January 31st, 2023 | Josh Adelman
Soldiers to Sidelines enters the new year honoring Lori Gordon as the January 2023 Coach of the Month for her selfless dedication to her country and coaching craft. Lori currently serves as a Specialist in the US Army Reserves. She is also a fitness trainer, a rowing coach, and a cross-country coach who has dedicated her life to inspiring others to be all they can be.
We were impressed by her coaching journey and her positive approach to growing young athletes. We asked her a few questions about her experiences and her motivation to improve people’s lives. Here is what she said:
STS: Tell your story about how and why you got into coaching. Discuss how coaching has impacted you as a person.
Coach Gordon: “There are many reasons why I got into coaching and training. Coaching has always been part of my life on some level. I genuinely like to teach and help others get to the next step in whatever they’re working towards.
I started rowing the summer before my freshman year of high school. I took a two-week learn-to-row course; the varsity coach recruited me straight from there, and the next thing I knew, we were headed to nationals that spring. Even though at 5’8”, I’m short for the sport. Rowing came naturally to me, and I was fortunate to have had some amazing coaches along the way. The most inspiring being coaches Ethan Curren, Tom Bohrer, Linda Muri, Veronika Platzer, and Mark Rothstein. They coached with passion and excitement, but also an incredibly calm demeanor at the same time.”
“I was a little bit of a punk growing up… their coaching and guidance through the sport of rowing was everything I needed as an athlete and young person. They gave me the tools I needed to be mentally strong, resilient, and accountable to myself and others.
I got into coaching because I wanted to be that inspiration for someone else. It’s also really fulfilling when you see one of your athletes start connecting the work accomplished in practice to game day/competition.”
STS: How has your military experience influenced you as a coach?
Coach Gordon: “Being in the military has shaped me as a coach in all the fine details. You see all types of leadership in the military. When you pay attention, it is easy to see firsthand what soldiers/people respond well to, different tactics to boost morale, and in general, handling different situations. I’ve taken a note or two when I see something I like that I think my athletes will respond well to. As a result, it’s helped me to tighten up all my systems (James Clear reference). How I speak to athletes, how I help athletes bounce back from a rough day, how I give instructions… all of it.”
STS: Describe a coaching interaction with a player, or group of players, that has a special place in your heart?
Coach Gordon: “Bedford Crew winter training. Our first level 1 workout of the season, 8x 500m. We were working out of the high school gymnasium. I had the kids pair up with a teammate, and the coxswains also joined in. They performed their warm-up like normal. Then one partner started on the ERG while the other cheered them on through their entire 500m. These kids ate it up. The camaraderie was insane! Every passerby would look into the gym and smile once they realized what was going on.”
STS: Which player you have coached are you most proud of? Why?
Coach Gordon: “Hands down, one of my swimmers that I have been working with since Summer 2018. She came to me at 17 y/o for strength with a long-time shoulder injury since she was 12y/o. She didn’t have a diagnosis at the time, so I had her get an MRI before working with her. Turns out it was a torn labrum. She opted to forgo surgery, but she did go to PT, and we trained following their instruction.”
“By Summer 2019, her swim coach and I got her to a place where she could maintain a high volume of swimming and competition, without regular shoulder pain. In the fall, she went to college, and within the first week of training, her shoulder returned to a high level of pain. She would advocate for her pain level, but her new coach would make her feel bad about it or basically ignored it. She landed in their PT group and had to cut way back on her swim volume. She attempted two swim meets, and neither went well.
Luckily for her, COVID-19 hit. She had to come home for the remainder of that school year, and her entire class had to work remotely for the fall of 2020 as they were only allowing freshmen and juniors on campus.”
“The forced 3-month break from swimming was phenomenal for her. She continued to cross-train with cycling and running. And we started back up with her strength Summer of 2020 until she returned to school in January 2021. This time she advocated for herself at every practice. The head coach still gave her a hard time, but her sprint coach was on board. She had a little bit of a roller coaster ride in competitions through the fall/early winter, but she ended up winning her event at the IVY league championships.”
“This is a badass, internally motivated female. She always gives 110%. Even on her worst days, she’ll show up with a smile and be ready to work. I’m amazed at how strong and capable she is of course, but what I’m most proud of is how resilient she has been throughout these last few years. With the deck stacked against her, she just bounced right back and got to work.”
Coach Lori Gordon always looks for the fire in the athlete and stokes it with enthusiasm and prudent practice. It is easy to coach the superstars when everything goes smoothly, but it takes dedication, patience, and empathy to coach athletes through pain and injury. Coach Gordon does this regularly, and this was just one example of her coaching practice. It is our honor to award her the January 2023 Coach of the Month award.
Recent Comments