After coaching football and baseball for the past 16 years, Coach William Cox was introduced to a new sport, softball. Having little knowledge of the new sport, his mindset was locked in on trying his hardest to improve the team day by day.
“I want them to improve every single day and have fun doing it, victories aren’t a big deal to me right now,” said Coach Cox. “I want them to be at 100% by the end of the year.”
Ever since the expert football coach was introduced to this new sport, he also faced new challenges. His team was made up of fifteen freshmen, some of whom have never played softball before. Since there were players with vastly different skill levels, Coach Cox had to balance their abilities, due to him only being able to form one varsity team.
“When we started, we didn’t have a JV, so everyone who came was put on varsity,” he said. “We have about six freshmen on varsity right now, but they have the nerves, going up against 18-year-olds who have at least 4 years of experience, if not, even more.”
Although this presented a challenge to Coach Cox, his coaching methods are helping the team improve. He is known as a laid-back coach and one that positively encourages his team to do better than they did the day before. He instead guides them to forget the mistakes that they have made and helps them get rid of them by finding various ways to improve.
Senior Cesar Robles is Cox’s former athlete from the previous football season.
“Coach Cox was always a good coach, and practice with him was usually intense, especially the conditioning,” said Robles. “However, he made sure we kept our heads high when the rest of our coaches left.”
Having a coach who is emotionally present and invested in their athletes can tremendously impact their performance and overall well-being, increasing motivation and commitment to competing. Additionally, a coach committed to his team can help athletes manage stress and anxiety, build resilience and develop important life skills that extend beyond their sport.
Their coach persevered in the face of adversity and challenges such as having a limited amount of players willing to contribute to his teams. He made sure to challenge his team by constantly being there to support them, even if there weren’t many people
“We were always working hard, despite the low number of players,” said Robles.
A coach’s job is to lead, motivate and guide their team toward their goals, and having a team that is skilled, committed and cohesive makes this job much easier. A good team can also help to create a positive and supportive culture that fosters growth and development, both individually and as a group.
“I let my team know what will be tolerated and what won’t,” said Coach Cox. “I’m always going to be there for them.”
Varsity softball player Gianna Iovino felt that Coach Cox helped them all become better people and players on top of being there to support their athletic pursuits.
“Coach Cox was such a great coach since he helped us through the season and he taught us some valuable learning lessons,” said Iovino.
Getting along as a team is crucial to achieving success in any endeavor. When team members are able to work together and support each other, they are able to accomplish more than they would be able to individually.
“We sometimes had conflicts within the team, but we overcame them with the help of Coach Cox,” said Iovino.
Coach Cox helped form a team that gets along and is able to communicate effectively, share ideas and work towards a common goal.
