Watching her son play out his final year of sports, Theresa Best, mother of senior AJ Best, feels sad that it’s coming to an end, but is ready for her son to figure out what he wants to do with his life, as well as make a plan to get there. Pride, happiness and other emotions mix together to create memories that will last a lifetime.

“I’m the mom. I’ll support AJ win or lose no matter what, and he knows that,” she said.

In this age where sports have become more competitive and parents hover, it is easier to find the negatives involved in sports. Coaches screaming at their own players and referees, players screaming at their teammates and parents who ride their own child’s backs. These are all common things that are witnessed at sporting events.

Students play sports to learn value, experience sacrifice, practice work ethic, understand proper discipline, and to encourage leadership according to Sports Leader, a mentoring and motivation program for coaches.

Best has participated in varsity football and wrestling as he worked his way through high school.

AJ’s mother talked highly of her son’s coaches,

“I feel AJ has been blessed with very good coaches,” she said. “I have watched AJ bond and look to his coaches as mentors.”

As a result of these coaches, AJ grew as person and in life, according to his mother. She watched him change.

“They have helped his self esteem and confidence in ways I don’t think a parent could.”

The influence of coaches is huge to development of an athlete. A multilevel analysis using hierarchical linear modeling was conducted on the intensity of managers and coaches in order to determine the feedback and behavior of the ones they supervise. Conducted by students from the University of Maryland, as well as the University of Notre Dame, the study found that “to the extent that a supervisor is able to provide effective and coaching-oriented feedback to the subordinates, their performance should exhibit improvement.”

Best’s coaches impacted his athletic career more than just on the field. Former wrestling coach Matt Richards encouraged him to get involved in coaching and officiating. One of Best’s coaches from Fowlerville accompanied him to a wrestling tournament in Indiana.

“AJ performed so well that he got compliments from Olympic officials,” his mother said.

With this being AJ’s senior year, his mother has many emotions involved. “I feel proud because of the man he is becoming,” she said. “But it is very sad to watch him close the high school chapter of his life.”