Five-year veteran coach, Dave Owens, 29, is usually running up and down the sidelines cheering on his players as they make a great play or tackle.  A member of the Positive Coaching Alliance, Coach Dave believes in bringing a productive attitude to the field no matter what the scoreboard reads.  And he's been doing so, coaching flag football, soccer, baseball and now tackle football for his son's team.


"That look of excitement on the players face and the team roaring for the kids, keeps me coming back year after year," wrote this week's Coach-of-the-Week.

Coach Dave is the defensive coach for the Thalia-Malibu Dolphins Rec tackle team.  This is both Coach Dave's first year as a tackle coach as well as the first time an 8-9-year-old tackle team has been offered in the Thalia-Malibu area.  It appears the Dolphins will just miss the playoffs, but they had a great inaugural season facing many teams that have been playing tackle for up to five years already.  

Before coaching his son Isiah, now 10, on the Dolphins, he was the head coach of a flag football team in the area.  For three consecutive seasons, his 5-9 year-old teams played in the championship game and twice won the title.

The one year his team lost the championship was one of the more rewarding coaching experiences and challenges for Coach Dave.  His team was in last place going into the playoffs, but Coach Dave knew what to do.

"Too often kids give up on sports because they've developed a distaste for it from all the pressure they receive." Wrote Coach Dave.  "I told them [the players] that the losses didn't define who they were individually or as a team."

Sure enough his team bounced back and battled their way to the Championships.  Though they lost, that season is one of Coach Daves' favorites.  He learned to apply his coaching style and found the rewards of working with and listening to each player individually.

On a personal note, Coach Dave has been married to his wife Anna for ten years.  They have three children.  Son Isaiah, 10, and two daughters ages five and two.

Coach Dave's Keys to Success:

B- Brains (You have to be a smart player on the field and in school)
E- Effort (You have to give everything you have win or lose)
A- Attitude (Be prepared to work and be excited about the game and your  teammates)
S- Sportsmanship (show good sportsmanship to your team and opponents at all times)
T- Teamwork (Don't just be on the team, be a member of the team)



Coach Dave created the acronym for B.E.A.S.T while brainstorming with his wife.  He uses it as a positive reinforcement tool for the kids.  Each time his players perform to the best of their abilities fulfilling each letter of B.E.A.S.T they receive a special sticker on their helmet or patch on their jersey.  He wrote that this incentive not only fires up the kids, but also helps them understand that each element of B.E.A.S.T is necessary. 

Coach Dave wrote, "I really liked this because even though it's meant to teach the kids it also involves the parents in encouraging and keeping it positive at home and on the field."

Coach Dave also wanted to share his first time experience using Weplay.  
"It is honestly the best site for team sports and we've looked around." Wrote Coach Dave.  "This site helps so much in keeping everyone connected and informed. I love that everyone can contribute and upload pictures and discuss things with each other. Weplay will definitely be the site I continue to use for all of the sports teams that I coach and definitely one I will refer to others!

Coach Dave, thank you for your dedication to your community and the many young players you have influenced over the years and the years to come.  You are a wonderful addition to the coaching community and valued mentor.