George S. Langan: Coaching Young Kids

During his free time, George S. Langan likes to volunteer to coach young kids. For a couple of years during his time in high school, he was a basketball coach for a youth organization in Cazenovia, New York, where he learned how to approach this aspect of coaching.

For youth coaches, there has to be a balance between the need to win games and the need to develop the young players' skills. Additionally, the kids need to participate fully in an environment that encourages to play fairly and achieve their full potential. 

There are numerous reasons why children want to take part in sports. For some, it's to learn new skills and make friends, while for others, being part of a team is an avenue to have fun and experience new things. When children don’t feel their needs being met, they drop out. As George S. Langan knows, it's the role of the coach to ensure the environment enables the kids to experience these feelings.