SOCCER
Out with the Old and in with the AssistantBY JORDYN WILLIAMS ON SEPTEMBER 20, 2013
Former assistant coach for the varsity men’s soccer team at Rose, Jed Smith, has stepped up to the job of head coach after previous head coach, Charlie Harvey, stepped down. Smith has been a JV head coach and most recently a varsity assistant coach for men’s soccer at Rose for eleven years. Because Smith was previously the varsity assistant coach, this made it easier for them to transition to having him as a head coach.
“Adjusting has been fine because coach Smith basically has the same coaching principles as Harvey,” sophomore Andrew McKinnon said. McKinnon also said that being in tune with the new coach is especially important this year because Rose is now in a different conference. “We scheduled really tough teams earlier in the season to prepare us for New Bern and Conley who we are going to face,” Smith said. D. H. Conley is one of Rose’s top rivals in the new conference. The Rose soccer team recently played Conley, and Rose came out of the game with a tough loss. That loss set the team’s record at one win, one tie and three losses. Smith said they were not proud of the team’s record at the time; however, the team has since improved it. Since the start of the 2013 season, the team has had a record of two wins, one tie, and three losses. The team still has some games left to play, some of which are conference games. With the introduction of new conference teams, the men’s soccer team is expected to step up their game to compete. “We don’t have the record we’d like to have, but we are prepared to go in next week and start making some noise in the new conference,” said Smith. “The guys have set being conference champions as a goal this season and it’s well within our reach.” With the goal of conference champions, Smith certainly has his hands full preparing the soccer team for their upcoming conference games, even though there is already a large amount of talent on the team. Smith believes that when coaching the team, he should not focus on just their skills but on their character as well. “We’re basically coaching men to be men five to ten years from now, not just soccer players,” Smith said. With that mindset, Smith says he is willing to sacrifice sleep to coach the team, and teach science classes. Smith said it is impossible to balance being a head coach and a teacher, and still get the recommended seven to eight hours of sleep each night. “Being a head coach interferes with your family, career and all aspects of your life,” Smith said. “But I am willing to make that sacrifice.” The team may have gained a new head coach in Smith, but that does not belittle what previous coach, Harvey, has done for the team. Smith said that Harvey is still a huge part of the soccer staff, and Smith stressed that the men and women's soccer programs still owe him. “We have a respected program due to Coach Harvey’s direction over the past two-plus decades,” Smith said. “He is currently taking charge of all fundraising for soccer and spends countless hours making the facility look amazing.” With the stepping down of an old head coach, came a fresh start for Smith as the new head coach. Their season may have started with a few losses, but they are definitely working towards a great rest of the season. HTML Comment Box is loading comments...
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