610th ACF Airmen coach youth basketball team

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Jamal Sutter
  • 35th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan --  At five minutes to the hour, the weekly schedule has no delays, equipment is on stand-by and all personnel are properly geared and accounted for. Teamwork and trust is crucial to mission success, but what seems routine for a 610th Air Control Flight Airman is actually out of the norm this Friday evening.

Airmen 1st Class Troy Teal and Jamel Slater, both weapons-director technicians at the 610th ACF, are volunteer coaches for a youth basketball team on base. They are trading flight schedules, radars and combat-ready pilots for practices, basketballs and very eager 7- and 8-year olds.

Although different from what they manage during the duty day, coaching the team isn't exactly uncharted territory for the two Airmen. The two have played the sport from the moment they picked up their first basketball at the neighborhood playground and throughout their days in school. Airman Teal even has experience coaching youth basketball three other times in his hometown of Kennewick, Wash.

Knowing that basketball season was around the corner, Airman Teal checked the 35th Force Support Squadron Web site to find information about the league. From there, he called the Lunney Youth Center sports director and signed himself and Airman Slater up. Airmen Teal and Slater coach a team of eight children who play against other 7- and 8-year olds on base.

A lot of work and preparation needs to be done before each game is played. Practice starts at 5:00 p.m. on Fridays and usually runs for about an hour. During the time given, Airmen Teal and Slater try to teach basketball basics, such as dribbling, passing and defense. In order to keep attention alive and ensure an enjoyable environment, most of practice is structured in a way the children can relate to.

"Everything is basically put into a game," Airman Teal said. "Either it's a relay race against each other or a game against coaches. We have scrimmages and shooting drills against them, and they love to try to beat us."

Upon the completion of a drill, the children are rewarded with verbal praises, high-fives and water breaks, but the most satisfying reward is when Airmen Teal and Slater are required to run laps after losing to the kids.

"If we lose, we run, and they like making us run," Airmen Teal said jokingly.

Teaching basic skills isn't as easy as it may sound or look. According to Airman Slater, a Goldsboro, N.C., native, many of the children have never played organized basketball before, which makes things more difficult than imagined.

"The most challenging aspect has been trying to teach fundamentals to kids who have never played basketball before," he said. "It was a little different than what I expected because I expected them to know a little bit more than they actually did."

Regardless of their skill level, the children give maximum effort during practice. This satisfies the coaches, who say all they ask is for the kids to pay attention and try their hardest. Besides, the kids aren't the only ones doing the learning. Airmen Teal and Slater both agreed they didn't realize how difficult it was to mentor small children.

"I've gained a new-found respect for teachers of 7- and 8-year olds," Airman Slater admitted. "I think they have to have tremendous patience."

The team is currently five games into an eight-game season, and games are played on Saturday mornings at the Lunney Youth Center.