Sport
Don’t BOX Me In! Inside the Coach’s box of Coach Trisha Stafford-Odom
TSO: That’s how it is.
CR: You’re walking on egg shells and thin ice in that world.
TSO: Oh yeah. Obviously that means it is flattering! In that regard, you know that. It’s flattering! And it tells me something. It’s crazy. They goin’ in on me like crazy. It’s like Trish’s Tweets are subject topic of compliance meetings. Phone records and checking all kinds of (Trish trails off once again)………… It’s bananas. If you can’t say I’ve done anything wrong, what’s the point of Boxing Me In?
CR: Something I’ve always wanted to ask you. Why do you Coach?
TSO: Why do I Coach? I do it because I think that I can affect kids. I know I can! I can have an impact on a kid in so many arenas. Not just on the court, ‘cause a lot of that time is limited; but off the court. ‘Cause kids are watching me be a woman, a mother, a wife and a Christian on the highest level. They watchin’ Trish be Trish and not succumb to being the typical Coach. So I think that impacts more people because I’m Trish. It wasn’t my goal. I didn’t set out to want to be a Coach. Matter of fact, I was pretty much, “No Sirrrr! I don’t want to Coach!” It hit me though. I’m not just impacting 18-22 year olds. I’m impacting parents. I’m on that level here because of how I impact their kids. So I guess I’m being rewarded. Ya’ know the ultimate reward is impacting the kids that results in us winning National Championships. I guess that’s the ultimate reward.
CR: With that said. I like some of what you said. “Don’t Box Me In!” I can run with that. Can that be the title?
TSO: Yeah. I love it. It does fit who I am. It takes you to pull that out. {laughs}
