The buzzer goes off. Cypress Lake High School girls lacrosse celebrates their 8-0 preseason win with Coach Dekoff. But will they be able to play next year?

“This is almost a nationwide problem,” said Coach Rodriguez, the Athletic Director at Cypress Lake High School. “There aren’t enough people applying for coaching positions to fill up all the sports that we have to offer.”

The girls lacrosse team has a new coach- just as they have every year. “The inconsistency makes developing our younger team much more difficult,” junior Hailey Hartley explained. “It’s very frustrating because it feels like we are always starting at the beginning and can never reach our full potential.”

The coaching shortage began around the Covid-19 pandemic and has only worsened since, affecting high school and even middle school athletics. Female sports and “country club” sports are among those that are most impacted by the shortage. The ordeal, also, is unpredictable. “One year we had a struggle getting soccer coaches and the next seven people applied,” Coach Rodriguez mentioned.

Among the reasons for this shortage, payment and treatment are highlighted. Unfortunately, coaches often find themselves berated by parents, students, and spectators alike, and the stipend they receive for these positions does nothing to make up for it. As a result, sometimes coaches lacking in the necessary sport or education backgrounds take up these positions. So far, the district has implemented a sportsmanship pledge to make athletes aware of their impacts and responsibilities, with a student-athlete code of conduct still in development. Also, work is being done to try and raise the supplements that coaches get for what they do.

That said, the need for a proper coach goes beyond a win-loss record. For many young, impressionable athletes, coaches are the adults with whom they spend most of their time. With such an impact on these athletes, finding the right person to help with development is of the essence.