you know, some people might be tactile or whatever. You must look back and say, hey, this has happened me, but why?

Tactile or whatever.

Minichiello didnt think so because, he said, society has changed massively . with Twitter and things like that.

It is a very, very different world out there certainly in the last five years it has changed phenomenally. A lot of the accusations about me are nothing to do with the modern era, theyre historical stuff. The difficulty we will find in life is that Im going to judge you by todays standards its impossible to defend yourself because the standards [now] are so vastly different.

By that logic the behaviour he was accused of was A okay back in the day. It was just robust and demanding. And if it wasnt for Twitter and things like that his career would have remained uninterrupted.

A slip by him was revealing too when he talked about his own situation after the 2012 London Games. In 2012, having won the Olympic gold medal .... having coached the Olympic gold medal..

Granted, a top-class coach makes no small contribution to an athletes success, but that slip suggested he claimed ownership of that medal, much like he appeared to claim ownership of the lives of the people he coached.

One of the charges he was found guilty of by UK Athletics: Failing to respect the athletes right to a private life by making intrusive inquiries and comments about their personal lives

Read up on any of the depressingly large number of coaches, across every sport, who have been found guilty of similar charges in recent years, including a host of them in womens football in America of late, and youll see much the same charges. That they felt so empowered, they believed they had the right to intrude on, and claim ownership of, every aspect of their charges lives.

Along with that came the belief that if an athlete was resistant to their efforts to control them then the coach would opt to try and break them like they were horses, and then rebuild them with the expectation of dependency and gratitude. Make them sit with a cone on their head to mimic a dunces cap, leave them so humiliated theyll never want to fail you again. Or, if they chose to walk away from their sport, so be it, that meant they were weak and never worth the effort. And if that left them feeling crushed as human beings, with knock-on issues, no matter.

It was great to get that insight to see what the coach goes through, Grant concluded, Minichiello having invited coaches out there who wanted the benefit of his wisdom to contact him. Because helping coaches is the way I can help the coach to help the athlete, he said.

Surreal? Certainly. Revealing? Enormously. All you could do was further salute the courage of those who come forward to expose the coaches who wrecked, or at least attempted to, their lives. Not to mention their apologists.

Jealousy, jealousy, jealousy? Good grief.

Original post:
A surreal look into the life of the 'unloved' coach - The Irish Times

During the social unrest that took place in the summer of 2020, protesters took to the streets in record numbers. Polls conducted at the time indicated that as many 26 million people marched to demand justice and reform in cities and towns across the country1nearly 40% of U.S. counties in all2.

But for nonprofits across the country committed to bringing about social justiceincluding equal access to education, healthcare, affordable housing and economic mobilitythe battles, while energizing, are not new. Nor are they now over, as much more work still needs to be done.

Morgan Stanleywhich is committed to an integrated and transparent diversity, equity and inclusion strategycontinues to help drive those efforts. As part of that commitment, we are supporting Centri Tech Foundation, a national nonprofit based in Washington, D.C, in launching the first Social Justice Innovation Awards. These awards represent a new strategic initiative created to advance social and racial justice and help drive greater inclusive economic opportunity.

We are thrilled to congratulate the winners of the inaugural Social Justice Innovation Awardsan impressive cohort of innovators already addressing complex social issues in an impactful way, says Susan Reid, Morgan Stanleys Global Head of Diversity & Inclusion and Head of the Institute for Inclusion, which the firm launched in 2020 to invest in underserved communities, advance equity through giving, and promote workplace diversity and inclusion. We look forward to seeing how this investment will better empower their work and enact change within the communities they serve and beyond. Adds Rey Ramsey, Chairman of Centri Tech Foundation, These visionary leaders are advancing solutions that put people and communities first. Their bold ideas bring to bear our mission of leveraging technology to accelerate systems change and promote shared prosperity.

