Full Interview:

You are a founding coach here at Seattle United.  Does that hold special significance for you?

Being part of SU from the first year is something I enjoy very much and have enjoyed over the years.  All of my Seattle coaching has been as a part of Seattle Youth Soccer Association since 1996 and I was very happy to continue as part of the exciting new Select/Premier SU club.  The club has grown, evolved and matured in many ways.  The coaches are held to a high standard, provided learning opportunities and help along the way.  I am so fortunate to be part of a family of coaches that always been a source of fun, support and learning.

What has been the most rewarding part of coaching here at Seattle United?

Being able to do my work in soccer with so many people, young and old, that are together chasing their passions.  This is what I find most rewarding.  A rare moment for my G99 Tango team was being at the same Hotel in North Vancouver as the Canadian Women’s team.  They rode the elevators & had breakfast with them, plus saw them in training.  The 99’s won the tourney as well.

What has been your biggest challenge in terms of your coaching career?

Coaching is a process of learning, adapting, trying to improve the delivery of information to young and how to apply it within the game. The challenge is to make it fresh, interesting and fun.

Please describe your soccer history…as a player and as a coach.

I started playing at 8 when asked to be on a soccer team as soccer was a sport and I was nuts about all sports then.  Now it’s predominately soccer.  I was picked for an all-star team, premier was not a term in soccer then.  I played for Madison Soccer Club 1956 for 12 years, as a youth and adult.  We won the Wisconsin 1st Division which gained us promotion to the Wisconsin Major League where I played for a few years and other good local adult teams.  In high school I played in the first Varsity soccer match in Madison as a sophomore and started every match thereafter.  When I moved to Seattle I continued in the Open, Over-30 and Over-40 divisions.  For all of last 35 years I’ve played and loved pickup soccer games.

My coaching started with a U10 boys team while I was in high school and I enjoyed it a lot.  I remember free kicks being way more important to our training time than now.  The next coaching came with my daughters in the 90’s.  My younger daughter wanted more of a challenge, so I created a select team for her that I coached and this one Badger FC team turned into 7 teams over the next 7 years and provided over 250 girls and 16 boys the chance to play more competitive soccer in Seattle.  In the final year the club’s name changed to Seattle Metropolitan.  Just this year, one of the Badger 95 team was drafted in the NWSL.  It must have been that pivotal U11 year!  I spent two years with ECFC and then joined Seattle United where I have run camps, coached many teams (select and premier) and various clinics.  Currently I am coaching BU9, GU10, BU11 teams.