While coaching my kids’ basketball and soccer teams, I liked to recognize the team players individually at season ending parties. Along with my co-coaches, we’d pass out award certificates that highlighted individual and team accomplishments. We’d say a few words of praise about each player. The kids seemed to enjoy the spotlight.
I noticed that my own kids kept these certificates, which I had hastily prepared, up on the walls in their rooms for a long time. If the certificates were going to be up for a while, I figured they should look a lot better.
I asked Greg Johnson, a professional designer in the Twin Cities, to design some certificates for my team a few years ago. The players loved it. When other coaches started asking for copies, Greg and I discussed expanding the concept to a larger audience. The Well-Prepared Coach line was born. We now have offerings for basketball, baseball, soccer and volleyball.