One of the hardest parts about filling a coach’s position is trying to change the mindsets of current players left behind. Coach Kline came in as the new Varsity Girls’ soccer coach in 2022 and completely transformed the team. I recently had the opportunity to ask him some questions and get to know more about him. Coach Kline graduated from Massillon Perry High School. He then moved on to St. Xavier University. He played goalkeeper throughout high school and college.
Coach recalls one of his favorite coaching memories was the 2022 team winning districts and the junior college team he coached going to the national tournament. He also enjoys the little memories he’s made through the years with the players he’s coached. When asked what disappoints him most as a coach, he explained that it’s when coaches degrade their players. He understands that coaches have an impact on players’ lives, and harmful words from a coach can make a serious impact on the player’s attitude and overall performance.
Coach Kline also gave us the opportunity to know some of the little details about himself. His favorite food would have to be Chicago-style pizza or Jimmy Johns. He is also a huge movie buff. He even made a resolution once to watch a movie every day for a year! Coach Kline prefers action and thriller movies. Although it’s hard to pick favorites, he loves the Batman movies, Forrest Gump, Saving Private Ryan, Fight Club, etc. He enjoys watching shows like “Breaking Bad” and “The Office” and recalls loving the show “I Love Lucy” when he was a kid. Coach mainly listens to country music. One of his favorite musicians is Cody Johnson. Of course, we had to ask the age-old question: Taylor Swift or Kanye West? His answer was ultimately Taylor Swift.
Many would find this next question difficult to answer: If you could have dinner with any person dead or alive, who would it be? Coach Kline responded almost immediately that his dinner guest would be his grandfather. He explains that his family was very encouraging in helping him pursue a teaching and coaching career. Coach has always had a soft spot for children and being able to help them, as he claimed that he is a “kid at heart”.
Learning a bit more about Coach Kline as one of his own players has been very interesting, and I am very fortunate to have had the opportunity to have him as a coach. As a team, we are very grateful to have such an understanding coach who really cares about his players. He does a lot for the team and hopefully, that will be recognized more with this editorial.
