Every other week, we choose a winner from entries in our "I'm a Coach Because..." campaign. Our first winner is Frank Ridlehoover.
Coach Frank Ridlehoover expresses his motive to coach with simple words.
"I'm a coach because I love the game and love to see the kids develop and grow as individuals."
What intrigues us is his simple love and passion for coaching youth soccer since the 1970s. His forty year coaching career documents his growth from a rookie to a veteran soccer coach.
In 1970, back from Vietnam and living in South Carolina, Frank Ridlehoover had to face another challenge – coaching a soccer team. At Eastside High School in Greenville, SC where he taught science and biology, students approached him about starting a soccer team. Coach Ridlehoover accepted the challenge, even though no one had ever played soccer and he had no coaching experience.
Coach Ridlehoover started with self-learning, he searched out soccer-related materials. While studying and coaching at the same time, he led the team to a 6-3-2 record in their inaugural season in 1972-1973. In his 16 years of service at Eastside High School, he achieved a phenomenal record of 210-41-18 and three state AAAA championships ('83, '85, '86). From 1972 to 2011, he coached seven high school varsity teams with a overall record of 402-230-27.
Coach Ridlehoover joined NSCAA in 1977, and as a loyal member, he has missed only two Conventions since joining. He attended the NSCAA inaugural Advanced National Diploma Course in 1984 and emphasized that coaching education is invaluable to his coaching career.
In our Q&A session, he shared his experiences and thoughts on coaching:
NSCAA: What inspired you to become a soccer coach?
Frank Ridlehoover (FR): I was in my 2nd year of teaching Biology and coaching football and baseball at Eastside High School. There were several other schools in Greenville County that had soccer teams and the students at Eastside approached me about starting a team. I agreed to coach the team and we competed in the winter of 1972-73 in our inaugural season. We ended our first season with a record of 6-3-2. None of the team members had ever played soccer before and there was no youth soccer in South Carolina at that time. I remained at Eastside until 1989 and ended with a record of 210 wins 41 lost and 18 ties in 16 seasons with never a losing season.
NSCAA: What was the biggest challenge you’ve faced while coaching?
FR: There was no high school or youth soccer in South Carolina when I grew up so when I agreed to start the team at Eastside, I had no experience with soccer. It was a self learning experience at first. I started searching for information and reading anything that was available concerning soccer.
NSCAA: What sort of qualities do you think should a coach have? How do these qualities influence players and team?
FR: 1.)Having the right attitude as a coach is essential to bringing success to the program and instilling the right values to your team members. 2.) Commitment: If you put the time and effort into your program the rewards will follow. 3.) Patience: This quality is very important especially when coaching younger players. 4.) Enthusiasm: This was especially important to me early in my career before I developed the technical knowledge that I have acquired over the years. If you are enthusiastic, the enthusiasm will carry over to the team members. 5.) Open Minded: Being able to accept the ideas of others.
NSCAA: What are your thoughts on coaching education and its role in developing coaches?
FR: Coaching education had been very important to me as my career as a soccer coach progressed. A year after beginning the soccer program at Eastside I attended a one week coaching school for high school soccer coaches conducted by Coach I. M. Ibrahim at Clemson University. I then worked for the next 10 years as a coach at the Clemson University Soccer Camps. I joined the NSCAA in 1977 and attended my first NSCAA Convention in Atlanta in 1978. In the summer of 1978, I attended the USSF C License course under the Directorship of Walt Chyzowych at Long Beach University in California. The next summer 1979 I took the USSF B License course at the University of South Carolina in Columbia. In 1984, I attended the NSCAA Inaugural Advanced National Diploma Course at Duke University. The training at these schools have been invaluable to me in my career as a high school soccer coach.
NSCAA: What has the NSCAA meant to you?
FR: I joined the NSCAA in 1977 and have only missed 2 annual conventions since joining.
This has been a blessing in helping me evolve into the soccer coach that I have become over the 38 years since I started my original team at Eastside High School in 1972. The NSCAA Soccer Journal has been very helpful in planning practices and I always pick up something new from the many training sessions and lectures that I have attended at the NSCAA Annual Conventions. I enjoy meeting my friends and associates each year at the Conventions.
The year of 2012 marks Coach Ridlehoover's official retirement from 40 years of teaching and coaching at high school level. He will continue to be a Board Advisor for the South Carolina High School Soccer Coaches Association.
