On Thursday, August 28, a sad group of sweaty girls boarded a bus after a devastating defeat to St. Joseph. We moved towards the back of the bus as coach Kim followed. Her expression was different from all the players’, as all the players looked as though they might cry, but Kim looked as if she was happy about losing. At first we were confused until she started speaking, “You guys beat that team today. You didn’t win, but you beat them. I want you all to remember this feeling of beating the other team but still losing because it doesn’t happen often.” This moment made all the players realize she believed we could have won, and she saw all of our efforts on the field. This story is just one of the aspects that shows how great Rowland Hall's new girls’ soccer coach, Kim Free, is. I wanted the rest of the school to get a chance to get to know Kim the way the players know her, so I sat down and interviewed her.

 

Q: Will you give some background information on who you are? Anything you feel is important to you or about you?

I’m from Las Vegas when Las Vegas was a small town. [After high school] I had an opportunity to play on a national championship team and sit the bench for three years and play when I was a senior or a chance to go to Southern Utah University and play all four years starting as a freshman, so I took advantage of my college athletic scholarship and went to Southern Utah University and played all four years... I played on a basketball and softball scholarship, and then I played on the men's soccer team because they didn’t have a girls’ team [at S.U.U.].

Kim later told me that she had to quit halfway through the soccer season because her basketball coach thought she would get hurt. She told me she got her roommate to join the team with her, and it was Kim, her roommate, and around 20 boys. Kim didn’t care if she was playing for the best team or if she was playing with women or men, as long as she was playing.

Q:What has your personal soccer career been like?

 

I played mostly competitively. I always played on Olympic development teams and regional teams. I got to play against some national team players. I just love the sport, and I knew it was going to be a lifetime sport. I picked it over every sport I have had a chance to play. It was soccer year-round.

One of my teammates, Peyton Beck, described Kim as “a tough coach who helps us be the best versions of ourselves,” which makes sense because she has been in our shoes as a player. Kim also knows the struggles of being a female athlete, so she can relate to what we are going through and help us get past it.

Q: What would you say your biggest achievement is in your soccer career?

Being the head coach of Rowland Hall, because I’ve always wanted to coach for my career, but my career always took me in a different direction on the executive level in sports, so now that I have retired from my professional career I’m going to do what I want to do.

Kim’s answer is clear on the field. She tries to mentor us and is always available for questions and concerns. All the players can tell that she cares and wants to be there, which makes us want to be there. So far this season, Kim has held us all accountable for our actions by creating new team rules. One of these rules is, if you miss a practice, then you miss the first half of the next game, showing the team the importance of showing up for one another.

 

Q:What has been your biggest challenge as a female soccer player?

Getting everyone to appreciate the game. The talent of the women's game, it’s so special. It's very similar to the men's game, and so I just want people to appreciate the women's game.

Q: How have you changed as a coach from when you started coaching?

I haven’t coached for 20 years… [In that time] I’ve become more patient. I have [learned to] let players grow at their own speed, rather than trying to push them to grow at the team's speed.

I asked a couple of players what they think about Kim Free’s coaching style. Sasha Alfaro, a sophomore on the team, said, “Coach Kim gives better structure to practices that adapt based on how we play and what we have to work on instead of doing the same practices over again. She also gives really good feedback to each player and shows that she cares.” 

 

Q:How would you describe your coaching style? Strict? Relaxed?

I try to get the best out of players by finding out how players individually succeed. I always want—although it is a team sport and we all need each other—I want to know what each individual wants to do for themself, and that way I can help them get there.

Whether Kim has known you for one month or ten years, she is always trying to make you a better player and understand you as a person. Freshman Shea Gainer, who has known Kim almost her whole life, said, “The fact that I have known her for so long, but she keeps improving me as a player, shows how she is such an incredible coach. I can tell this team is going to be good.” Kim cares about what each individual player wants for herself and she tries to find a way to help them get there.

Q:What role does sports psychology play in your coaching career and style?

I didn't appreciate the physical side as much as I did the tactical side of sports. Everyone always says, ‘It's 50% mental and 50% physical,’ when the truth is, I believe, it’s 100% mental because you never stop thinking; you can stop playing, you can stop running, you can have a timeout, but you never stop thinking. That's what intrigued me about trying to understand what everyone else thinks about the sport.

 

Q:How did you become Rowland Hall's girls soccer coach? What made you want to take the job? 

The athletic director, Zack, called me. We had a long talk and he brought in Duffy, and he sold me on the team. I knew some of the girls from my neighborhood, and I knew they were very dedicated to the sport, and I wanted to take the opportunity to get to know them better and to see if they were serious about getting better in the sport.

Q:What stood out to you when you first showed up to practice on the first day? What did you think?

I didn’t know what to expect, because I didn’t know this generation of soccer players. I saw a lot of people eager to play but not a lot of people knowing the intricacy of the game. There was a lot of talent out there but not knowing what to do with all that talent is what I saw. Our biggest challenge was trying to get our group dynamics going, and I think we are on stage now.

Kim has created a strong group bond by having the players hold one another accountable and setting routines for the players to follow. Knowing she has high expectations for us helps create a strong bond off the field; whether you are a freshman or senior, she sees you responsible for the team morale and connection.

 

Q: How has the team grown so far this season?

I’m so proud of the effort the team has put in from the first day we met to just this last game. It's a completely different team. Even the coach [from St. Joseph, who had previously beaten us 8-3] today said, ‘Where did this team come from?’ It’s turnarounds like that that make you really proud. I think as a team we know where we want to go and we are headed in the right direction.

Q:What are your goals for the team this season?

I don’t care what the wins and losses are; I just don’t wanna get beat. By that I mean I don’t wanna ever go out there and not put forth the effort that it takes to finish the game.

With Kim as our coach, the soccer team has improved so quickly over the past month and will continue to improve. The team has a bond that grows stronger each practice including some of the players keeping a quote book for the team and buying a team jelly cat. Ever since our second game against St. Joseph, our team has realized that we could make it far this season, and whether we win or lose, we hope to never get beat.