With another school year gone, Jeffrey Katchmore is left to reflect on how much his basketball students accomplished throughout the school year. The end of one school year means Jeffrey Katchmore can look back on his work as a coach and look forward to developing new ways he can shape his lessons and abilities of children in the next school year. “The kids come in active, enthusiastic, and ready to play ball. Some students have more practice than others, but all of them are eager to play the best game possible,” says volunteer coach Jeffrey Katchmore.

Jeffrey Katchmore began coaching 4th and 5th grade basketball because he recognized how eager kids are to play a popular sport and saw the opportunity to teach them more. “Coaching young children is about developing many skills and helping them recognize how they can use those skills on and off the court” says Jeffrey Katchmore.

Many coaches focus on the skills necessary to play basketball. Coaches focus on dribbling, running, shooting, and scoring. But, Jeffrey Katchmore focuses on more. While some parents want their children to hone the skills they need to become a future star athlete and win a college scholarship, Jeffrey Katchmore wants them to learn about communication, team work, and perseverance.

“In sports, you want to be the best. You want to be the athlete that stands out, but young athletes will never grow into successful older athletes if they don’t learn to work hard now and take the losses with the wins,” says volunteer coach Jeffrey Katchmore.

The lessons Jeffrey Katchmore teaches are from experience. Jeffrey Katchmore is a three-sport athlete who played football through college. As a one-time young athlete, he learned that quitting doesn’t make victors. He emphasizes that students who quit because they thought they didn’t get enough playtime, didn’t recognize how their attitude was wrong from the start.

As a volunteer coach, Jeffrey Katchmore wants to teach children from the start the right attitude for success. Despite how naturally gifted some young students are, he helps all students understand that hard work can make them equally talented when they practice regularly, turn criticism into learning opportunities, and remain committed to their long-term goals.