LSE Physical Education teacher Jacob Kuesel was at home reading a story to his daughter when he got the email. It contained news that would change his life: he was going to be the softball coach at Lincoln Southeast.
Although Kuesel had coached various sports before, he had never coached a girls softball team, and was stepping into a role that had been filled by four different people in the past three years. After getting to know the athletes and the coaching job, Kuesel says softball is all he can talk about now.
One of the players on the LSE softball team, junior Sydney Kjeldgaard, has had a new coach every year that she has been on the team and says the toughest thing about this is adapting to all of their coaching styles. Kjeldgaard says Kuesel’s coaching style is a new positive perspective for the team.
“Kuesel is different compared to most coaches. He really cares about us,” Kjeldgaard said. “He’s very communicative, he’ll share his feelings. His style is different, but I like it because, even though he’s new to the actual sport, he’s not new to coaching.”
There is one thing Kuesel and Kjeldgaard can agree on, and that’s consistency. Kjeldgaard hopes to win more games and she says the key to winning more is consistency. Kuesel also says he hopes to improve consistency on the team.
“They want someone they can believe in, someone that believes in them,” Kuesel said. The girls want a consistent face, that’s what I’m here for.”
Even though coach turnover has been negative in some aspects for the team, Kjeldgaard says that it has made the team more determined and competitive. She says the turnover has made her have to prove herself every year, and has made the team more competitive overall. On the other hand, she says that the team’s morale has been affected by the varying personalities of the coaches over the years.
“Each year we’ve had a different coach with a different personality and I think that’s definitely affected the way that we act and the chemistry within the team,” Kjeldgaard said. “The coach is the main factor that affects our morale.”
Kjeldgaard also mentions the lack of consistent coaching in the past as a disadvantage. Most high school teams get to grow and create a relationship with one coach over their years of high school, but their team didn’t get that opportunity. She says that it’s helpful to prove to a coach that you’re developing throughout the four years on the team, but when you have a different coach every year you are not able to.
Kuesel says he is here to stay. He hopes to set a standard of consistency and get the little things correct in practice to perform better in games overall. He says the girls have had a wide variety of coaches, but he’s in the middle of the coaching spectrum. Kuesel says he’ll hold the girls accountable to try and grow and be successful, but also has an understanding side that people don’t always see. Kuesel says he is always growing and adapting as a coach and is here to stay as the LSE softball coach.
“I’m not just going to talk to those girls in the fall because that’s when we play…” Kusesel said. “I want to build those relationships that last throughout high school and on into their lives”.
