The stress the time commitment puts on a family, especially a young family, only adds to the pressure high school baseball coaches feel this time of the year, when their teams are positioning themselves for seeding in their league tournaments and, hopefully, that deep postseason run.
Players and parents in the program see them wearing their baseball hat for the 20 hours or so they are on the field during the season. What they sometimes don’t see are the two other caps that coaches wear each spring; the one’s required while they play husband and father at home, and professional at their place of employment.
The balancing act is an annual event for coaches from the third week in February until the end of May or early June as they try to be at their best in all three roles. And while they all have their own approaches to the three-plus month grind, what is universally agreed upon in the coaching profession is that balancing these three responsibilities would not be possible without a support system around them, in particular the crutch provided by their significant other.
“Without my wife and her continued support of my career in coaching, there would be no way that I could coach and be a father,” said Jack Ferrick, who is in his third year as the head coach at Osbourn Park High School in Manassas.
Leigh Janis, the wife of Oakton head coach Justin Janis, was the head girls basketball coach at Lake Braddock from 2010-13. So she understands the demands of the position and the hours it requires during and out of season, both on and off the field while tending to various administrative duties.
“My wife is amazing in allowing me to continue to follow a passion of mine in coaching baseball,” said Janis, who is in his 13th season of coaching at the school, and seventh as the Cougars’ head coach. “I wouldn’t know how I would do it if it wasn’t for her. The demands on high school coaches these days are extreme considering it is basically a volunteer position, and all coaches have a full-time job other than coaching baseball.
“The nice part for me is that my wife is a former college athlete and high school coach herself, so she understands the commitment that it takes to do my job as a coach. She also enjoys the games and the relationships with the players, coaches, and families. We are also very fortunate to have all four grandparents in the area, and they help out whenever they can with watching the kids.”
Janis’ day generally starts at 5:15 a.m. during the week, with the next 75 minutes helping to fix breakfast for himself, Leigh and his two-year-old son, John (pictured below), and newborn son, Luke, who was born three weeks before the season started.
After working at the school as its Systems of Support Advisor, he is generally on the field until 5:45 p.m. on practice days. Either he or Leigh will pick the boys up on the way home, and then they prepare dinner and give the boys baths in hopes to have them in bed by 8 p.m. At some point during the evening, the Janis’ will try and do something as a family, such as go for a walk or to visit other family members.
Ferrick, meanwhile, said his goal is to be home after practice and lessons by 8:30 p.m., when Isabel (pictured above), who will turn two-years-old in August, is set for her nightly bath.
“I try my hardest to involve my daughter in everything I do,” said Ferrick, who is often seen with Isabel at the field and Rip City, where he conducts hitting and catching lessons. “That way, I'm always spending time with her and am able to be productive as a coach as well.”
Game days are a different story for coaches, who are generally at the field up to three hours before a 6:30 p.m. home game. On these days, Janis will try and swing by to see his sons for a short period before reporting to the field for pregame around 4 p.m., or earlier if the field needs to be cut or tended to, as they will be asleep when he gets home after 9 p.m.
“The toughest time for me is when my wife travels for her job in season,” Janis said. “That’s the biggest challenge to get my own kids covered, so I can honor the commitment to my players. It’s tough in terms of the time demand, but we feel at this point the sacrifice is worth it.”
Adds Ferrick, whose Twitter feed is loaded with images of his daughter clad in baseball caps and carrying bats and balls around. “My daughter has been able to come out numerous times and enjoy her time with me on the ballfield, making it easier for me to enjoy what I do for a living. [She] serves as a constant reminder of the love that all parents have for their children. Having my daughter actually helps keep things in perspective after big wins, and more importantly, after big losses.”
As their children grow older, life for coaches can get a bit less-hectic. The kids go to school rather than child care, and can help babysit younger siblings and help with chores around the house, so less needs to be done when their father gets home from practices and games.
“My kids are older now,” said Battlefield coach Jay Burkhart after coaching his 14-year-old son Brett’s game this weekend. “It was much harder when they were younger.”
Burkhart and his wife, Robin, a cheerleading coach at the school, also have an 11-year-old daughter, Brooke, and a 7-year-old son, Brady, and Bobcats’ games are often a family event with all four on hand to watch Jay coach one of the area’s top teams.
“You have to have a great wife, supportive kids - which I have both of - and good assistant coaches,” Burkhart said.
All three coaches share the concerns of their colleagues that the emphasis on offseason practices and conditioning alone may affect the number of “20-year guys”, the coach who will run a program for 20 or more seasons. The Virginia High School League (VHSL) in 2011 began allowing 12 offseason ‘green day’ practices each season, the summer, fall, winter and spring, policies that had already been in effect in a number of other states.
Coaches who don’t make use of the offseason workouts can see their program fall behind others who do. So the pressure exists to hold the practices, just another commitment in addition to the time spent on fundraising, communicating with players and parents, ordering equipment and apparel for their field and players, helping players through the college recruiting process and other various offseason tasks required to run a program.
The addition of the ‘green day’ practices could make it more difficult for a coach to maintain the commitment and drive required to maintain a successful program for upwards or over two decades, such as the likes of Washington-Lee’s Doug Grove, Potomac’s Mike Covington and Madison’s Mark “Pudge” Gjormand.
It has increased the importance of finding balance between the field and family, living a healthy lifestyle consisting of a good diet and exercise plan and getting enough sleep, and the ability to lean on a support system that also includes assistant coaches who can be allocated certain responsibilities.
“Burnout isn’t something that I worry about, but something I try to be conscious of during the season,” Janis said. “My favorite part of coaching baseball is the relationship with the players and coaches. Whenever I start to get tired of the other parts of the job, it always seems that something happens that a player or coach seems to help 'light the fire' again.
“My wife is really good about encouraging me to separate baseball from home life, and as a matter of fact, my kids have done the same thing. There’s nothing better than coming home from a bad day at the field, and walking in the door and being greeted by your son saying ‘Daddy’ with a smile on his face.”
Photos Courtesy/Ferrick and Janis families
