Most coaches have only a coach-athlete relationship with their players, but wrestling coach Justin Koons and first-year wrestler, freshman, Hailey McGuire experience it differently as uncle and niece. 

“For being a parent and having to navigate that it’s kinda tough because I don’t want to be overbearing cause a lot of times when parents coach kids it pushes them away a little bit,” Koons said. “I’ve kind of stepped back and I’ll coach her a little bit but leave a lot of it to the other coaches and other athletes to help.”

Having an uncle as her coach, McGuire uses that advantage to improve and learn in the sport.

“One of our main topics outside of school is wrestling,” McGuire said. “What I need to be doing to improve and better myself and become a better wrestler.”

Unlike others on the team, McGuire and Koons already have a bond that creates a safe environment for improvement within the sport.

“I think it’s definitely beneficial just having that bond with him already built in,” wrestling captain, senior Sarah Ramos said. “Instead of having to develop that trust and friendship with him over the course of her wrestling career.”

“I think having a family relationship with my uncle does allow more improvement in wrestling,” McGuire said. “He can be brutally honest with me about what I need to work on and what I am doing wrong.”

For McGuire and Koons, it is important to keep wrestling life and family life relatively separate

“The only time we talk about wrestling outside of this school is just kind of reflecting how she did while we are at home around the dinner table,” Koons said. “We praise her on the things she’s done good on and sometimes I talk about what she needs to fix but it’s not a 24/7 deal at all.”

The balance between a coaching and family relationship is constantly evolving as the two learn from each other throughout the year, growing in both relationships. 

“The other day we were talking over dinner and she asked to be coached harder so it’s kind of one of those things I navigate based on what she tells me,” Koons said. “I think her being able to accept that she wants me to coach her harder will allow more improvement.”