BEHIND EVERY SUCCESSFUL COACH...
Alto coaches' wives share their experiences
BY LELAND ACKER

They sacrifice, worry, hope and work hard hoping that their efforts are not in vain, but the wives of the Alto coaching staff know that their efforts help the men who are shaping the lives of the young men they coach.

"The best part is seeing the kids grow up and mature and reach personal goals," said Carylnn Gardner, wife of Alto Head Coach Keith Gardner. "(We like) hearing from former players years down the line. We're always hoping that what we do is touching the lives of these kids."

"The best part is getting to see the accomplishments kids make and the look in their eyes when they see they can do something on their own," said Laurie Gould, wife of Alto Offensive Coordinator Paul Gould.

"One of the most rewarding things for me as a coach and what I also see with Clint coaching is that when you put so much time and effort into planning, teaching and guiding a group of athletes toward a goal, and you see them reach it and rise above what they never thought possible, you realize it's all worth it," said Amy Gardner, wife of coach Clint Gardner. Mrs. Amy Gardner coached at Alto Middle School, but has since decided to focus on teaching after having a baby girl this year.

The position of coach's wife means spending long hours away from their husbands during football season, enduring the wrath of angry fans and moving at inopportune times.

"My father told me, 'You knew how this man felt about football when you married him,'" said Melody Witt, Alto Elementary principal and wife of Alto coach Jay Witt. "The students ask me if I will be at the game, and I say, 'Yes, it's in my wedding vows.'"

"It's really hard when you have young children," Mrs. Carylnn Gardner said. "Sometimes you feel like a single parent. When he does get home, he's really tired. You have to be independent. If your car's oil needs to be changed, you have to see about getting it done."

"The hardest part is handling all the kids without a husband," Mrs. Gould said, who has newborn twins and a two-year old. "I try to set up an hour or so in the evenings with Paul and the kids until football season is over."

Coaches wives have to be resourceful when it comes to making family time with their husbands.

"We've brought dinner to the football field so we could see him," Mrs. Witt said.

"We have a babysitter who is just wonderful to us," Mrs. Amy Gardner said. "She not only takes care of Lane, but Clint and I as well."

She said the babysitter helps with household chores and cooking, so life is not as hectic when she and Clint get home.

"I try to get my time in with Lane before Clint gets home, so he can have his time with her when he gets home from practice. When she's asleep, we try to sit and talk to make sure we keep our relationship strong," Mrs. Amy Gardner said. "We are definitely looking forward to the holidays to relax and spend time with the family."

Mrs. Witt shared several stories of interaction with angry fans. She is in the process of writing a book entitled, "The Coach's Wife." The book will be a fictional work based on the experience of herself and other coaches' wives that she knows. Mrs. Witt said she identifies with the television series, Friday Night Lights. She said she has awakened in the morning to find "for sale" signs in her front yard.

"(Coach Witt) was the head coach at Princeton," Mrs. Witt said. "We had played Farmersville (Princeton's biggest rival) and lost really badly. I saw the for sale sign and thought, 'I don't want the kids to see this.'"

She said they hid the signs from the children.

Mrs. Carylnn Gardner said in coaching, things are either really good, or really bad.

"You learn to just roll with the flow," she said.

Family time is limited, but Mrs. Witt said Coach Keith Gardner values family time and makes coaching a family experience.

"He's probably the best head coach we've worked with," she said. "He's serious about doing a good job, he's got a good work ethic, but he values family time."

Another part of being a coach's wife means moving with little notice. Mrs. Witt said when she and Coach Witt moved to Mart, she thought to herself, "I could live here forever."

"In February, we were called in and told that they were cutting the teachers with more than 20 years of experience so they could build a new football stadium. The stadium was going to be built using some grant money. They still haven't gotten it built," she said. "My daughter was upset. She was a junior and she was crying because we promised we wouldn't move."

Mrs. Witt said she and Coach Witt found jobs with Westwood ISD.

"That principal was so nice," she said. "He set her up with a cute boy to show her around. By the end of the day, she said, 'I'm going to love it here.'"

Both Mrs. Carylnn Gardner and Mrs. Witt said they could relate to Friday Night Lights, both citing the episode where the coach invited several people over for dinner with little advance notice.

"Our home is always open," Mrs. Carylnn Gardner said.

"I used to wake up with a player sleeping on the couch," Mrs. Witt said. "Coach would say, 'He had trouble at home and had nowhere else to go.'"

The plight of the coaches' wives will calm down for a few days, now that Alto has won the state championship. All four said their husbands will soon begin preparations for next season. All four said Alto is a great place to coach.