We often mistakenly believe the best coaching occurs at the highest levels. That's sometimes true, but good coaching extends all the way from T-ball to the National football League.

There was good coaching in evidence and good coaches on the job in the pouring rain at Richmond on Thursday when the host Bobcats squared off against Rangeley in Class D girls soccer action.
This was the season finale for both teams and although a win for either team would have some effect on the tournament standings, this would have been an easy one to mail in. After all, there were just a few diehard fans beneath umbrellas watching and everyone was thoroughly soaked. But it may as well have been a sunny day in early September for Rangeley's Phil Olivieri and Richmond's Troy Kendrick. Both were on top of their games and players in a contest that fittingly ended in a scoreless tie.
Olivieri twice took one of his players out because he didn't approve of her rough play. He calmly talked to her and put her back in the game. When she later knocked a Richmond player down $ this one looked like an accident $ he took her out of the game again even though this could have affected the outcome. The lesson was obviously more important to him, and hopefully her, than the victory.
Kendrick, who has been coaching soccer at Richmond for 20 years, has one of his youngest, inexperienced teams ever. He's brought them along nicely while showing proper patience. As he corrected one player on the field, he noticed she was slightly injured. The correction went by the boards as he took her out to see what was wrong.
Winning counts for both these teams, coaches and communities. But good coaching comes first.