Robert "Si" Simons
Robert, “Si”, Simons, longtime Wallenpaupack Area High School Golf Coach has won Positive Coaching Alliance’s coveted Double-Goal Coach Award presented by TeamSnap for his positive impact on youth athletes.
Simons is one of 50 national recipients of the Double-Goal Coach award, named for coaches who strive to win while also pursuing the more important goal of teaching life lessons through sports. The award includes a $200 prize, a certificate, and mention within the websites and newsletters of Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA), a national non-profit developing Better Athletes, Better People through youth and high school sports. All 50 winners are provided two tickets to PCA’s National Youth Sports Awards Dinner and Benefit Sponsored by Deloitte to be held at Maples Pavilion on Stanford University’s Campus April 28th, 2018 to receive recognition of their award.
“Simons helps athletes win on and off the course,” said Jim Thompson, PCA Founder and CEO and author of nine books on youth sports, including The Power of Double-Goal Coaching. “By creating a positive, character-building youth sports experience and serving as a Double-Goal Coach, Si helps youth develop into better athletes and better people."
Simons has seen it all in his 47 years at Wallenpaupack. He taught at the school as well, retiring after 34 years, but has continued on as the head golf coach. He has had quite the storied career - never having a losing season, hitting 600 career wins and creating many close relationships over the years. One of his first players has gone on to become the superintendent of the school and was the best man in Si’s wedding. Through the years, he has maintained relationships with many players and still talks to most of them on a regular basis.
Over the course of the 47 years, Simons has noticed a change in his approach to coaching. “The last couple decades you have to reason with them more. The brain does weird things and you have to be positive to keep that brain working in the right way. I get more out of kids when I reason with them then the old way of screaming. It’s not all about winning or losing it’s about giving them the experiences to make them a better person in life - that is one of my goals.”
Simons has always started by trying to teach a love for the game feeling that if you have a love for the game they shouldn’t be afraid of anything. Team bonding has also been an important part of the approach for Simons. Each year he takes the team on a bonding trip to golf and stay together. “You find out things they can do and can’t do. They are assigned to cook before they golf - experiences about life, not just golf. They get to know the coach and assistant coach better and I get to know them better which helps as the season goes along.” Clearly Simons is doing something right and has both success on the course and many close friendships to show for it!