Being a soccer player is hard work. It puts a lot of wear and tear on your body. Fortunately, none of that matters after a glorious win or the satisfaction of doing good work at practice. Being a soccer coach is just as hard but has twice the amount of satisfaction. Peninsula educator and past coach, Jenny Buys, is returning to Seahawk Soccer and is ready to come out with a bang.

Twelve years ago, Coach Buys left Peninsula High School’s soccer program so she could start a family. Though not part of the coaching staff, she has continued to support and love Peninsula as a teacher in the Special Education program. Now, with two sons, she is back and ready to give the players all she has got.

Buys, having an older and a younger brother who both played soccer, was introduced to the sport at an early age, making it survival of the fittest at her home.

“I think I was eight when I first played on a competitive team,” said Buys. “I have loved the game ever since.”

Buys first started coaching when she was in middle school by helping her own coach organize plays. Along with playing competitively throughout high school, she would voluntarily coach younger kids on the side. Her first paying coaching job came when she playing at Central Washington University where she would coach the local middle school teams.

Now, Buys is coaching the boys soccer team alongside Brad Scandrett. As she does this, she is preparing herself for the coming girls season where she is going to be the varsity team’s head coach. Buys has always coached both boys and girls teams and enjoys the different environments.

“It is the same, except for how you motivate them. Boys understand the hierarchy of it. If you’re a good player, you play and if you’re a medium player you won’t play. You can be direct and say things how they are and they get on board,” said Buys. “When you’re coaching girls it is more of a group so you have to make sure that you are appeasing the whole. It is less of the individual and more of the team which then makes it more fun to coach because they buy into the family aspect and you can really breed trust and a friendship.”

Junior Kayla Murray is excited for the opportunity to have a new coach for the 2015 season. She is ready to work with a coach who has a different technique and personality.

“Coach Buys will bring a coaching style that is completely foreign to us, but it will be great because we need to rebuild and try something new,” said Murray. “Anybody can tell that she is very passionate about the game and she will bring us a new beginning.”

As much as Buys loves the game, she finds inspiration when she sees how she impacts her players and what they take away from her when they leave the team and move on to bigger and better things.

With the girls season quickly approaching and the players preparing for tryouts, Buys cannot hide her enthusiasm. She is ready to take on the season and every little detail that comes along with it.

“I can not wait for the bus rides and I can not wait for the things that are not usually fun,” said Buys. “Most of all I’m excited to leave my team with a respect for the game and an understanding of how to play good soccer.”