Soccer Coach Corey Gilmer has been involved with sports since childhood, but never imagined he'd end up the passionate coach of a girls' soccer team! He began coaching his daughter's team at the U-9 level when his wife volunteered him to be one of the assistant coaches. Over the last four years he has become the team's head coach and the club's president.

During Coach Gilmer's first season helping the Conrad Weiser Gilmer Girls, the team went 0-9. The following season the head coach stepped down, leaving Coach Gilmer to take over. Since his transition to head coach, the team has gone 33-9-4 and won two tournaments! What makes Coach Gilmer most proud though, is something much bigger than winning games.

Coach Gilmer wrote, "What started as a way to spend more quality time with my daughter on the field has turned into the most rewarding experience of my life. Watching these young ladies grow to where they are today and to see their parents bond together to provide a great team experience has been the greatest benefit of the years with the team; it is something I look forward to doing everyday when I get done with work."

Not only is he sharing the soccer experience with his family, but Coach Gilmer has stepped up as the president of the Conrad Weiser Youth Soccer Club so that he can ensure that the great opportunities his daughter has received will be available to the community's youth in the future.

As with all youth sports, a team's success is often only as good as the support it gets from team parents. Coach Gilmer could not stress enough how committed his assistant coaches and team parents are.

"My commitment to the club and my team have been made extremely easy by the unwavering help that I have received from my team's parents," wrote the coach of the week. "They are always there when you need help and they are always stepping up when the club is in need of volunteers."

It is easy to tell that Coach Gilmer is a true lover of soccer and still considers himself a student of the game. He is truly committed to educating his players on the game and life. He and his assistants stress the importance of school, family and respect in every aspect of the game.

Coach Gilmer wrote, "From my early childhood years to the present, sports have taught me self-discipline, confidence and desire to be a better person on and off the field. Those lessons are what I hope the girls remember the most when their days of playing soccer are over."

While his team is getting ready to move on to the high school level, he is looking forward to starting out with a new team or perhaps taking a position with a local school district. He and his wife also have a 2-year-old son and another baby due this summer, so there is sure to be plenty more coaching in the future.

Coach Gilmer's Keys to Success:

"My advice to a parent and/or a coach is to first and foremost be a good example to your children. Teach them it is okay to make mistakes and coach them through the process of dealing with those mistakes. The lessons a youth coach teaches to their players can and will leave them with a foundation on how to deal with problems they encounter in their future. I would love to see my team taking the State Championship in their senior year, but it would make me feel even better to see them all on the stage together receiving their diplomas as they graduate from school."