Page 7 - Jupiter Spotlight - January '22
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Jupiter Spotlight, Page 7
Chad Rollins: NAYS Volunteer Coach Of The Year
For more than two decades Chad Rollins has been
impacting young lives as a beloved volunteer coach through
the Jupiter-Tequesta Athletic Association (JTAA) in Florida.
Big hearted and humble, with an endless supply of
energy and enthusiasm for kids, his days are packed with
coaching youth football, junior varsity girls basketball
and track and field. Plus, this dad of three somehow finds
time to volunteer to coach young athletes in the Special
Olympics, too.
It’s all these qualities – and many more – that earned
Rollins the prestigious Volunteer Coach of the Year
award, annually presented by the National Alliance for
Youth Sports (NAYS).
“Just seeing the smiles on the kids’ faces and seeing which includes placing the emotional and physical well- Focusing On Fun
them having fun, that’s what it’s all about,” Rollins said. being of players ahead of a personal desire to win; treating “With the Jupiter Mustangs, we’re focusing on learning
Rollins was selected among hundreds of nominations each player as an individual and understanding the range the game and also having fun playing the game,” Rollins
submitted from recreation agencies nationwide and U.S. of emotional and physical development for the same age says. “Once you have a kid who’s having fun at a young
military bases worldwide. Judging is based on how the group; and doing his/her best to provide a safe playing age they will grow up and love sports so that’s my biggest
nominee upholds the NAYS Code of Ethics for Coaches, situation for all players; among many other key areas. accomplishment is making sure the kids love the sport and
also learn the sport that we are teaching them.”
One of Rollins’ biggest attributes is his unwavering
focus on having fun. When he steps on a field, court, or
track, he always brings a big smile and genuine passion
– and his young athletes latch onto his energy and are
excited to compete.
“When I start at the beginning of the year I don’t care
how old they are, I like to have fun coaching them,” he
says. “I think if kids see their coaches having fun they
will follow in their footsteps, and they’ll do the same and
have fun.”
Parents love having their young athletes learn
from Rollins, too. And while he works with youth –
encouraging, motivating, and inspiring them – he never
seeks out attention for his efforts. He’s all about the kids
– all the time.
Rollins was nominated for the award by Brad Caldwell,
president of Jupiter Mustangs Tackle Football and Cheer.
“Chad coaches my son in two different sports, and I’ve
coached football with him for a couple years,” Caldwell
said. “For the basketball league there’s eight to 10 kids and
he runs around a couple different towns to pick them up.
Most of them have broken homes, and he always puts these
kids first. One day, Chad asked if I could step in and coach
basketball because he was going to be about 15 minutes
late. I was curious why he was going to be late because
he’s never late – and it was because he was with the Special
Olympics that day, which is one of his big passions. I never
knew that he did the Special Olympics on top of coaching
high school and all of the youth sports here at JTAA.”
Community Commitment
Rollins is well-known throughout the Jupiter community
for his strong commitment for helping all the kids on
his teams become not only better players but – more
importantly – better people. While players are stretching
at the start of his youth football practices he can be seen
weaving all over the field, talking and fist-bumping and
high-fiving every single young athlete.
With Rollins’ engaging personality and kids-first focus,
it’s easy to see why he is a wonderful mentor for new
coaches coming into the JTAA program. And a terrific
source for longtime coaches as well.
“I am the coaching liaison here for this program so when
Home Away Home Away first-year coaches come to our program I try to tell those
Legend: Games Games Legend: Games Games coaches to make sure it’s all about the kids, because if it’s
not all about the kids then you’re in the wrong profession,”
Rollins says. “You have to do it from the heart.”
Individual Tickets go on sale That’s exactly how Rollins has been coaching kids and
changing lives season after season. And he’s genuinely
touched when he hears from former players who share how
JANUARY 8! much he has meant to them in their lives.
“One kid must have had to do a school project on
somebody that they admire, and he wrote about me,” Rollins
said. “So, I had tears in my eyes. He was like ‘when I was
5 Coach Chad helped me do this and helped me do that.’
So that’s what it’s all about right there.”
For More information:
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