Coaches make sacrifices for love of the game

**Editor's Note: What follows is the third part of our look into the background of coaching, a three-part feature series entitled "The Life and Responsibilities of a College Coach."

Jerry Rickrode, the coach of the men's basketball team at Wilkes, went to Skidmore College, a small liberal arts school in Saratoga Springs, New York, to become a doctor.

He was one semester from completing his degree in biology when he was forced into a decision one day: go to a lab for a class he was badly struggling in, or cut it and follow his team to their game against New York University that night. He decided to drop the class and retake a similar science course the next semester, a decision that would serve as one of the turning points of his life.

Upon returning as a fifth-year senior, he attempted to rejoin the basketball team before finding that his eligibility had expired. It was then that his coach asked him about stepping in to lead the Skidmore JV team.

"It's funny how things evolve," said Rickrode. "You never know how things are going to happen."

His young introduction into coaching, originally a way to simply stay involved while finishing school, turned into a career that has spanned 25 years. Now in his 18th year as head coach of the Wilkes men's basketball team, he said that he has found his niche.

Christopher Leicht, the coach of both the men's and women's tennis teams, also took to the sport early. He received his introduction to coaching while serving as the club pro at Frost Valley Country Club, simultaneously trying to earn his bachelor's degree in business from Bloomsburg University as a 21-year-old.

Leicht would later go on to coach at Danville Area High School and attend summer instructional camps taught by coaches at Division I powers like Boston College and the University of Georgia. He realized after a few seasons that it was something he was interested in professionally.

Lisa Rizzo, the head coach of the women's volleyball team, also became a coach because of her love of the game. So much so, in fact, that she began coaching at Wilkes despite her undergraduate ties to King's College.

Despite their love of the profession, they are all well aware of its drawbacks. Because the sports revolve around the agendas of the students first and foremost, they are often at the mercy of schedules that do not allow much time for family or personal enjoyment.

Rickrode, a married father of two, believes that it can be a difficult profession to manage at times. "I think the downside is, in the sport of basketball, which has a longer season and lasts two semesters, you basically have to recruit while you're playing and you're away from your family a lot," he said. "Whether it be practicing at night or travelling for recruiting or games, you spend a lot of time away from your family. I often said you should start coaching at 55 when your kids are grown up. It just doesn't work that way. You have to try and keep a balance in life and it gets stressful sometimes; you can easily distort yourself by putting so much energy in your job. I guess that's something I thought I always needed to work better at," he concluded.

For Rizzo, the grind can be extremely difficult and time-consuming. She holds a full-time job teaching computers applications at King's, while also serving as their desktop and lab support specialist. In addition to those responsibilities, she is also working toward her Master's in science and instructional technology at Bloomsburg University. Her schedule often prevents her from returning to her home in Kent Island, Maryland.

"To go through a day of work and then have to run across town to coach the girls […] it's something I have never minded doing but also something I will admit is hard," said Rizzo. "Sometimes it can be very tough. [Kent Island] is about a three and a half hour drive […] and when coaching it is difficult to find time to travel. This means that I often miss birthday celebrations, mother's/father's day dinners, off-shore fishing trips, campground vacations […]"

"During our season, my schedule is extremely busy," added Leicht, who has three daughters ages one, three, and five. "We have a very full schedule, and I am working every weekend. I have had to miss some family events due to this time commitment."

None of them would go back and change professions if given the chance, however. For all of the hardships that come with the territory, it has given each of them a sense of personal fulfillment in which they relish.

"It's something I love, plain and simple," said Rickrode. "I just kind of took to it. When I did graduate [from Skidmore], I was offered a graduate assistant job at Ithaca College as, again, a JV coach. It was paid for by my school. I was going to go to medical school but I liked coaching and just got into it."

"Coaches, in a lot of ways I think, can get a point across to kids more than their professors can," said Rizzo. "It's a responsibility and a privilege, one that I like."

"It was [at those advanced camps] that I really took to the [teaching] aspect of the game," said Leicht. "The students there wanted to learn and have fun and it was a lot of fun for me. "[Despite the drawbacks], I really do love coaching. I could not see myself in any other job at this current time. I enjoy working with my players, both on and off the court."

Rickrode, Leicht, and Rizzo may never achieve the superstardom or public profile of Phil Jackson, Mike Krzyzewski and Pat Summit, but that does not mean that they don't consider themselves successful. Their efforts have helped hundreds of young men and women mature into more well-rounded individuals with a focus on academics and representing themselves in a positive fashion. Through their roles as mentors and, at times, disciplinarians, they have provided stability for these young adults at one of the most crucial points of their lives.