The time, responsibility, and commitment required to be a head coach of a middle school football team are immense. Now add to that being the president of a youth football organization. The time away from your family. Time that could be utilized to improve one’s career, relationships, or overall well-being. The work that is done behind the scenes, which is often never credited. The sacrifices that an individual has to make as a head coach of any team. Let alone the president of an organization. Most people wouldn’t sign up for one of these jobs. Let alone both simultaneously. But not James Washington. This is James Washington’s first year as head coach of the Horace Mann Middle School Football Team. It is also his first year as president of the Charleston Cougars Youth Football and Cheer organization. Before this year, Coach Washington had 14 years of experience coaching youth football in Charleston, both at the midget league level and at the middle school level. DUBVSN sat down with Coach Washington to discuss his experience, what it takes to be a leader of both the youth and an organization, and his goals for both the Horace Mann Middle School Football Team and the Charleston Cougars Youth Football and Cheer organization.
Who is James Washington?
38. From Charleston, WV. I always tell people I grew up on the West Side, but I was raised by the East End. Just a product of my environment.
What made you want to get into coaching?
It’s one of those things I feel like all coaches we all want to be leaders. Be in leadership. So being a head coach, it is just understanding the logistics on the field and of the field. Not just the X’s and O’s, but orchestrating different personalities. Coaching not just a team but a team full of individuals. Having the awareness that everyone is of value. Everyone is of importance is what fascinated me. I feel that should be a role as a head coach.
How do you think your 14 years of experience is helping you in your first year as head coach?
Football is the greatest team sport. And it’s something I’ve learned is learning how to play with others. In my 14 years of experience it has allowed me to see. The ups. The downs. The good. The bad. The different styles. And that experience has allowed me to just navigate. Per se. With that trying to bridge the gap in the old way and how we play football in the new way. As my experience as a player, not being the most talented kid. In learning that there is still value in being coachable. A lot of time as coaches we focus on what’s convenient and not commitment at times. And the one’s that’s committed kind of building their confidence. My confidence is doing it over an over. Not ’til it’s right but ’til it’s never wrong. And Practice. You know 14 years it started at one year. And learning from that as an assistant and digesting and observing others. Learning their style and just stirring it and up an just making it my own thing.
What is your most valuable attribute?
It’s caring. It’s really caring about the process not the product. You want to care enough about someone to not only coach them but correct them. The ability to put yourself in the kid’s shoes and understanding that they all learn differently. I think it’s important just caring. That’s pretty much it.
How has the team bonding been going so far in the summer program?
I think the team bonding is phenomenal. They’re putting forth the efforts of putting the team first. Caring about each other. Adjusting. You know football is about adjustments. So I feel like with these kids it’s better to have a team full of individuals that can come together. Instead of it being a one man team. A lot of the times we cater to one kid. But I feel like we’re catering to the cause. And it’s coming together. I feel like the camaraderie has been phenomenal. And we are focusing on character. And the process. Not necessarily the product. They’re committed no matter what. They’re honorable. Meaning win, lose, or draw they are still going to come to work.
What does it mean to you to be able to lend your ability as a coach to build up these young boys and contribute to the overall community?
It’s an honor. Also it’s my responsibility as a man. As a man it’s our job to build. To build better men. And football is the tool. Not everybody is going to be able to go to the NFL or Division 1 ball. Also, that doesn’t mean we can’t get nothing out of this experience. This is a privilege to coach young people. And to take it and create a moment in their lives where they’re kids less than they are adults. These years are valuable. So to really get a great experience out of this. That can be constructive to where they can take it to the next level at high school. And also to pass to their children. So it’s a great responsibility, but it’s even a greater reward. And it’s not in the moment. We get time to deal with that.
How are you and the coaching staff meshing and helping each other in preparation for the first game?
As far as the staff we’re all equal. Even though I’m the head coach, we’re all head coaches in our minds. And it goes back to caring. And putting the team first. A lot of time with coaching and adults and egos we sometimes clash. And a lot of time we all surrender that for the betterment of the team. So orchastrating a staff has allowed for it to be more on cruise control type ordeal. To where we’re able to navigate and keep a steady pace.
What are your roles and responsibilities as president of the Charleston Cougars?
Most presidents, you know, it’s the face. My 14 years of experience has allowed me to kind of put the city on my back. As far as just someone who could be trusted. I take football very serious, and the importance of welcoming all kids. You know a lot of time it’s not talent it’s the team work. Building. Delegating. Also, understanding from a football side, the administrative. You have to be able to do both. I’ve had the experience to do both on the administrative side. Working on rules. The integrity of the game. Also, the competitiveness as a coach and as a former player. So my role as president is kind of being able to navigate all avenues of football on and off the field.
