Sabre’s Russ Cole Named NYSCA Coach of the Year
Fred Engh, Founder and President of National Alliance of Youth Sports and Russ Cole, Sabre Systems, Inc.
The National Youth Sports Coaching Association named Sabre Systems, Inc. Configuration Management Specialist William R. “Russ” Cole 2012 Coach of the Year. Russ received the award for his volunteer work with the Pax River Raiders Youth Football Program and was presented with the award on Nov. 30, in New Orleans, La. at their annual meeting.
“Russ is a talented and dedicated member of our Sabre team. He is truly deserving of this award. It’s working with highly capable and caring leaders like Russ, at every level of our organization, that makes being at Sabre a very special privilege for me,” said Sabre Group Vice President Glen Ives.
Mr. Cole is a Lexington Park, Maryland resident who has been with Sabre for 13 years, carrying a positive attitude to work and onto the field too. To hear him talk about coaching, it is easy to understand why he was named Coach of the Year. While he may not be the coach with the most wins, he is a coach that takes the job to the next level. To him, it isn’t just about improving skills and winning games but about building strong character and teaching life lessons.
“I use a lead-by-example methodology. I teach my athletes to be positive and supportive of each other and I never tolerate teasing or ‘smack talk’ on or off the field,” Mr. Cole said. He teaches punctuality by being the first one to arrive at practices and games, and is the last one to leave. He believes in rewarding his players with positive reinforcement for exhibiting exceptional behavior (the rewards range from stickers, to pizza parties, to team captain for the day) and uses the mnemonic TEAM (Together Everyone Always Matters) to encourage and support his athletes. He also promotes appropriate sideline behavior with the parents of the players. Mr. Cole truly cares about his young athletes and about their families and it shows.
Mr. Cole began coaching because of his two sons, Liam and Jaxson. He has coached for eight seasons beginning in 2009, for children ages four to 13 years in various sports including tackle football, flag football, and kickball.
In addition to Liam and Jaxson, Mr. Cole’s son Noah is an Assistant Sports Director at Buxmont Indoor Sports Center in Hatfield Pa. Outside of coaching, Mr. Cole enjoys geocaching, reading, Microsoft Flight Simulator, statistical research of sports history, and shopping with his wife Erin, a former Sabre employee.
