Q&A: Woodridge Park District Coach of the Year

The received 12 nominations for the 2010 Coach of the Year -- five of those were for Ed Hartig, the head coach of the U-12 Girls Woodridge Storm traveling soccer team.

"It seemed like the main focus of what the parents were saying is he promotes fun and the love of the game first and foremost, before winning itself," said Dan Peboontom, athletic supervisor for the Park District. "Being a Park District, that's pretty key in my eyes."

Peboontom said Hartig was also chosen because his players had improved from year to the next. 

"Ed keeps them into soccer year-round," Peboontom said. "That's pretty rare. At that age, they're starting to think about boys and other things like that."

"He thinks outside the box to keep them motivated and coming to practice, and these girls seem to enjoy going to practice."

Below is a Q&A with Hartig.

How long have you been coaching?

I've been coaching since 1986. I played Division II soccer (at Lewis University) when finished and stayed on as an assistant coach. I was an assistant coach at Lewis for three years.

My friend founded WSA, and I was helping out with his kid's team. I was an assistant from fall of 1989 to the spring of 1994. I stopped coaching again until the spring of 2007 when my son was old enough to start playing. Two years ago, I inherited my daughter's team and officially became the head coach.

What do you like about coaching?

It's a great bunch of kids. They're fun to be around. They're smart, creative, witty. Plus, I get to run around a little bit.

What do you like about the 11- to 12-year-old age group?

They're still teachable. Especially when you get them young, you have a chance to help them really develop. You see a lot of improvement.

What is it like coaching your daughter?

I try to separate out the coach-part from the dad-part. I like to see her interact with the other kids. They're really tight. They're friends. They do a lot of stuff together. I’d be at the games anyway. At least this way I’m a little more involved. 

What do you like about soccer?

It’s a simple game to play. It's inexpensive. Anyone can play it. You get a lot of benefit from it. I've made a lot of friends from it, and it helped put me through school. Plus, there's the health aspect.