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by Siri Huntington
This school year has looked anything but normal, and the turnover of coaches has been no exception. At NS, four head coaches will not be returning next year: Cris Hoopes for boys basketball, Dan Christensen for baseball, Steve Solen for soccer and Spencer Dyches for wrestling.
“This is not a normal year. We generally don’t have this much turnover in a single year,” said athletic director Cheryl Hadley. “But as usual, we will do our best to fill the positions with coaches who are the best fit for the program.”
While some of the positions have not been advertised yet, two of the head coaching positions have already been filled. Bill Pollock is the new head coach for basketball and Cheyne Christensen is the new head coach for wrestling.
“With the two that have been hired, so far they were both already part of the programs, which should lead to a smoother transition,” Hadley said. “They will also bring their own philosophies and viewpoints, which generally brings renewed energy in programs.”
Keeping two of the head coach positions in house has brought a smoother transition. However, the program will still change and adapt with the new coaches expectations. Pollock is already preparing for this as well as letting the boys know his priorities.
“Going into next year, I have a lot of high expectations for the kids that are returning. We have a lot of good athletes who are good basketball players,” Pollock said. “There are things in place for us to have a successful year, so I’m encouraged by the kids that are returning. I’m excited for the opportunity of bringing a bunch of kids together and creating a culture that breeds winning.”
As part of creating a culture of winning, Pollock plans to coach his boys into players who are both mentally and physically tough. Doing this won’t be easy, but it is what he believes the kids need to have to be able to compete.
“I just told the kids, and this is one of my number one philosophies, is that I want kids who will refuse to lose. That doesn’t mean that they won’t lose, but I want kids who will refuse to lose,” Pollock said. ”So that means you kind of have to have a tough kid in all circumstances and that’s just my personality. I also believe that we will be one of the best conditioned teams in the state, and the kids don’t like hearing that, but conditioning is not important until it is, and that’s usually in the fourth quarter, and the team that is better conditioned will outlast.”
Pollock is already preparing for his first year, the departing coaches all have different reasons for leaving. For Christensen it’s the intense time commitment.
“I only have 24 hours in a day, and I am so busy with my business that I just can’t spare any more time because my business takes a hit,” former baseball head coach Dan Christensen said. “When I leave my business all day long to go on a baseball trip, I lose clients and my business suffers because of that. I have to put that first at this point in my life.”
While Christensen is turning his focus to his business, the boys soccer former head coach Steve Solen is turning his focus to his family.
“I’ve never really been a dad because I’m always doing something else, and my kids are at that age now where it’s like ‘OK I need to be there,’” Solen said. “I’ve missed so many of their things that I need to focus on them.”
Even though Solen is switching his focus, it is still hard for him to make the decision to leave the boys soccer program.
“You don’t want to let kids down because they depend on you to be there for them in certain situations, but you have to take care of you first and then take care of others,” Solen said. “Since I’ve started teaching, from day one, I’ve been a head coach, and I’ve taken care of others for 12 years, and it’s time for me to take care of me and my family.”
Although it is hard for Solen to leave something that he has enjoyed for so long, the relationships with the boys will always be something he will remember.
“[You remember] the relationship you develop with the boys for sure. You get to know them on a personal level outside of school, outside of soccer, you get to know them with the trips and just joking around with them,” Solen said. “It’s something that you treasure for a long time.”
Not only will Solen remember the relationships he has formed over the years, but for Christensen, the relationships were why he put in so much time and effort.
“The relationships were the positives,” Christensen said. “That was why I did this. I did this for the kids. I did this for the relationships with the kids and so they could have a good program—so North Sanpete could have a good baseball program. That’s really why I gave all my time and effort.”
