Written by Nicole Robinson
Photo by Olivia Bussiere
Being the new coach of a team is never easy; but for Coach Glidden, becoming one of Indian Trail’s football coaches just made sense. Glidden has been coaching football for 20 years; a new teacher to the school, he also happens to be a new coach.
Being a new member of the team means getting to know the team dynamic and improving it. Glidden has been doing just that. “They have a rich program. Their ideals, their culture that they follow. So staying within that culture [is important] and matching that culture and bringing my energy and my years of experience, structure, organizing and working with the players and developing those relationships.”
Glidden adds he envisions himself as “Hopefully growing with [students and players], pushing them, giving them a sense of accountability, structure, and work ethic.”
“He’s very direct and knows what he’s talking about,” says Mitchell Banaszak, a senior football player. “I’ve learned a lot from him in special teams stuff and honestly, I’m not even in kickoff or kickoff return, but just listening to him talk about it, it’s very insightful. He knows what he’s talking about when it comes down to that, so he’s very good for our special teams.”
Everyone has a favorite memory from the season. Both the new coach and returning players had the same memory in mind. “Probably so far it’d be the Tremper game,” Glidden says. “Just the energy around the game, energy on the sideline, just the excitement. The level our players played at, the speed that they played at, the camaraderie that they played. The family atmosphere that day was like everything was electric. Even the stands were electric; I mean the whole scene was electric. It was crazy.”
By doing what he loves, Coach Glidden is teaching kids both on the field and in the classroom. “I love just being on the field working with athletes,” he says. “Creating those relationships, building them, watching their growth, their character development. I mean that’s just the best part.”