The founders of the five organizations in the inaugural class of Social Justice Innovation Awards will participate in a nine-month program modeled after the Morgan Stanley Sustainable Solutions Collaborative, during which they will receive leadership coaching and support, as well as access to professional networks. The program is designed to promote collaboration, build capacity, and provide resources to leaders focused on achieving transformative impact. Each winner will also receive an award of $250,000 to help accelerate their ability to scale their solutions to some of Americas most complex social justice issues and drive systemic change. The winners, who were selected for developing a breakthrough concept aimed at solving critical social justice challenges and represent a diverse group of organizations, backgrounds and social issues, are as follows:

Together, with the help of Centri Tech and Morgan Stanley, these forward-thinking organizations hope to continue to advance real change. Says Matthew Slovik, Head of Global Sustainable Finance at Morgan Stanley, Tackling complex sustainability challenges requires creative thinking, innovative ideas and unique partnerships, and we are proud to work with Centri Tech Foundation in establishing this new initiative.

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Social Justice Innovation Awards: 2022 Winners - Morgan Stanley

Shop small, do big things for your community

Why Small Businesses Matter puts a spotlight on the local merchants who donate their time, talent, goods, and services for the betterment of our community. The shop local movement spreads virally as local businesses who are tagged have the opportunity to share their story!

You're ITThe Parent Collective!

Three questions withJessica M. Hill,founder ofThe Parent Collective.

Why did you start your business?

I started The Parent Collective because of my experience with having my boys in the UK. The UK gets a lot of things right when it comes to having a baby. This includes a 1-year maternity leave, in-home midwife visits postpartum, health visitors who are focused on the physical and emotional health of the mom but their approach to prenatal classes had the biggest impact on my transition into motherhood. The UK looks at prenatal classes as an opportunity to build a community without mom dates or trying to talk over baby music classes.

Our signature prenatal series, which sorts participants by neighborhood and due date, not only teaches you all you need to know about labor and how to care for your newborn, but throughout four classes, you will connect with other local expectant couples and develop your modern-day village - a support network of couples that will help you through illness, loneliness, marital problems, and the run of the mill baby drama. They also provided each other with companionship during those sometimes endless and monotonous days with a newborn.

What is your best-selling product/service?

By far our in-person prenatal series is our best-selling service. During Covid, we shifted all of our programs to zoom and still offer zoom options, but since returning to in-person classes, our series are selling out months in advance. I think couples are hungry for that connection and feeling of community we all missed out on during the pandemic.

I couldnt do what I do without our amazingly supportive venue partnerKaia Yoga!

I am also so appreciative of the network of support for new moms that we refer to all of the time includingMilk Street Lactation,The Fairfield Motherhood Cooperative,The Alliance Center,and many more.

Have you "reimagined" your small business?

Through my years working with expectant and new mothers, Ihave seen many women who are struggling with the transition to motherhood. Whetheritis managing the juggle of responsibilities between work and home, resisting the pull of perfectionism, fighting against mom guilt and burnout, or feeling disconnected from the woman they were before they became a mother; oftenthese women need a safe space to work through some of the thoughts in your head to gain clarity and develop strategies for making life smoother and more enjoyable.This needinspired me topursue certification as a life coach.

Coaching is focused on looking at the present day and moving you forward so I work with moms to identify priorities, craft goals, and experiment with weekly action steps that help them see concrete change.

I offer 1:1 coaching as well as group programming for new mothers, working mothers, and one dedicated to exploring Fair Play; a game-changing solution designed to illuminate the invisible work of domestic and childcare tasks and spark conversation between partners with the goal of more fairly dividing responsibilities.

VisitThe Parent Collectiveonlinehere, and make sure to check out theirFacebookpage as well!

HamletHub thanksFairfield County Bankfor making our Why Small Businesses Matter series possible!

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Why Small Businesses Matter in Westport: The Parent Collective - HamletHub

For Teresa Ferreiro, reentering the workforce after surviving cancer felt overwhelming. So Ferreiro, of A Corua, Spain, founded the online platform Soul Reconnect to help other breast cancer patients and survivors navigate the frightening, often isolating, journey.

