Coaching a varsity high school sport can be very demanding for a high school teacher, because of everything that goes into making each season successful.  Let alone coaching one varsity sport in a school year, art teacher Jen Close is coaching two.

Close was named the new varsity girls softball coach.  So in the coming weeks, Close will be turning her attention from the court, where she is the current girls varsity basketball coach, to the softball field as she prepares for the upcoming season with her new coaching staff.  Close will have been coaching girls basketball for nine years after this season ends, four as an assistant and five as head coach.  She’s also been coaching softball as an assistant coach for the last nine years and can’t wait to be head coach this spring.

“I’m actually very excited, I was hoping we would have had this finalized a little bit earlier this school year and hopefully would have had this taken care of in the fall, but it’s just the way things panned out and overall I’m really really excited about the position, I’m excited about the direction we can go with the girls and the program,” said Close.

Going from being the head 10th grade softball coach for the last nine years to the head varsity coach will be a big jump and a lot different.

“Yeah I mean it’ll be a lot different, you know when you’re running the sophomore team, obviously you’re going under the direction of whatever the head coach kind of wants or what they potentially want to happen and I kind of have a different philosophy and the way that I coach girls and things that I do,” said Close.

The process for selecting the new head coach started last fall when the position was posted by athletic director, Jeff Fink.

“We did not get many applicants at all until after Christmas sometime and we started to get more and more in. We went through the applications, went through the interview process, and decided to hire her [Close],” said Fink.

One reason why she was hired is because of her great success in coaching the 10th grade team and also because it was easier to find someone who’s already been a part of the program.

“It’s always nice if you have someone with some continuity who’s familiar with the program and especially if they’re a teacher in our school, it just makes for easier communication with our athletes and everything else,” said Fink.

To go along with all her coaching, Close also played softball and basketball growing up as a kid and all the way through high school.

“I always got a hard time growing up as a kid being into the arts and athletics at the same time, but for both of those that’s just something that I’ve done for my background for a very long time,” said Close.

Close went onto play softball in college at the University of Minnesota her freshman year and then after that year, she transferred to Bethel College where she played the rest of her college career.  Having played softball in college had something to do with her being selected as the new coach.

“I think softball is her strongest suit. It’s what she played in college and she probably has as much or more softball knowledge as anybody in our school district,” said Fink.

When she coaches these two sports, there can sometimes be a crossover in the way she coaches.

“For me personally, I have a certain way that I’d like our student athletes to carry themselves in the classroom and on the field or the court. Other than that, you know, you’re just trying to get the best out of every athlete that we have in our program and so regardless if I’m coaching basketball or softball I’m trying to coach to each individual athlete and that’s my goal,” said Close.

There are a few athletes in the high school who play both basketball and softball like junior Taylor Snelling who likes having her as Close head coach.

“I really like having her as a coach, because she always knows what to say and she always knows what she’s doing, and she always encourages us to be our best no matter what,” said Snelling.

And the expectations for this coming season aren’t being taken lightly by Close.

“Our goal is definitely to be in the elite eight in Duluth.  Forest Lake is definitely the team to beat in our section. So our goal is hopefully in a year or two get to that kind of prestige and that type of program, they’ve been in the state tournament the last four years and I think we have the girls and the capability to possibly do that as well,” said Close.

Trying to manage coaching and a personal life at the same time can be very hard to do.

“It’s a tough balance, but it works really well.  I have an extremely supportive husband which makes it a lot easier to be able to coach. And it’s tough being torn in different directions, but it works, and it’s nice being a teacher so you know you have your summers off so you have a couple of months to be with them [her kids] totally,” said Close.

Close can’t wait to see what this upcoming season holds for her and her team after being named head coach not even a month ago.

“It’s been a whirlwind the last month, I mean the fact that I took over and things are happening very quickly here and I’m trying to make sure we win as many games as possible for basketball, but still trying to put the hat on for softball. It’s been an interesting couple of weeks, but it’s exciting, it’s really exciting,” said Close.