After a successful opening week of flag football at Azalea Park and all pomp a circumstance had settled down, the second week of the Bruin Football Association’s flag football season was all business Wednesday evening.
Izak Elhers
The program continues to encourage coach’s to share their experiences, and this week the Compass features Head Coach of the Chargers in the K-2nd Grade division, Izak Elhers, who shared his thoughts as a first year coach in the program.
Although this is coach Ehlers first year in the Bruin Football Association’s flag football program, this however, is not his first coaching experience. “I have been the Head Coach and Club Manager for the Brookings-Harbor Baseball Club for past 5 years.” he told the Compass. “The Brookings-Harbor Baseball Club is the Middle School Program for Brookings-Harbor, and being able to build a successful program for our community that prepares players for the High School level has by far been one of the coolest experiences I’ve had to date.”
“Going into this coaching situation, our goal first and foremost, is to have FUN.., and that’s exactly what we’re doing! At this age, having kids enjoy the game and wanting to play year to year is our #1 priority. They’re very smart kids, they pick up the fundamentals pretty well, so making sure they have fun with it is what’s most important.” he said.
We asked coach Ehlers what has surprised him after season play started now two weeks ago. “What has surprised me most is how fast the kids pick it up.” he said. “After playing our first game and watching other teams practice, kids at this level pick things up almost immediately. Their minds are truly like sponges. There’s always the normal craziness of trying to wrangle 8 little kids to play organized sports, but they’ve surprised me in how well they’ve been able to develop in just a short amount of time.”
“My assistant coach, Kido Kravatas and I, have been doing this for a little over 3 weeks now, and we are having a blast. Being able to be part of this community program to help build future ball players is an experience I’m truly thankful for.”
“Our team is amazing and every kid is unique with amazing personalities, I couldn’t have asked for a better group. I hope every kid walks away enjoying the sport of football and excited to play for years to come. Have fun, play hard, and be a good teammate is our motto; they’ve done amazing job in doing that.” – Chargers Head Coach Izak Elhers.
