Florida soccer coach, Nick Masuda, grew up playing baseball. Not simply dabbling in the sport, but dedicating 18 years of his life to the game. He was a pitcher and catcher growing up, and played some semi-pro ball in California. He even tried out twice for the Los Angeles Dodgers, and while his dreams of pitching on the major league mound were short-lived, his dream of influencing children through sports continues on the soccer field.

 
Coach Nick Masuda's "love affair" with soccer began during his freshman year of college when he roomed with a Swedish soccer player at UC Santa Barbara. After following the college team, he began to appreciate the nuances of the sport. He now resides in Lake Mary, FL with his wife and five-year-old son, whom he coaches.


"When my son turned three," Masuda wrote, "and we had recently moved to Florida, a co-worker of mine had just started Class Athlete, a youth sports organization committed to sportsmanship and education." 



Masuda was soon asked by the league's president, Roy Bova, to take a larger role in volunteering with the organization, which has allowed him to coordinate for the league as well as coach his son's team, The Power Rangers.

 
"Teaching younger kids how to play soccer isn't about teaching them to be the next Landon Donovan, but to show them that teamwork and working together can make anything fun and rewarding," wrote our Coach of the Week.  "If they want to chase butterflies, then they should do it together. If they want to chase after me, they should plan as a group."


He also offered a few of his Coaching Keys to Success:

• Fun!

• One-on-one interaction with each athlete and parent

• Trying to never raise your voice unless it is necessary

• Being willing to make a fool of yourself

• Make sure that your athletes are playing as a team and not as a bunch of individuals that happen to be on the field at the same time

Outside the world of sports, Coach Masuda is a senior designer at the Orlando Sentinel and also teaches as an adjunct professor at the University of Central Florida.

 
Thanks for your dedication to coaching and for sharing your passion for sports with kids in your community!


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(Article Courtesy of Lauren Magistro)