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Got Boule’: Kennedy coach honored for excellence

Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2006
by Jennifer Beekman
Staff Writer

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Photo courtesy of Rita Boule

Kennedy girls soccer and softball coach Rita Boule (center) poses between soccer-playing sisters Emily Eiser (left), a senior, and Liz Eiser, a sophomore. Because of her devotion to players like the Eiser sisters, Boule will be honored with an award from the Positive Coaching Alliance March 24 at Stanford University.

One thought crossed Larry Eiser’s mind as he surfed the Positive Coaching Alliance Web site late last November: ‘‘Oh my God, this is Rita Boule. He’d stumbled across an award to be given by the organization, which emphasizes the importance of using sports to teach youth life lessons. The deadline for applicants was a mere three days away, but Eiser, father of Emily Eiser, a four-year varsity girls soccer player at Kennedy High School in Silver Spring, was determined to put together a collection of recommendation letters to send in. It wasn’t hard. Within two days he collected 20 letters singing Boule’s praises. The letters poured in from current and former students and athletes. But the rush was worth it. Last Monday, Boule, 36, Kennedy’s head girls soccer and softball coach, was named by the Positive Coaching Alliance at Stanford University as one of five 2006 National Youth Sports Coaches Award winners.

‘‘I’m not in this profession for anything but the impact on youth, the positive impact I hope to have,” said Boule, who spent two years playing NCAA Division I women’s soccer at Canisius College ( Buffalo, N.Y.) before transferring to Plattsburgh State (N.Y.). ‘‘[Winning this award] is all just a bonus.”

Boule, who is a physical education teacher and has coached seven different sports teams at Kennedy since 1994, has experienced her share of success. In 1998 she led the Cavaliers girls soccer squad to an undefeated 16-0 season. But in recent years the Kennedy girls soccer and softball teams have struggled. That, however, has no bearing on what kind of coach Boule is. Because she’s more than just a coach. She’s a friend and a role model. She’s someone both her students and athletes go to in moments of need. She’s someone they rely on and trust. And that is what makes her special and that’s why the Positive Coaching Alliance is giving her an award — the actual presentation will be made at Stanford on March 24.

‘‘She’s one of those coaches who’s able to really connect with her kids,” Kennedy athletics director Ken Cudd said. ‘‘She’s able to pull the best out of them even if they’re not playing well. It’s one of those intangibles. Some people just naturally connect with others. She gives them latitude to say what they want. She treats them like young adults. She’s very likeable, low key and humble. You can see the impact she has on these kids. They stay very loyal to her.”

It’s common to see athletes remain in contact with former coaches for a year or two, update them on their college lives. But Boule has had such an impact on her charges she’s still in touch with a lot of her players from 1994, her first year at Kennedy. She’s even been informed of marriages and births. And Emily Eiser knows why. She herself plans on keeping ties with Boule once she’s graduated this spring.

‘‘She’s like a second mom,” Eiser said. ‘‘You can go to her throughout the day, talk to her, chill, use her microwave. It doesn’t surprise me at all [that she’s getting this award]. She’s getting the recognition she deserves for being such an awesome coach.”

Boule is such an important part of these young girls’ lives they’ve coined a term: ‘‘Got Boule?” It’s a play off the infamous ‘‘Got Milk” commercials and was coined by the girls soccer team this season. It refers to the girls’ inability to go a day without seeing their beloved coach.

Boule has the credentials necessary to take her talents elsewhere, where she’d have the opportunity to notch more wins — the girls soccer team went 2-11 in 2005 and last spring the softball team compiled a 3-13 record. But to the proud Cavalier, it’s about more than winning. It’s about creating a family. And even though the Cavaliers have struggled of late, Boule never once has the girls doubting their abilities. And the prospect of turning around the Kennedy girls soccer and softball programs, which she hopes to do in the next couple of years, is something she thrives on.

‘‘I see it as somewhat of a challenge,” Boule said. ‘‘I know what I’m coming into. But the work ethic, I don’t know if I’d find it better anywhere. There’s such satisfaction in coaching here. We’ve come so far, so fast. [Struggling so] puts winning in perspective. There’s not one game we step onto the field that we don’t want to win. But we know we have to play perfectly. Every out, every quarter, ever half, is a lesson. We all believe in each other and we all know each other’s limits. When I’m coaching, every day I show up and I say, ‘In two hours we should be better than we are now.’ I don’t know three games from now what that’s going to mean. But we have that belief in each other. ... The results aren’t always in wins and losses, but we always have success.”

Boule didn’t know she would become a teacher and a coach. She was always very good in math and thought she’d pursue a career in business or accounting or something to do with math. But then she took an undergraduate education course. And as soon as she stepped foot into the classroom, she knew what her career path would be. The opportunity to work with young people and help shape their lives was very appealing.

As devoted as Boule is to athletics — some call her the face of Kennedy athletics — she’s also impacted the academic realm at Kennedy. She’s currently the head of the Tri-M Academy, an idea she came up with and which was instated at Kennedy last year. The four-year program is designed to help students interested in pursuing medical careers and jobs in the growing fields of sports medicine and sports management.

‘‘She never really has anything negative to say,” said Jessica Jenkins, a four-year member of the varsity soccer team. ‘‘She always has encouraging words. She lets us know how we can be better. She definitely knows her players. She knows what she can say to each of us.”

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