Lasting Impressions
Alma Stone, Landmark parent
If you have the chance to speak with our students about their experiences in Landmark athletics, you may find it interesting to hear little, or no, mention of the numerous championships that their teams had won. What the students enjoy talking about is the relationships they each have had with their coaches and how those relationships have impacted their lives.
For many years, Landmark head football coach Kenny Dallas has held a weekly devotion with his players during the season. These Thursday night meetings have meant a lot to Landmark senior and linebacker Zach Glaize, “His goal is more than winning football games; it’s about taking these young men that come into his program and teaching them what it means to be a real man in today’s culture. That’s what we’ve been talking about these past four years.” Senior Tim Creamer, also a linebacker under Coach Dallas, agrees. “One thing I found about him real quickly is that he likes to invest his life into building men of God. “
Senior Mary Lacis can definitely say her life was changed by head volleyball coach Barb Mason. After Coach Mason encouraged her to give volleyball a try in the seventh grade, Mary discovered that she really enjoyed the sport. Mary’s achievement in volleyball has led to a 4-year scholarship to the Savannah College of Art and Design for which she thanks Barb Mason. “Coach Mason has had a profound impact on my life. She’s a wonderful person and she’s great to talk to.”
Brett Lewis and Heather Hayes, both senior members of the Varsity Track Team, both credit head track coach, Bill Thorn, with influencing them. “Since I’ve been at Landmark, he’s helped me become a man and he’s been the role model for me being a godly man,“ says Brett. Heather describes Thorn as someone who “never gives up on us” and is thankful for the life lessons she’s received. “His work ethic for us when we train is not just for running but for our whole life.”
Indeed, training for life and not just the sport is the focus of Landmark’s athletic program. “We want coaches to bring a distinct sense of Christ onto the fields and onto the courts and model Christ. That’s the first thing,” says Landmark Athletic Director, Rock Knapp. “If a kid thinks his worth and his merit are based on his performance with a number on his back, you’ve lost that kid. We’re after relationships. Our coaches have to be really strong relationally ‘cause that’s what the kids remember and that’s what changes lives.”
So what remains after the records have been broken and the trophies are covered in dust? The impact of relationships. Senior, Zach Glaize sums up his relationship with Coach Kenny Dallas this way, “The things that he’s imparted in me the last couple of years are things that I’m going to take with me and be able to use for the rest of my life.”
This article was originally published in Landmark's June 2006 "LCS Connection."