If you dont know how to go back to work, talk to others, or face your fears, then things can get very difficult, said Ferreiro, who was diagnosed with breast cancer 12 years ago.

Her return to the workforce after cancer included getting certified as an executive professional coach and pursuing a doctorate in communications. Those skills form the foundation for Soul Reconnect, which provides health care coaching and other tools to help patients navigate medical appointments, improve nutrition and exercise, and return to work.

The business, which uses methods informed by scientific research and patient feedback, also offers webinars and retreats to foster personal growth. Most importantly, Ferreiro says, Soul Reconnect empowers women through their recovery. The patient is no longer just a passive person who waits for a treatment, or others, to make decisions, Ferreiro said. Now, the patient is in the center, and she is the one who runs her life.

She credits the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE), a U.S. State Department program that empowers women to start and scale businesses, with helping her develop a business plan that incorporates her professional and personal experience, and launch Soul Reconnect.

AWE has trained more than 16,000 women worldwide since it launched in 2019. Ferreiro was accepted into AWE in 2021 as the COVID-19 pandemic forced more companies to conduct business online. AWEs online community of women entrepreneurs supported Ferreiro as she launched her business during the tumultuous economic time.

What I didnt know was that, for example, I would be constantly pivoting starting and stopping three times due to COVID, she said. So, it was more like being part of a community where we all are in the same place; otherwise, you feel very alone.

She also says AWE helped her realize the possibilities for expanding Soul Reconnect. She hopes to partner with companies seeking to offer wellness programs to employees, and add and translate content to reach patients outside Spain, and with other illnesses.

The program helped me to be brave, and think, OK, theres nothing to lose,' Ferreiro said. This is my idea, and it is going to work!

A version of this article was previously published by the State Departments Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

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Coaching others through the fight against cancer - ShareAmerica

HYDE PARK Ernest Radcliffe is a father figure to thousands of kids on the South Side.

Hes also a football coach with a distinctively gruff voice and screeching whistle.

Yeah, hes loud, said Rastus Hill, one of Radcliffes assistant coaches with his youth football program, Southside Wolfpack. But the kids, they listen.

Southside Wolfpack recently celebrated its 25th anniversary. The program has long provided helmets, shoulder pads and a safe haven for Black youth at its field in Jackson Park. Radcliffe and his wife, Tonya, watch over 220 kids, have youth football teams ages 6-13 years old and a national champion cheerleading team.

Southside Wolfpack has helped thousands of kids go to college, produced hundreds of Division 1 athletes and sent three players to the NFL.

Ernest Radcliffe dropped his whistle and smiled as he named some of the men who grew up wearing his black and red uniforms: former Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver DaRon Brown, former Michigan State University defensive end Demetrius Cooper and Radcliffes own son, Kendall, a former minor league baseball outfielder.

Former quarterback Greg Brown is now a chef, and Abdullah Pratt is in residence at the University of Chicago Medical Center, Radcliffe said.

Im proud of all of them, Radcliffe said. People I used to coach are starting to bring their children.

Radcliffe, 59, keeps a full schedule and still outruns us, said 13-year-old Wolfpack defensive lineman Robert Wise. The coach has won two baseball city championships at Morgan Park High School, directs travel baseball program The Show and has led the Wolfpack since he started it in 1997.

Radcliffe, a former star athlete from Roseland and the nephew of Negro Leagues legend Ted Double Duty Radcliffe, was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1986. He took a job at the YMCA after a career-ending injury in the minor leagues.

I was trying to find my way, Radcliffe said. I came back home and first worked at the bank, and one day this couple came in and asked me to crunch their numbers. So I put my head down and dozed off. When I woke up, I told them I was praying on their numbers.

I quit the next day. Coaching came easy.

The first Wolfpack team had 25 kids who responded to flyers around the South Side YMCA, 6330 S. Stony Island Ave., Radcliffe said.

Among them: a running back named Greg Owens, a standout at Mount Carmel High School who went on to play at Northern Illinois University, Radcliffe said. From there, the program just kept going and going, Radcliffe said.

