Why I Coach
Paul Pehrson, Vandegrift High School
How long have you been coaching? Where did your career begin? What College or university did you attend?
This is my 35th year coaching. I began my career in South Texas at Pharr-San Juan-Alamo High School as a football and basketball coach. I attended Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, MN where I played football as well as threw shot put and javelin for the track team.
Why do you coach? Why Flag Football?
I coach because I had great coaches/teachers in high school and college that inspired me to have an impact on young people like they had on me. They taught me that athletics was about more than winning; it is about how the experiences in athletics parallel real life and help prepare us for life after our playing days are over.
A few years ago, I coached an amazing athlete in track that is now in college on a flag football scholarship and currently a member of Team USA. She threw shot put and discus for me when she was not busy traveling the country playing flag football. We had endless conversations about how much she loved competing in flag and how getting it started at Vandegrift would be a dream come true. When the opportunity was presented to me to actually get it started, I figured this would be a great opportunity to find out what she was talking about.
What is the most rewarding part of your job?
Helping the athletes I coach improve as athletes and people. Seeing the look on an athletes face when they make a play late in season, that they would have never tried at the beginning; watching an athlete crush a weight room workout that may have crushed them earlier in the year or seeing an average student/athlete become academic all-district their senior year are all priceless experiences.
Why is the growth of girl's flag football important to you?
I have two daughters that had doors open due to athletics. Flag football is important to me because I see how much the girls love the sport and see the opportunities that are out there for them. I believe it is important they be given a chance to pursue their dreams and reap the benefits of their abilities just like my daughters did.
