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Coach Tom Evans talks soccer, math, family, and how he became a lucky man

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Coach Tom Evans watches as his players run drills at practice Monday afternoon.  Now in his thirty-third year coaching boys soccer at Lake Region, he says “I've coached 33 teams, but it's really all one big family.”   Photo by David Dudley
Coach Tom Evans watches as his players run drills at practice Monday afternoon. Now in his thirty-third year coaching boys soccer at Lake Region, he says “I’ve coached 33 teams, but it’s really all one big family.” Photo by David Dudley

copyright the Chronicle September 17, 2014

by David Dudley

NEWPORT — “I tell this story to my players all the time,” Lake Region Union High School soccer Coach Tom Evans said, as he settled into a cream-colored leather chair.  “But, mind you, it’s not really about me. Capiche?”

Though Mr. Evans has achieved a certain degree of success in his 33 years of coaching soccer at Lake Region, he doesn’t view his achievements as his own.  He doesn’t much care for the glare of a spotlight in his face. He’d prefer that the light shine on someone else.

“In 1974, my family moved to London, England,” Mr. Evans said, after a moment of reflection.  “Soccer over there is huge, as it is in all European cities, and I loved soccer.  I tried out for the team.

“The varsity coach came up to me one day, and said that I didn’t make varsity.  He sent me down to the junior varsity coach.  So I tried out for him.  The junior varsity coach wasn’t happy, either.  He suggested that I work out with the eighth- and ninth-grade team.”

This came as a surprise to Mr. Evans, who had been up to that point a high caliber player in every sport he had played.  And especially in soccer.

Mr. Evans found himself standing at the first in a series of crossroads, where he could either continue on his path, or quit.

“I loved the game.  So I played with the eighth- and ninth-grade team,” he said.  “Every day I’d go to the park and play with my friends.  I was always playing, always practicing.

“The next year, my senior year, I made varsity.  Not only did I play, but I played every minute of every game. At the end of the season, the coach named me the team’s most valuable player.”

That experience taught him a lesson that would play an important role in shaping the man he would become. It’s no surprise that he’d relate the story to the young players who join his ranks at Lake Region.  Many of them face similar challenges, so the story establishes a rapport between Mr. Evans and his players almost instantly.

“I tell my players all the time, don’t let one person’s opinion of you create your reality.  Don’t let one disappointment define who you are.”

James McKenny, who coaches boys soccer at North Country Union High School, has known Mr. Evans for a long time.  He said that he has always enjoyed their meetings, both on and off the field.

“Coach Evans has taught me so much,” Mr. McKenny said.  “His soccer IQ, and his passion for the game are a real rarity.”

That passion, said Mr. McKenny, is what separates Mr. Evans from his peers.

“Coach Evans always has a solid team, year in and year out,” Mr. McKenny said.  “His players are so well-trained, and stoic.  He never cuts corners.  He doesn’t just make you a better player, he makes you a better person.”

During practice, it’s not uncommon to hear Mr. Evans shouting at his players — when they aren’t giving it their all — or having them run laps for a weak effort.

But just as often, he embraces his players.  He demands that his players give their full attention, and effort to the work at hand. When they fail, he’s not shy about pushing them to go the extra distance. When they succeed, he’s quick to compliment their efforts.

He’s the kind of coach who beams with pride when a right-footed player, who has been working to improve his left, begins to use his left foot with confidence.

Mr. Evans has always been a competitor, but he notes that the most difficult competition is with oneself.

“It’s not enough to desire,” Mr. Evans said.  “We all want; we all have desire.  That’s easy.  You’ve also got to have heart, you’ve got to believe in yourself, you’ve got to have passion.”

He acquired his passion for soccer in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he was born and, largely, raised.  His father worked for General Motors, in the Overseas Division.

“I’d play whenever I could,” he said.  “At school, during recess, after school.  Soccer’s a big part of the culture there.”

It was important for Mr. Evans’ parents that their children fully participate in the culture of their community, so he lived among common Argentinians.

“I remember so many times, I’d be walking down the street, and I’d find other kids kicking the ball,” Mr. Evans said.  “I’d ask if I could join them.  The answer was almost always yes.  It’s such a passion down there.”

He concluded that the kids there are so passionate about soccer that the game can sometimes turn violent. Still, he thought their love for soccer had a positive effect on his life.