We started winning, getting kids into college, and you cant stop then, Radcliffe said. Getting called coach, its special. It was my calling.

Some of Radcliffes former players have come back to coach with him.

Daquan Caldwell, an EMT by day who coaches the 10-year-old team, said Radcliffe has always been commanding, scratchy, kinda terrifying, and the person who always held me accountable.

You think he hates you one moment, and the next moment you know its love. And it shows, because hes brought me back here to change the lives of others, Caldwell said. Were keeping the tradition of the brotherhood going.

Christopher Coutee-Bouyer coaches the 8-year-old team and remembers taking a friend to a Wolfpack practice as a kid.

He has a way of challenging you, getting the best out of you, even without saying it, Coutee-Bouyer said. He recognized we were competitive guys, and that activated something in us.

Wolfpack coach Charles Williams said hes worked with Radcliffe since 2001, and hes long had his own effective style of leadership.

When he gets emotional, thats passion for the kids and the sport. And that translates to them, Williams said. They come here and get love and respect and learn how to love and respect others. This program saves lives.

Over the years, the Radcliffes have paid peoples bails, spoken at court hearings, helped people through teenage pregnancy and taken players into their home, Tonya Radcliffe said.

At a recent practice, a young Wolfpack player came up to Tonya Radcliffe and told her he was hungry.

Things are always happening to these kids, and its overwhelming. Sometimes you want to quit, but you cant, because we can be life changers, Tonya Radcliffe said. We cant leave our kids falling.

The Radcliffes, Mayor Lori Lightfoot and other community leaders cut the ribbon on a football field in Jackson Park in April. The field was funded by the Obama Foundation and the former president stopped by for a Wolfpack practice.

I saw Obama come down that hill, and it was the highlight of my life. It made me think about how far we had all come, Ernest Radcliffe said. Well always be able to tell the kids now that the first Black President walked on their field.

Radcliffe said hell coach another 25 years if he can.

We have to keep pushing our young people. We tell them that theyre Division 1 athletes, that they can go somewhere special. We can see it in them before they know, Radcliffe said. And seeing hundreds of kids on this field, no worries, having a good time, thats the success.

This season, Angelique Wilson has signed up to be team mom for her son Aidens 10-year-old Wolfpack team.

Hes all in on sports now. Hes only 10, but he talks to his friends about going to UCLA, Wilson said. This place has given my son some good dreams.

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Southside Wolfpack Youth Football Has Helped Thousands Go To College, 'Saved Lives' Over Its 25 Years - Block Club Chicago

ANSONIA Emmett OBrien Tech soccer coach Arthur Solis favorite quote from Nelson Mandela is I never lose, I either win or learn.

What Solis learned Tuesday afternoon is that he is loved and no matter what his win-loss record says, he has already won.

Solis, who has been the OBrien boys soccer coach for 47 years, was honored for his legendary career in a pregame ceremony Tuesday afternoon ahead of the Condors game against Abbott Tech.

Solis was presented with a plaque from his players as family, friends and former players looked on and was then given the key to the city of Ansonia by Mayor David Cassetti who read a proclamation in honor of Solis.

Solis said he cannot imagine a life away from the sideline.

People say that some day I will not want the job, thats not going to happen, Solis said. When I leave, they will be taking me on a stretcher off the field. Im not thinking about retiring. When you have fun, you cannot say I dont want to have fun anymore. And this is fun to me. The best reward you get is from (your heart) when you see guys coming back who you coached many years ago who just want their kids to meet you. Money cannot buy that, thats what life brings you. The happiness of helping somebody else.

OBrien is a co-ed team, something Solis said he has done for years because OBrien does not have enough players to field an independent girls team.

Making the ceremony even more special was the fact Solis son, Adrian, coaches Abbott Tech and was on the opposite sideline for his fathers special day.

