PHOENIX — Coach Juarez began volunteering as a flag football coach at the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley because of one special person: her daughter.
"As I parent, and seeing her want the coach of her dreams, I said, ‘You know what? I might as well step in and be, as a parent, coaching her,'" Juarez said.
Although she only started coaching this season, Juarez said can already see a difference in herself as a coach and as a parent.
"Coaching at Boys & Girls Clubs has taught me to be a better parent. It has given me a lot of observation on how to build communication skills [and] parenting skills," Juarez said.
As a coach, those communication skills have also helped Juarez ensure her athletes are comfortable approaching her about "any topic."
"You’re there to have them lean on you if you need that support," Juarez said.
Juarez isn’t an unfamiliar face at the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley. As a kid, she attended after-school programs and played youth sports.
"Boys and Girls Club for myself as a child, a student, it was very helpful," Juarez said. "It was a place where you could go ahead and escape after school and play, but you also get to learn about yourself as a student."
According to Juarez, the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley helped her become an athlete.
"One of the biggest advantages that Boys & Girls Clubs gave me is learning sports and make sure that I am physically, mentally, and emotionally ready to play sports," Juarez said.
Most of all, Juarez said she wants her athletes to have fun.
“What motivates me to go coach young athletes is being the coach that I always wanted as a kid,” Juarez said. “I want them to fall in love with the sport versus hating it."
As a former Boys & Girls Club athlete, and now the coach of her daughter’s flag football team, Juarez said she hopes her own journey resonates with her daughter.
"It's a really good way to go ahead and share my experience with her," Juarez said. "I have also talked to her, and I told her, 'When you're older, I hope you're able to go ahead and coach as well.'"
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Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley is most in need of basketball, soccer, and flag football gear.
