It wasn’t until senior Carson Bell watched a fifth grader take his first defensive charge in basketball that he realized just how much his involvement in the GOAL Community Sports Program meant to young athletes in the community. Bell ran onto the court to congratulate the player whose big smile said it all: he was both shocked and overjoyed at his growth in basketball.
“It’s tough to get kids to take a charge, especially at that age,” Bell said. “I had been trying to teach him to take a charge in practice, and when he finally did it all on his own, we were both really excited.”
During the academic year, Hillsdale students volunteer to either coach or assist a youth sports team through the GOAL Community Sports program. Volleyball, basketball, soccer, and more are offered to draw young athletes together from the surrounding area. Bell, the program leader, wanted to support the greater Hillsdale area through his passion for sports. Drawing on his experience as a volunteer coach in high school, the GOAL sports program appealed to Bell as an opportunity to continue participating in the sport he loved.
“When I came to Hillsdale, I found this program right away because I knew I wanted to stay involved with the community and do it in a way that I could give back in an area I was passionate about,” Bell said.
Volunteering as a GOAL coach, students are able to pass on their knowledge and passion for sports to the children in the community. Bell noted that the most rewarding aspect of coaching is being able to witness player improvement throughout the season.
“It’s really fulfilling because you get to see the kids at the start of the program and watch them progress throughout the season,” Bell said. “At the beginning of the season, some kids can’t even make a layup, but then by the end of the season, they’re making layups pretty consistently. It’s a lot of fun to see their growth and see when something finally clicks or they score their first bucket and their parents go crazy,” he said.
Bell noted how the student coaches benefit from the experience in a unique way.
“If people are willing to put in the time commitment, it’s mutually beneficial,” Bell said. “It’s really fulfilling for us, and it’s really helpful for the kids as well.”
The GOAL sports program aims at more than just the physical wellness of kids in the Hillsdale community, Bell explained that it also strives to develop players’ hearts and minds as well.
“Some of these kids come from tougher backgrounds where they don’t have parents who are as involved or they’re working blue-collar jobs, and they don’t have the time to teach them basic skills,” Bell said. “Just being able to teach them life lessons through practice, even though you’re obviously not there to be a parent figure, teaches them teamwork, respect, and listening skills.”
Junior Annaliese Oeverman is looking forward to volunteering as a basketball coach again this year. She said, describing how volunteers also build relationships with the parents and families of their team members.
“Being able to be part of the Hillsdale broader community and interact with parents from public schools, the academy, or the charter schools, is really fun because I don’t normally really get a chance to do that,” Oeverman said.
Sophomore Elijah Redding shared similar thoughts on the relational benefits of volunteering as a GOAL coach.
“It was great getting to know the parents of the team and I definitely felt like I was making an impact on the kids by being a blessing and showing that I cared,” Redding said. “I think they can definitely tell when the coach wants to be there and wants to make a difference. The environment was completely filled with fun. I think the kids really enjoyed going to basketball practice.”
Redding’s favorite memory was a basketball game where his team was down 18-4 at halftime.
“The offensive output, as you can see, was incredible,” he said, “but we stormed back in the second half, only giving up five points and eventually winning the game. The kids were super excited and that definitely made my weekend.”
Redding agreed that his time spent volunteering as a GOAL basketball coach was more full of fun and excitement, laughter, and team growth than anything else.
“After a couple months of my coaching,” he said, “I wouldn’t say they were ready for the NBA, but they were close.”