I call this the Solis Bowl, said Adrian Solis, whose Abbott Tech team won 2-1. This ceremony today was a surprise for him. One of his coaches reached out a month ago and he had this great idea to honor him. I always look at all these records being broken for wins and this and that. Hes been here 47 years and he never talks about giving it up. Which is amazing to me.

Solis coached Adrian at OBrien. His son joined him on the Condors coaching staff before making the move to Abbott.

During the ceremony, Mayor Cassetti said he was first a student at OBrien Tech in 1975 and Solis has been there the whole time.

I graduated, went through my business career and Im ready for retirement and hes still here. Its truly amazing, Cassetti said. Coach Solis has been a mentor and friend as well as a coach to hundreds of players over the years, teaching them the importance of good sportsmanship and fair play.

Solis moved to the United States from Guatemala in 1966 when he was 16 years old and enrolled at Ansonia.

Ansonia did not have a soccer program in 1966 and Solis tried to play for OBrien Tech across town, but was denied because he was not a student at the school.

Instead, Solis joined the Condors coaching staff, volunteering as an assistant coach.

He went on to play soccer at Sacred Heart University, where he graduated in 1974.

In 1975, he got the job as OBriens varsity soccer coach, going 0-12-1 in his first season.

He led the team to its first state tournament appearance in 1988 and coached his son on the team from 1995-97.

In addition to his work at the varsity level, Solis helped start youth soccer programs in both Ansonia and Derby where he has coached and refereed for decades.

Hes a cornerstone of the soccer program, not only in Ansonia but the entire Valley and even Connecticut when you start looking at where his players and his family end up, Adrian Solis said. Im coaching in Danbury, his other son is coaching in Boston, his other son is in D.C. so hes nationwide. The influence hes had on his players stays with them through their lives. They are in the military, they go into the trades and all these different jobs. Then their kids come back and play for him, too. Its remarkable the influence he has had.

Before stepping away from teaching, Solis worked in the New Haven school system, teaching elementary school for 35 years.

Solis mission is to give back everything soccer has given to him since he moved to the United States.

It can only be done because of the passion for the sport and because there is a little bug in the back of my head that tells me to pay back what I got, Solis said. Its a passion I have. I live in Portugal during the summer for three months, but I come back for this because these are my kids.

Solis said everything he does is for the kids.

Since 1976, when I got those first guys, they were respectful and they gave their hearts and thats what I was looking for, Solis said. These people give me their hearts. We always say we dont lose, we either win or learn. Mandela. Dont worry about losing, you gain more experience.

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O'Brien Tech coach Arthur Solis presented with key to Ansonia - CT Insider

Oct. 19Dick Meader's humanity and humility are what I admired most in the beloved coach.

I had the privilege of extensively covering the University of Maine at Farmington men's basketball team for four remarkable seasons and I got to know Meader the program's longtime coach well. He was 76 when he died on Sunday.

I knew he had a storied past as a respected coach, who had great success overseeing the men's basketball programs at Thomas College and the University of Maine at Farmington, but this soft-spoken man was a genuine gentleman and his dedication was reflected in his players every time they stepped onto a court.

Meader's love of basketball, compassion and high regard for his athletes was his trademark approach to the game and life as well.

In a season preview about the Beavers that I wrote in November of 2019, Meader's last season, the UMF coach had the privilege of mentoring four seniors guard Issac Witham, forwards Riley Robinson and Bill Ruby and center Anthony Owens.

When I spoke with Meader about his team, he had this to say about his players:

"No. 1, they are great kids," Meader said before the 2019-2020 season began. "I shouldn't use the word 'kids,' but young men. They take their studies seriously. They work hard at it. In basketball, again, they work very hard.

"You see them going in the locker room at times. They will be sitting on the couch with their computers in their laps and working on problems together. They really take their studies seriously. I just hope we have a good season for their sake."

But that feeling of respect and camaraderie worked both ways.

Ruby put it all in perspective about the coming 2019-20 season and his respect for Meader when he said:

"We have built some good relationships the past four years," Ruby said in that season preview. "We all have the same goal to bring home a NAC championship for the Farmington community and Coach Meader, too."

