It is with a saddened heart and a tear in my eye that I, Coach Jeff Atkinson, am announcing my resignation effective immediately as the head coach of the Rock Springs Tigers Boy’s Soccer program.
I feel that I am unable to dedicate the time necessary in the off-season (fall and summer especially) to help the program take the next step and win a state title. I feel that I am being stretched too thin with my teaching duties, coaching at Western Wyoming and trying to be a good husband and father to my children.
The last two years as the head coach, I have not felt like I have connected with the players and feel that we have not played to our potential on the field. The program in the last couple of seasons was inconsistent and not improving throughout the season like teams should. We are falling behind other programs because we are only training these players from March to May where most of the other 4A teams have camps in the summer, club teams in the fall and are sending their players to tournaments during both these times. In the sport of soccer the more you play the better you become and the more you see what you need to work on.
I have been a part of this program for 9 seasons, including 6 as the head coach. My record as the head coach was 46 – 47 - 9, and my overall record with the program was 60 – 55 - 14. I helped lead the Tigers to 5 state tournaments, including finishes in the state cup at 3rd, 4th and 6th places. In my tenure we finished as Regional tournament champions once, 2nd place twice, one 3rd place and one 4th place finish.
The program has sent 28 players onto the next level to play college soccer, in the last 9 years. With at least one player every year playing in college the next fall. This has been a great source of pride for the program and something that I would encourage the next coach to continue to help out with.
This program means a lot to me and I feel I have given it the best that I could to ensure its success and to strive for excellence. However, with my time restrictions, the program needs someone who can devote more time and their full attention to it. In the future, I would still like to be a part of the program in any way shape or form that I can.
I would like to thank the following people who made my time in the program some of the best memories I will ever have coaching. First the coaches who helped me learn the game and improve me Mike Wilkinson, Tom Erickson, Josh Cox and Ben Smith. The Athletic Directors I worked with; Mike Lipiccolo, Jaime Christensen and Mike Maloney. The many wonderful parents and boosters and the hundreds of players who I have loved to teach and coach in the orange and black.
Thanks for the memories,
Jeff Atkinson
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