Athletic director Donna Tofft

Sport Teams at LHS Face Difficulty in Finding New Coaches

By Lilly McDougal

January 26, 2024

LHS has been severely understaffed when it came to finding people to coach due to time commitment, the pay, and people simply not wanting to put in the work.

There is a long years worth process of having a new coach at LHS especially as a Varsity coach. Athletic Director Donna Tofft explains the situation that comes with being a new coach.

 “I think it takes three years to get a program. First, the novelty of being a new coach: if the kids are gonna like you or not, whether they like your program,” Tofft said. “Then by the third year, this is what it is, people know what you are and they're gonna decide whether they are going to play or not.”

LHS Swim Coach of 12 years and English teacher Lori Stanley balances teaching and coaching which some coaches fulfill and some don't.  

“Coaching is so much work, it’s important to have both,” Stanley said. “Teachers and non-teacher coaches.”

Sophomore Shane Selter on the boys volleyball team, has personally experienced how having a new coach can impact the team atmosphere.

“You get used to how the coach is throughout the year and if they keep switching it up you don’t know what to expect,” Selter said. “If you like that coach or not, if they should come back or not.”

Athletic Director Donna Tofft faces the difficulties of being a coach and knows first hand why it is now so hard to find coaches as for the significant drop in those who want to coach.

“Parents, fans, time commitment.” Tofft said. “It’s very hard because look at when we start practice, at 4 o’clock, it’s very hard for people that work in the outside world other than school or a job that ends at 3 or 4 o’clock, to get here. It’s a time commitment for everyone.”