Seniors Orly Eggener and Lucy Aronson have been key members of school and club soccer teams for several seasons. Now they’re filling a different critical role — this time, from the sidelines as coaches for Lab’s seventh grade boys soccer team. 

While they were initially nervous about the challenge of taking on a new role, they’ve enjoyed it and are learning from the coaching experience.

“It was a little bit stressful. Orly and I are definitely qualified from a soccer standpoint, but I think we were like, a little bit worried that they weren’t gonna listen,” Lucy said. “I think we’ve handled it well.”

Assistant Athletic Director Joshua Potter approached Lucy and Orly over the summer about helping the new head coach, Jonathan Gross. They quickly made an impact. 

“Coaches Lucy and Orly have found a winning formula, earning the respect of their young players,” Mr. Potter said. 

Their efforts are part of a program launched in 2021 to tap veteran student-athletes to instruct younger players. 

“One of the most effective teaching strategies is to have students teach,” Mr. Potter said. “Teachers use it all the time in the classroom — why not utilize this inside your athletic team?”

As assistant coaches, Orly and Lucy run drills at practices and prepare the team for matches. While the transition was stressful at first, both have learned from the experience.

“I had never coached before this, so it was an adjustment,” Orly said. “But I feel like I got the hang of it soon enough because of the range of coaches I have had throughout the years. I think I understand how most kids like to be coached.”

The payoff has come, not with goals or victories, but watching the players improve, Orly and Lucy agreed. Orly recalled one player being a bit confused about his position on the field. She took him aside and gave him tips like waiting for the right time to step into a play. 

“When he went back on,” Orly said, “I saw him trying his hardest to do everything I mentioned to him. He played so well in that game.”

The experience of coaching has provided Lucy and Orly with lessons of their own. 

“I learned that individualizing the kids’ style of play could be really helpful,” Orly said. “Coaching them made me have serious empathy for my own coaches. It’s a whole lot of work, but I would happily do it all over again.”

The time commitment has been its own challenge, given that both Lucy and Orly are juggling coaching with their own club soccer practices, not to mention the demands of homework and applying to college. 

“I would definitely coach again,” Orly said, “but maybe next time not while I’m in this intense of a point in school.”

This story was originally published on U-High Midway on October 23, 2024.