By Matt Browning
All it took was his daughter asking to play basketball when Patrick Charlsen became interested in coaching at YMCA.
“I was more than willing to jump in and coach,” Charlsen said. “I didn’t realize how much fun I would have doing it and how much I would learn about myself as well.”
In his short three years as a coach, Charlsen has two specific memories that stand out to him from last season.
“I had a girl on our team, who had not played much basketball, come up to me around Christmas time tell me she loved basketball and had asked for a basketball goal for Christmas,” Charlsen said. “It showed me that the game she’s been learning is clearly sticking with her, and it proves that it’s bigger than just wins and losses.”
“Another memory from that same team- was during our end of season tournament. We played against the No. 1 seed in the first round (who had beat us easily, twice in the regular season) and the girls dug in and committed to working hard and we beat them to go to the championship game. Fought so hard in the championship game with a chance to win but fell short. They were so excited to celebrate their hard work with the silver medal. Reminding them how much they have grown in just one short season was the tip of the iceberg to see all their smiling faces.”
The part about coaching that sticks out to Charlsen is that it’s bigger than a sport, it’s about making an impact. It’s the main reason he loves to coach.
“Teaching kids what hard work and being a good teammate is, will always be more important than wins and losses,” Charlsen said. “Seeing these kids off the court, them calling me coach and giving me high fives definitely makes my day every time.”
