Why I Think My Boss is Great
by Karen Vyverberg

I had been coaching at a competitive gymnastics club for almost three years when a new Gymnastics Director, Kristin, was hired. I was graduating from college and getting ready to move away for graduate school. Mentally, I was getting ready to leave, so I wasn’t very concerned with the change one way or the other. However, I was then accepted into the graduate program at my school, and also offered the job of head coach at my gym. Now, a few months later, I realize that without Kristin, I would not have continued coaching.

Kristin has three important qualities that make the most impact on me: she is genuinely passionate about her job; she regularly asks for my opinion; and she gets things done. Kristin cares more than anyone about the gym and everyone in it, and her excitement is contagious. If I come to work tired, she animatedly shows me a new drill and my mood turns around. Her enthusiasm makes me want to be a better coach. Kristin also regularly asks for my opinion. I am the senior coach and she always checks in before making changes. She doesn’t need my permission to make decisions, but asks because she knows I have a valuable perspective to offer. Finally, Kristin doesn’t talk about things she wants to get done, she does them. We need new paint on the walls? Done. We are short staffed? She hires a new coach. Kristin makes active changes that demonstrate her dedication.

Kristin re-ignited my love of coaching when I saw the real improvements she was making and how much she cared about the program. I found my own passion again, without which I could not have continued to coach.

A Personal Note ~

Karen is my 22 year old niece, visiting me in California before returning to school to start work on her PhD in Geology at the University of Florida, where she was awarded a graduate fellowship from the University of Florida Water Institute.

Mary