New Libby soccer coach prepares for first season

Rodd Zeiler is about to embark on his first season as the Libby Loggers boy’s soccer coach. Zeiler brings with him an experienced background in coaching.

“I coached 15 years in other areas,” he said. “I’ve coached 10 years in track, eight years in cross country and four years in soccer. Soccer was a passion in college. I coached girl’s varsity soccer in Washington. I was asked to be part of the soccer program when I got to town. It’s such a good program to be a part of. I’m excited to start the season.”

Due to the air quality, Zeiler and his team haven’t been able to practice outside as much as he would like. Zeiler said that hasn’t stopped his team from bringing energy to each practice.

“The practices have been fantastic, other than the obvious issue with the air quality,” he said. “The energy has been amazing compared to other programs I’ve seen. They are down to business each day, but they have the maturity to have fun at the same time. It’s nice to have that energy in practice. It’s been absolutely fantastic. They give 110 percent each day. They are awesome kids.”

Practicing indoors for soccer can be difficult, but Zeiler is making it work.

“We switched indoors due to the air quality,” he said. “We’ve been doing a lot of speed training and core work. We’ve been focusing on passing and being precise. We are a little worried about the kids being in shape. If the smoke clears up we might stick with two-a-days to get some running in. I’m concerned about the lack of aerobic training, but I have a feeling a lot of people are dealing with the same issues. You just take what you can get and do the best with what you got. Love life and carry on. I don’t think we will be at an unfair advantage when the season starts because every team in the area is dealing with the same issue.”

There are 17 kids on the team and Zeiler said he’s impressed with the amount of trust they have in one another.

“The strength of the team is the intuition that they have with each other in terms of communication,” he said. “There is a level of maturity there. They know each other well. We have good leadership on the team. When something changes they communicate and act on that communication. I don’t see a level of distrust that you tend to see at the high school level. That level of trust is paramount. To be able to call on somebody and have action is unequivocal. That trust is the biggest strength.”

It’s early and Zeiler said he doesn’t see a glaring weakness with his team yet.

“If there is an area of concern it hasn’t reared its ugly head yet,” he said. “As a general rule of thumb as a high school coach I’m always concerned about the emotional turmoil when a mistake happens. When something does go wrong, because it will, that’s part of the game. I’m always concerned that high school kids understand that making a mistake is part of life and being able to move past those mistakes and just continuing to play the game is important. That’s always in the back of my mind.”

Zeiler said that the 2015 soccer season will be a success if the players continue to bring the same energy each day.

“The 2015 season will be a successful one if each and every player finds personal growth,” he said. “If every player continues to bring the same energy and intensity each day for practice. It will be a successful season if the team fights to the end.”

The 2015 season will be a successful one if they are able to stay together and reach new heights.

The Loggers are scheduled to start their season Saturday, Aug. 29, at home against Hamilton at noon. Due to the dangerous air quality the game could be canceled. The next scheduled game is Thursday, Sept. 3, at Whitefish.