Story continues

Besides being dazzled by Meader's kindness, I was always impressed at how Meader recalled key moments of each basketball game.

He would invite me into a room and we would have a sit-down after each game I covered, allowing him to speak freely without distractions from all the noise in the hallway. He would give me his explicit rundown of what transpired on the court.

The beloved coach would replay those details like he was sitting courtside and watching the game all over again. There was no hand-waving, outbursts of anger or blaming during the course of our conversations after a hard-fought loss. There was just this mild voice providing details of a game. Again, it was his humanity that contained any frustration he was feeling after a loss.

I have met dozens of good and great coaches throughout my career, but I especially enjoyed just sitting down with a gentleman who made his living coaching college basketball. I also respected him for his temerity to continue coaching despite being afflicted with Parkinson's disease.

His humility came shining through when he retired in 2020 after coaching collegiate basketball in the state for over four decades.

"I don't want to be an anchor to any program," Meader said in a Timeout column I wrote in March of 2020. "It is time to enjoy some other things and not feel guilty when you are not doing something, basketball-wise, or not seeing a summer league game your kid is playing in. In the summer, you spend a lot of time recruiting. It is time."

In a world ravaged by COVID-19, war and environmental catastrophes, we all could use a strong cup of Meader's humanity or humility right now.

Dick Meader was a once-in-a-generation human being who cared about the important things and for me, our friendship still makes life worth living.

The rest is here:
Timeout: Dick Meader was only human -- and that's what made him special - Yahoo News

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Lake Highlands High School has a history of producing great coaches, both from its student ranks and its coaching staff. LHHS 1975 grad Lynn Jensen, who coached football for 16 years in LH and years more in Garland ISD and Dallas ISD, says theres something unique about the neighborhood, the athletes, the families and the school.

Its a heartfelt thing, says Jensen. It speaks to the specialness of this community. You hear people gritching sometimes, but its a pretty special place.

In September, Jensen took a job as assistant director of athletics for Bishop Dunne Catholic School. Hes one of many former Wildcat coaches and players now working for high school and college athletic departments across the country. You can read more about him here.

Kent Laster, another alum, is head football coach at Wacos University High School.

Football is a passionate game, Laster told the Waco Tribune-Herald, and he encourages his players to seek PRIDE in their game and in their life passion, respect, integrity dedication and excellence.

Everybody is bought into holding up the trophy, are you bought into the daily process it takes to get there? That is the key.

NFL Pro Bowler Phil Dawson holds the Cleveland Browns franchise record for the most field goals made. He still has 13 records at the University of Texas, and he kicked a game-winning 50-yarder against Virginia in 1995. Despite playing for the Browns, the 49ers and the Cardinals, he says his finest mentors were from his high school days.

The greatest coaches I ever had were my high school coaches at Lake Highlands High School in Dallas, Texas, both on and off the field, Dawson told KVUE TV. The impact that they had on my life kind of began this dream in me to one day coach. Little did I know I would play [in the NFL] so long, but I finally got around to it and havent regretting it one bit.

LHHS alum Dave Handal is in his first year as head coach of the Tomball Cougars. Serving as defensive coordinator last year, he took his team including his son Keegan to the state semifinals. Keegan started at middle linebacker and said the time they spent together paid off.

Having my dad as the coach, all the film study we do, it really gives me an advantage, Keegan told Houstons KPRC TV. All the game-planning he puts in, I get all the insight about it. It shows on the field. The knowledge he gives me really benefits my game.

Tomball lost in the state semifinals to another LHHS alum Denton Guyers Reed Heim. Heim has experience as an assistant coach at SMU and Baylor, and as Guyers new head coach he won playoff games against Flower Mound, Jesuit, Trophy Club, Prosper and Tomball before losing to Austin Westlake.

