by Ric and Kim Buhler
We would like to commend the inspiring and hard-working student athletes and coaches that coached at this years BYU cub soccer, cub football, junior high football, boys' soccer and girls' gymnastics sports camps. The news media often showcases student athletes when there is negative publicity. This addresses the positive aspects of BYU's student athlete coaches.
This year four of our five children went to seven BYU sports camps. What an amazing experience. Not only were our children exposed to some of the finest student athletes in the country, but more importantly they were encouraged and inspired by these athletes.
My 7-year-old son and 9-year-old daughter both attended cub football. They came home talking about the importance of getting an education. They told us of the encouraging 'shout outs' the coaches would yell at them.
My 7-year-old will always remember that Curtis Brown called him his 'buddy.' He'll also remember how hard his cub soccer coach worked him.
My 9-year-old daughter was so excited when some of the gymnasts she had gone to see at meets were the same coaches that helped her with her vault, bars, floor and beam. She loved it when the student coaches would laugh with her and would encourage her. She did her first back walkover on the BYU beam.
My older 13 and 11-year-old boys repeatedly told me how their respective soccer and football student coaches were teaching them 'cool' and 'harder' skills that would help them with their games.
All four came home exhausted but enthralled by their experiences. Their stories and comments were endless. Daily we would hear about 'such and such' coach and how he or she would say or do something our children thought was cool, funny or amazing.
Little things that the student athletes would do or say made strong impressions on them.
So our hats go off to the student athletes and to all the coaches that encouraged and taught them how to coach their 'teams.'
May the student-athlete coaches continue to be an inspiration and an example of hard work and all-American wholesomeness to the generations of young ones that look up to them.
Finally, thanks to the amazing BYU Sports Camp staff who ran and coordinated the camps, and to the cooks at the Cannon Center - we heard rave reviews there too!
Ric and Kim Buhler live in Springville and are the parents of five children. Ric graduated from BYU in 1983 in motion picture and television writing and Kim received her undergraduate degree in 1992, graduating from the J. Reuben Clark Law School in 1995.