Member Spotlight With Teresa Karsten
Q. What youth sports organizations are you involved with?
A. Fridley Heights Soccer Club and Fridley Basketball Association (Fridley, MN).
Q. What are your roles with those associations?
A. I am the president of the Fridley Heights Soccer Club and have coached many rec teams over the years. I have coached many rec basketball teams for the Fridley Basketball Association and am currently coaching two this year.
Q. How many years have you been involved in coaching?
A. Seven.
Q. How many years have you been involved in coaching administration?
A. Four.
Q. Why did you decide to get into coaching?
A. Our oldest son Cale wanted to play soccer when he was five. He was a little shy and wanted me to help coach a team. I knew absolutely nothing about soccer but had played lots of other sports so I decided to give it a whirl. It was one of the best decisions I have ever made.
Q. What part of coaching do you find most fulfilling?
A. The kids are the most fulfilling part of coaching. When you start a season, most of the kids don’t know exactly what to expect and their skill level can be minimal. It is amazing how fast the kids learn and how much enjoyment they receive out of obtaining these skills. I love teaching teamwork, good sportsmanship and always making sure the players give one hundred percent.
Q. What advice would you give first-time parents about getting into coaching?
A. I think every parent should definitely give coaching a try. It is such a rewarding experience and it is a great way to meet new families and friends. The kids will make you smile at every practice and game.
Q. How did the Trusted Coaches program help you as a coach?
A. I thought the first-aid program was very helpful as well as the concussion training. I liked the coaching part of the module the best. The best thing I got out of it was the “5 to 1” ratio. It is important to give 5 positive exchanges to a player to every 1 negative exchange you have. This can be challenging to do as it is easier to point out what the players are doing wrong. I have made an effort to use the “5 to 1” ratio at each and every practice and game this season. The players seem to respond to it well.
Q. How did the Trusted Coaches program help you as an administrator?
A. I know it will help us keep track of our coaches’ training progress and it will make our coaches better coaches. Personally, I will not need to take time to track if they have taken their concussion training or not since it is all online. I can use my extra time on much more valuable things to help our soccer club.
Q. What advice would you give associations that are considering sending their coaches through the Trusted Coaches program?
A. I think you should definitely send your coaches through this program. The First-Aid and Concussion Training are second to none and the coaching module does a great job in giving you tips on how to be a better coach.
Q. Who is your favorite college or professional team?
A. Even after the game this weekend, my favorite team is and always will be the Minnesota Vikings.
Q. If you could pick the brain of one coach (alive or not), who would that be and why? What would you ask them?
A. Flip Saunders. Flip was a person who everyone could tell just loved the game of basketball. He was down to earth and treated everyone the same. I always admired that in him. I would ask him how he got his team ready to play night after night, year after year. That had to be challenging.