Rowe is entering her second year at the helm for the Bobcats. Out of the seven remaining coaches, two are in their first year, four in their second and one is starting her fourth. Although most of the coaches have experience before their current positions, the turnover is a growing problem, local athletic directors said.
Coaches usually have to be either at practice or a game immediately after school.
That s hard for most professions and helps create a shallow pool to draw from. Coaching jobs also demand up to a 30-hour commitment each week and the pay isn t good, said Oyster River Athletic Director Carol Gephardt. You re looking for people to do it simply because they have a passion for it. Gephardt has only been the athletic director for a year, but during that time she had to fill the junior varsity softball coaching position, which she said she was lucky to do. The Bobcats varsity coach, Lisa Rowe, is also fairly new to the job, entering into her second season.