Local players enjoy rare chance to be taught by college coach

PALMER — Local soccer players rarely have the chance to be seen and taught by a college coach without leaving Alaska. If it does happen, it’s usually during an offseason camp or clinic.

But last week, players from Colony and Palmer enjoyed a rare opportunity. Butch Lauffer, the longtime head coach at Division II West Texas A&M, was in town for a week’s worth of midseason clinics.

Not only did Lauffer, who has amassed nearly 400 wins as a men’s and women’s soccer coach during his 19 years at WTAMU, have the chance to work with players from the Colony boys and girls programs and the Palmer girls team, but he also had the chance to watch those teams play a handful of matches during his six-day stay in the state.

“As a coach you always ask yourself, is my coaching having an affect? Obviously by have the coaching and the games, and then the coaching and the games, you get to see whether your coaching is having any other affect on the team and the players,” Lauffer said. “That’s really positive.”

Lauffer started by coaching the Colony players during a clinic last Sunday. On Monday, he watched the Knights boys and girls face rival Palmer. Following the matches, Lauffer went over game film with Colony coaches.

“It was incredible,” said Colony head coach Jeremy Johnson, who worked to bring Lauffer to the Mat-Su Valley for the clinics. “We went over the game film with the coach. We won 7-1, but we still made mistakes. He pointed out things were still not doing correctly.”

Following the after-school clinics during the middle of the week, Lauffer made the trip to the Kenai Peninsula to see the Knights’ weekend matches.

Lauffer said his main intention was to help the Colony coaches reinforce what they’re teaching, as well as bring in his perspective as a veteran coach at the college, national and international ranks.

“I listen to what they have to say, watch the games and give my input when it’s asked,” Lauffer said. “I try to talk to them, make my services available and help them help their team.”

Lauffer covered specific skills and concepts, but stressed the need for continued work.

“The big thing is having me or someone else for a week is not going to make them a great soccer player,” Lauffer said. “It’s what they do afterward, if they continue to work hard after I go.”

Johnson originally met Lauffer about 15 years ago. Lauffer was an instructor during a national clinic Johnson attended early in his prep coaching career. He also came to Alaska to work with players from a competitive youth program.

Johnson has kept in touch with Lauffer and invited the WTAMU to return to Alaska this spring. Johnson said the experience was as good for the coaches as it was for the players.

“It was a learning experience for us,” Johnson said. “We wanted to absorb whatever we could.”

The clinics marked the second chance the Colony girls had to work with an Outside coach. Prior to the beginning of the season, Robyn Saarenas, a former Division I All-American who now coaches high school in Washington, came to the Valley for a clinic.

“It only betters your program and makes it more successful,” Colony girls head coach Lorie Miner said.

Lauffer said he was impressed with the local talent and the players’ effort during the clinics.

“The work ethic of the kids has been fantastic,” Lauffer said. “You can tell they want to get better. From my perspective, no matter how good they are, that’s all you can ask for.”

Lauffer said the players didn’t lack skill or enthusiasm, but noted the resources local players have to work with.

“From when I was here 15 years ago, the players have progressed a lot. The coaches have progressed a lot. But I think the thing that hasn’t progressed as much is the facilities,” Lauffer said. “It’s really, really critical especially in states like Alaska. If you don’t have good training facilities for your players, then it’s really going to impede the progress of those players. It’s going to impede the overall motivation and enthusiasm of the players. It also impedes the type of people you can hire to get into those coaching positions. It’s hard enough to do it as it is.”

Lauffer recently completed his 19th year at WTAMU. For the bulk of that time, Lauffer coached both the men’s and the women’s teams. He’s received a number of coach of the year honors during his career, while leading the Buffalo men to more than 200 victories and the women to 175 wins.

Lauffer holds a United States Soccer Federation “A” license, the highest of its kind in the US. He also holds multiple international licenses. In 1994, Lauffer was part of the USSF national coaching staff during the World Cup.

Lauffer is also a published author with three books about coaching to his credit.

Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.