Kristyn Thielbar

I would have never described myself as a leader. If anything, I found it difficult to speak up for what I believed in or my thoughts on a topic. I grew up in a small town, and it was tough to see the minimal leadership skills I had. I believe this because of the limited classes offered in my school growing up, and the only real opportunities to develop leadership were through the National Honors Society and high school sports. During my freshman year of college, I learned about the types of leadership people have. The takeaway from Honors 201 was understanding that everyone, including me, had leadership strengths. These strengths may be different from everyone else around you, but that is what makes leadership so diverse and unique.

 

During the spring semester (2021), I had the opportunity to coach Junior High Golf. The most significant part of this opportunity was being asked personally by my former Varsity Coach, Sue Bremer. Sue Bremer was my golf coach when I was in 6th grade, and I had her as a Varsity coach during my 10th and 11th-grade years. I respect Sue significantly and it meant so much to me that she asked me personally to coach junior high golf. I learned a lot about my coaching style from her and I continue to ask for her advice to learn more about how to coach effectively. During this experience, I was amazed by my first group of golfers. These athletes were eager to learn, and I found myself excited to utilize the strengths identified in HONR 201. The strengths finder showed me Relationship Building was one of my strongest leadership categories. My coaching philosophy is to explain the game of golf based on my experiences as a Varsity golfer. The most crucial part of golf is learning about the mental and physical sides of the game. As a young golfer, I was always hard on myself if I hit a bad shot. The Strengths Finder inventory helped me understand this is due to my executor category of leadership. Understanding my own strengths and weaknesses is why I found it crucial to help young athletes understand not every golf shot will be perfect. Learning how to adjust after hitting a bad shot (mental toughness) will help as they continue this sport.

 

A challenge I faced while coaching junior high golf was coaching during COVID-19. I struggled to have every athlete involved throughout practices, meets, and school due to sickness. I also found myself more distant from the players due to the circumstance of trying to stay safe and social distance. The last challenge that I experienced was a lack of previous coaching positions. I continuously asked questions to Sue if I did not know how to respond to a parent or if I could not decide on weather cancelations. The last thing I want to do as a leader is upset others. I want to make sure I am making the decision for the right reason with other coaches that are above me to know my plan or thought process behind my decision.

 

Rewarding aspects included gaining coaching experience that I would later apply to my summer clinics, meeting other golf professionals during meets, and obtaining better communication skills with athletes, parents, and other coaches.

 

After coaching for three months, I learned how to effectively organize, teach, and plan out the activities for practice. This experience gave me the confidence to accept a job position at Cannon Golf Club to be an instructor for Junior Summer Clinics. In this experience, I learned how to delegate tasks to helpers, time-manage, become a team member, and understand how to make these sessions fun for the golfers. After graduation this fall, I hope to continue coaching in the spring and summer of 2023, because I love helping those around me and incorporating my leadership philosophy into my coaching style. I also look forward to continuously adjusting my coaching styles based on the needs of my students and parents.

 

Taking what I learned from my experience, I look forward to future opportunities and learning how I can incorporate my strengths in the business world. In the future, I want to continue helping others and I hope to coach for my third consecutive year as the junior high coach for Cannon Falls. These next steps depend heavily on my career path because I graduate this December. Currently, my plans are to continue working for the event center in Mankato, so I have the flexibility to coach and learn more about my philosophy as a leader.