Wingspan: Did you participate in any sports growing up? If you did, when did you start and what made you want to?
Glidwell: “I played several sports growing up — baseball, football, soccer, basketball, and golf. I started playing baseball when I was 10 years old, as that was the youngest age group when I was growing up. I started playing golf at age 10 as well.”
Wingspan: When you were growing up, did you expect that you would become a coach as an adult?
Glidwell: “I had no idea about coaching at the time. When I was playing, at least up until collegiate golf, I thought I could play at a high level until I realized that I didn’t have what it took to play professional golf. After that I looked into coaching.”
Wingspan: What motivated you to pursue coaching and coaching your sport specifically?
Glidwell: “I began my coaching career in soccer, as I played golf and soccer in high school. I had some options to play college soccer, but I chose to play golf instead. When I started coaching, I decided to get into soccer, mostly because a very good friend of mine was the Head Boys Soccer Coach at Mansfield HS, and he wanted me as his assistant.”
Wingspan: What are your favorite and least favorite parts about being a coach for your specific sport? Why?
Glidwell: “I love game days and tournament days. The preparation is work, but the fun comes when you get a chance to compete against other teams and see how you do.”
Wingspan: What is something that most people don’t know about coaching in general or coaching your specific sport?
Glidwell: “Coaching is a tremendous investment in time and it takes a great deal of patience. Coaches spend time building relationships with players, so there are occasions when players and coaches don’t always see eye-to-eye. The coach needs to be able to point out ways to improve performance while also making sure that players fulfill the team’s expectations. Sometimes it’s tough as a coach when you juggle individual desires with team goals. It takes work to make all of these things mesh together.”
Wingspan: If you could coach or participate in another sport besides the one you currently do, what would it be and why?
Glidwell: “Right now I would probably love to coach softball, since my daughter plays competitive softball and I’ve learned through the years to enjoy the game. It’s a big challenge, though, so I will probably just stick to golf, which is what I know best.”
Wingspan: What is the most inspiring student athlete moment you have witnessed as a coach?
Glidwell: “I was able to coach an athlete who was named to the Parade All-American team, and her induction ceremony and award was very inspiring. She was a multi-sport athlete and a wonderful person on and off the field.”
Wingspan: What advice do you have for student athletes?Glidwell: “My advice is to work hard and practice and have fun at games. You don’t want to do the opposite because the games are supposed to be fun!”