Capital Cougars youth football and cheer organization has seen an increase in of players and cheerleaders this year. What do you think is the reason behind that?
It’s been a huge blessing to add an additional almost 30 players and almost double the amount if not triple the cheerleader participation. I think the point of emphasis is not only attracting talent. We’re the area that has the most talent. It’s attracting better people and people putting the idea of being reachable. Creating a process that allows parents and participants to not only be in the system but to be stockholders. And be part of the solutions moving forward. I think whatever we’ve done is we’ve become the narrators and we’ve become the people to tell our story. And also with my board member, we’ve created plan not only to maintain but to improve the situation that we’re in. It’s been more of a collective. Working on planning to create better participation not only from our participants but also from our parents. We have a phenomenal group of parents.
Can you explain your process for delegating responsibilities on game day?
It’s keeping the main thing the main thing. I think a lot of time we take things personal. But it’s a business. When delegating, having the experiences that I had, that have been productive. When things aren’t broke there is no need to fix it. So trying to keep the main thing the main thing. But also everyone has their roles and finding ways to where we all can win. Effectively and long term. There’s a lot of temporary things that go on with with sports. To, you know, it’s about their kid. Or their ideas. Or what they’ve done. But if it’s not for everyone there’s going to be a crossroads at that. So to try to create to where it’s for all. And for us delegating in that manner has allowed us… that how we compartmentalize our roles. Rather it’s concession. Rather it’s cheer coordinator. Rather it’s athletic director. It’s just all of us doing diligently. And taking nothing personal. It’s all a business transaction.
Going back to the Horace Mann Eagles, what is your approach to every game?
The approach is being the best version of ourselves. And really reenacting where we come from. The East End and Kanawha City was my stomping ground as a young human being. As it’s something I’m very proud of. One of the biggest thing is no matter the outcome it’s that we hold our responsibilities as a community and represent our community with our style of play. So going into each week our job is really to be the best versions of ourselves and not making a mistake a bad choice. A lot of times we’re all going to mess up. It’s all about when thing don’t go right and we’re making sure our kids are calibrated to fight through and navigate through that. That’s really our goal.
What does it mean to you to have these young boys look up to you?
It’s really the greatest gift ever. It’s where I’m from. My father. My mother. They’re from the East End. They met over here. I used to hop the fence to go to two-a-days. And it’s one thing to have information when it comes to football. And alot of coaches, we’re know-it-alls with the new schemes. But also to have the instinct to know what it’s like to smell the air. To walk the streets. To sit in the same classroom that these kids sit in. And to be able to help them navigate through that is the greatest gift as a man. To give back. When you are giving back you’re almost like giving back to yourself. It’s like you’re seeing a younger version of yourself. It’s very refreshing. It’s very therapeutic. The first thing given man is responsibility. It’s an honor to have this job. Other than being a father.
Speaking of being a fathers, what does it mean to you also to have your son be a part of the program?
Harlem, he’s part of the process. We want to make sure we’re creating family. That we’re accessible. Not only to the middle school team that I’m coaching. Not only to the adults. But to the future Eagles that may come up in that process. So to understand that it’s not just 6th through 8th grade. We get to see a different aspect through a 4-year-old. So him being involved with that. Him being their honorary little brother, but also coming to work as well. It shows that if you put in the work and do the right thing, that if a 4-year-old can do it, so can you.
What is the overall goal this year for the Horace Mann Eagles?
Our goal is to make them better football players from August 11th to late October. When I first got into coaching with my big brother, 1st we come into a crossroad with 14 seasons with only 2 losing seasons. And we had to make a conscious effort on what’s more important. Making kids better football players or winning. And I’m grateful that through 14 years and navigation that I was able to find a way to do both. So not only winning ball games, but creating winners. So if these kids are winners, not only in football but in life, that’s the common goal. But competition is not sports-related. It’s life. So the goal is always to be the winner and create winners. That’s the goal. To be champions.
And for the Charleston Cougars?
Our goal as an organization is to create an environment that welcomes all Charlestonians. And something we can be proud of. Dealing with K-6th, the goal is to create a positive atmosphere and a safe haven for young boys and girls. Be assets to the community. Not only participation in cheer and football, but the parents putting in work. Volunteering. Showing that there’s a process no matter whatever obstacles come our way we can navigate through it together and create something that is bigger than us. And better for all of us that is involves creating a great product for people building.
