Although softball may not be on the peoples’ minds at the moment, the season is right around the corner and training has begun for Weplay Coach of the Week , Joe Cohoon, and his P.W.S.A. Brantford Bobcats ’98 Girls Softball Team from the province of Ontario in Canada.

Commitment and the ability to teach a set of skills while having fun at the same time could be considered an art form. Moreover, these qualities are the sign of a good coach. Youth sports can have a high turn-around of players and there is something to be said about coaches who are able to keep a stable roster for an extended time. Joe has been coaching softball with the same group of girls for the last three years.

“I became a coach as it is something I really like to do,” Joe says. “I teach phys. ed. for a living so it was an easy transition.”

Joe says some of his favorite memories as a coach have been team parties because spending time with the softball girls and their “fantastic” parents off the field is important for team camaraderie. Joe believes, “The parents deserve to have fun too!”. After all, parents are the ones who drive the players to practice, among other parental duties, and are often taken for granted.

Parents, the unsung heros of youth sports, are not taken for granted on the Bobcats and Joe uses Weplay to make sure of it by utilizing the Weplay calendar of events. The calendar makes lives easier because, “The parents use this to plan their summers,” Joe says.

Other than having a good time on and off the ball field, Joe enjoys helping develop his team’s skills through hard work and goal setting. Setting goals is a great way to be successful and achieving big goals can lead to reaching big dreams.

Joe says one of his best experiences as a coach was two seasons ago when his team won five tournaments and earned the 2nd seed in the province.

Joe has been married to his wife, Leanne, for 15 years and they have three daughters, Paige, 12, who is a member of the Bobcats, Cayla, 10, and Lauren, 5. When Joe finds time outside of teaching and coaching softball, he likes to stay active by playing sports, of course. He plays fastpitch, hockey and loves to golf.

Coach Joe Cohoon’s Top 3 Keys to Success

1. Make sure the players are having FUN..if they are, then you can get them to do anything!

2. Players make mistakes....make sure they learn from them to become better players.

3. Communicate clearly what the team and personal goals are....make sure the players have a say as to what the goals are.

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