(This is part two of a discussion I had with members of the coaching staff at Legacy Christian Academy. There guidance gives these young people great tools for real life.)
Two new coaches join the LegacyChristianAcademy athletic staff
this year. Both take seriously the school’s mission statement to create strong
leaders with Biblical convictions.
Christy Williams, a seasoned
club coach and former coach at Skyline, comes on board to head the Eagles
Volleyball program. Williams first order of business re-establishes the goal of
‘oneness’. She tells the young athletes they were called to travel on the same
road and in the same direction together, “Oneness is my number one goal. We are
really young and Ephesians 4:1-6 is my way of communicating this.”
She wrote to them, ‘I don’t want anyone strolling off, down some
path that goes nowhere. You have one Master, one faith, one baptism, one God
and Father of all, who rules overall, works through all, and is present in all.
Everything you are and think and do is permeated with Oneness.’” And, this
conveys Williams’ conviction 2009 is just the start of a great Volleyball
system, “My long term goal is to work together as a team and build a program.
Next year we will be more competitive than this year and in three years even
better than two years ago.”
And even though these twelve
are young and inexperienced, Williams expects them to help mentor and lead. She
requires they walk along side the junior high volleyball players to “help them
keep perspective on life and their Christian walk.”
Athletic Director Andrew
Embry likes what he sees and praises Williams’ efforts to refocus the program,
“Her attitude is great. She is very positive and stayed positive when she only
had eight girls. She is now up to twelve. They are being pushed which is good.
It is a different mentality, a tweak towards hard work and discipline and that
yields fruit.”
Williams scouted out the
Eagles district opponents and feels good about Legacy’s ability to play and
succeed. And, she reported the parents noticed a shift in the girls’ play when
they won their season opener against Garland Christian, “A lot of the parents
said it was so good to see them working together and enjoying the game.”
Edward ‘Skip’ Lane also
brings a new dynamic to Legacy. The long time Canyon Creek coach brings his
experience to the Eagles as the Head Track Coach and Speed and Strength Coach
for all athletes.
Utilizing the new space at LCA
for sports training, Lane incorporates all the athletes into a strength and
conditioning program not just the football players, “No athlete is left behind.
From football to golf, everyone has the opportunity.” AD Embry embraces this
philosophy and the new strength training techniques even though the students
are not accustom to it, “It helps their walk with Jesus Christ. I think it
parallels. As a Christian, your walk is many times difficult. It is not easy
especially outside Legacy Christian. If you’re not fighting, you’re failing
meaning that if your are not fighting in your walk with Christ, you are
failing. It takes character, guts, and discipline to cultivate that
relationship with Christ.”
Athletes are flipping huge
tires in the field, pulling weighted sleds forwards and backwards, throwing
medicine balls, and doing more explosive and dynamic training as well as the
typical weight training associated with sports. “It is very taxing and the
students are doing a great job with it,” says Lane.
Training will go year round with
Coach Lane.
“There is no such thing as an off season,” says Lane. “It gives us an edge to
continue to train and have periodization year round to help build our programs
as a whole.”
Lane, an Engineer by day for
Raytheon, has worked with USA Track and Field athletes for over 15 years both
at the collegiate and professional level. His love, however, remains with
younger athletes, “The younger kids don’t have bad habits to break. You can
teach them the proper way to lift and run.”
In taking over the cross
country program, Lane plans to promote and build upon the four athletes he has
this Fall, “Anyone who is not in a Fall sport, cross country would be very
beneficial for them like soccer or tennis because of the endurance they need
for their sport.”
The seasoned coach reminds
his athletes that cross country is more than just running. He examines their
mechanics, arm swing, speed, and core strength. In addition he helps develop
the mental aspect of the sport, “You have to understand the concept and strategy
of running. It is mental. It is getting ready to compete, nutrition, and
putting those things together and help them be successful.”
For both Coach Lane and Coach Williams, the focus
remains on these athletes success in and out of their chosen sport. Preparing
them for life beyond LCA and beyond athletics. Embry agrees, “It’s not easy for
a 14 to 17-year-old to be set in an arena where everyone is watching and sees
your mistakes and your successes. Bottom line: how is my relationship with
Christ. That is not a scapegoat. That is my identity. That is where my peace,
my joy, my strength come from, not home plate, not in the end zone, not
shooting a three-pointer, or spiking the ball.”
Stay inspired, work hard, have fun!
Kip #45