Understandably, he was sad when it came time to leave.

The Evans family moved to New Jersey for a brief period, before moving on to London, where Mr. Evans graduated from high school.

Upon graduation, he applied to the University of Vermont (UVM), where both of his grandfathers were professors.

“I only applied to one university.  If I didn’t get in there…. If I didn’t get into UVM, I wasn’t going anywhere.”

Once accepted, he embarked on his studies in business.

“I thought I was going to be a businessman, like my father.  After the first semester at UVM, I realized it wasn’t for me.”

Mr. Evans was again at the crossroads, but the paths were less clear to him this time.  With soccer, he knew he had to play, no matter what. He knew he didn’t want to be a businessman, but what were his other options?

The answer came between his freshman and sophomore years, when his mother invited him to return to England.  She was working at a remedial education center that needed people to come in and work with the students.

“I went back to England, applied for the job, and got it,” Mr. Evans said.  “I got involved with these students. When I was teaching, I was home, and I’ve been home ever since.”

Though he loved teaching there, England wasn’t destined to be his home, and in 1978 he moved to Glover.  His father had retired, and bought a home there.

“I moved there with him, and I completed my education at Lyndon State,” Mr. Evans said.

In 1982, a friend encouraged him to apply for a coaching job at Lake Region.

“I met with the athletic director, had a conversation, and before I knew it, I was the head soccer coach,” Mr. Evans said.

In 1985, he began teaching math at Lake Region.  In 1987, he decided to return to school, to obtain a master’s degree in mathematics from the University of New Hampshire (UNH).

“I started a little bit behind the eight ball,” Mr. Evans said.  “Though I taught mathematics, it was not my undergraduate major.  Though it was my other passion, I was way behind.”

The first class he attended at UNH was abstract algebra.  He took his first test, and when returned, it was marked 22 of 22.

He felt pride at earning what appeared to be a perfect score.  Then the professor explained to the class that he had not written the score at the top of each test, but instead had ranked the students one through 22.  There were 22 students in the class.  He’d earned the lowest score in the classroom.

When he went home after receiving the test, he called his mother to share the bad news.  They spoke for a long while, as he poured out his frustrations, questioning whether or not to continue.

He was at a crossroads once again.

“What do you do, in that moment?” Mr. Evans asked.  “Because we all face heartbreak, we all face that moment where disappointment sets in.  Everything’s telling you you can’t do it.”

“I was happy at Lake Region, I was happy coaching.  I had a choice.  I could have left, but I stayed.  I spent — literally — 18 hours a day, for three summers, teaching myself mathematics, until I earned that degree.”

Mr. Evans sat up, reaching for the words.

“You don’t truly know what’s inside of yourself until you come to those crossroads,” he continued.  “We all have countless excuses not to do something.  But when you come to those crossroads, where you have to make a choice, there are no more excuses.  You just have to do it.”

He recalled the beginning of that first year when he began coaching at Lake Region.  He had invited reporters to his first practice.  Three or four reporters came, expecting a glimpse of a new team, a new contender.  But, much to their dismay, only one player had showed up.

“Again, I was at the crossroads,” Mr. Evans said.  “I could have quit.  I could have walked away, but I stayed.  I told those reporters, there’s your guy.  You want a story?  Shoot him.  Write about him.’”

Today, Mr. Evans has roughly 45 players between his varsity and junior varsity squads.  He doesn’t turn anyone away.

“Any time you’re out with Coach Evans, you’re likely to see him meet one of his former players,” Coach McKenny from North Country said.  “They exchange handshakes, hugs, and what’s going in their lives.  I see it all the time.”

“It’s not 33 teams, it’s one family,” Mr. Evans said.  “Today, I’m coaching the sons of guys I coached years ago. Soon, I may be coaching grandsons of guys I coached in the early days.

“Thank God for that first player.  Who knows what would have happened if he hadn’t showed up.”

When asked why he continues to coach, to teach, Mr. Evans’ blue eyes seemed to glow.  He leaned forward, and spoke in a low, but strong voice.

“I love soccer, I love mathematics, I love this region,” he said.  “I’m just a very lucky man.  But it’s not about me.  It’s about my players, my colleagues, my community.  They’ve all given me so much.  My story is nothing without them.”

contact David Dudley at [email protected]

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