Additional alums include: Isaac Grieder as assistant coach at Lake Highlands Junior High;Mark Carey coaching the defensive line at the University of Mary Hardin Baylor; Marcus Coleman as the secondary coach at Trinity University; Brett Sawyer as defensive coordinator at Boerne High; Stoney Pryor as head coach and athletic coordinator at College Station High School, Anthony Hicks as assistant head football coach at Frisco Heritage and Kent Ackmann as boys head soccer coach at Princeton High.

At least twelve former Wildcat coaches are still leading teams of young men and women: David Gunn is head football coach at Paragould High in Arkansas; Kenny Wheaton is an offensive consultant at Harding University; Che Hendrix is head football coach in Boerne; Jason Wilson is head baseball coach in Allen; Ed Barry coaches football and track at Shelton School; Paul Maturi is assistant athletic director at Jesuit; Royce Slechta is offensive coordinator at Jesuit; Don Woods is defensive coordinator at Jesuit; Todd Holmes is athletic trainer at Jesuit; Gary Taylor coaches track and field at Sunnyvale High School; Pete Grieder is assistant wrestling coach at Bishop Lynch; and John Bandy now manages Kimbrough Stadium in Plano.

Lots more former coaches not mentioned here have gone on to serve as teachers or principals, and others have retired after being inducted into football halls of fame. In the slideshow above by photographer Mike Duhon, coaches from the state champion team of 1981 returned last Friday night to celebrate that accomplishment. Once a Wildcat, always a Wildcat.

This article has been updated with additional alums and former coaches.

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Wildcat alums and coaches lead teams across the country - Lake Highlands Advocate

MIAMI In the season opener against the Heat, Alex Caruso got the start in place of Zach LaVine.

The plan for Friday against the Wizards? Its a wait-and see.

Ayo Dosunmu earned the start at point guard in place of Lonzo Ball (left knee). Will the second-year player hold up through the month or even the next week? Thats another wait-and-see.

The plan for Thursday was to have LaVine (left knee) work out when the team practices in Washington, but how much will he be able to do?

Thats right, a wait-and-see.

So much for the organizations continuity plan.

Unfortunately for Bulls coach Billy Donovan, itll be his responsibility to clean up the mess.

Some of the stuff is unfortunate, and anytime youve got players out not just our team, any team it hurts, Donovan said. But were still going to have to play games with some of these things going on. The continuity is not ideal, but from a coaching perspective, weve got to play to an identity.

Thats how Donovan is approaching life with question marks surrounding Ball and LaVine to start the season. He wont get overly concerned with players as much as establishing a team identity.

But identities are built through practices, and with LaVines ability to practice from day to day unknown and with no definite timeline for Ball to come back, how much can actually get done in these practices?

Donovan has installed the foundation pieces of his offense and defense but admittedly has a lot to build out in both aspects.

Its just the way it is, Donovan said. I feel like its my responsibility and my job that whoever the next person is that has to step in for Zach, weve got to play to a certain style on both ends of the floor. Listen, youre talking about a guy [in LaVine] that gets 27 points per game, shoots over 40% from three and is an NBA All-Star. I cant ask any of those guys to replace him, but regardless of if hes there or not, can we play how we know we need to play to put ourselves in the best position to play with the best teams?

Heads up

Veteran DeMar DeRozan made sure his teammates werent sulking in the wake of the injury-management news on LaVine.

DeRozan admitted that it would be easy for his teammates to fall into the woe-is-us trap, especially after all the injuries last season, but he wouldnt allow it.

You cant hold your head down at all, DeRozan said. Nothing ever goes as ideal as you want it to go. Thats just part of life.

Were a team, and everyone has to have the approach that nobody is going to feel sorry for us, and were not looking for anyone to feel sorry for us.

Expected outcome

Reserve guard Coby White saw the deadline for an extension on his rookie contract come and go Monday, making him a restricted free agent at the end of the season. It was a scenario that White expected to see play out that way.

I wasnt really focused on that, White said. Just play this year out. I put in a lot of work this summer, so let my work show, and take it from there.

Excerpt from:
'Continuity' is out the window now, and Bulls coach Billy Donovan has to fix things - Chicago Sun-Times