By By ERIKA PICKLES / Niles Daily Star
NILES – Jim Arnold claims his wife, Linda, already has him in 'retirement training.'
"I'm actually in the middle of vacuuming," Arnold said with a laugh early Monday morning.
That's not the only thing he claims his wife is excited about.
"She has a lot of plans for us," Arnold, who will be retiring in June, said.
Arnold said he has been toying with the idea for the past couple months, but it was a message from God that helped him make his decision.
"I was going back and forth, wondering what would be the right thing do to. As I was sitting in church one day, a message was directed toward me and I knew it was one of those things where I had to listen. You cannot not listen to what God is telling you," Arnold said.
The message the sermon was giving was that if God wasn't content with where one was in his or her life, he is ready to help that person move on and find a new mountain.
Arnold knew that message was meant for him, so after 32 years of coaching, Arnold will be calling his final time-out this year.
"It's going to be different because I have worked all of my life. In junior high, I started working with my dad in the plastering business. My dad wanted me to take over, but I knew that wasn't something I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I love kids, so I wanted to do something that involved them," Arnold said.
His decision was a great one, as Arnold has provided years of memories not only for himself, but for the many athletes he has coached throughout the years.
Arnold is returning to the softball field this year for his last season as head varsity coach. In the fall (or winter, depending on Gender Equality case outcome), he will be making his final appearance on the basketball court.
In June, he will close his books and dismiss class for the last time in his career.
"What I am going to miss the most is the kids. The girls are fantastic. They are very hard workers, have great work ethics and are very coachable. I have enjoyed every minute of it, but you have to do what you're told. Like everything, all good things must come to an end," Arnold said.
Arnold started his coaching career at the junior high level. He then moved to junior varsity sports for one year, before landing his head coaching position for the girls' basketball program. Arnold has been head coach of the varsity team for the past 22 years.
During his time with the Lady Vikes, Arnold has seen 11 district titles, including nine consecutive ones from 1997-2006. He has also seen five regional titles and seven conference championships. His overall record is currently 345-134.
For the past 17 years, he has headed the varsity softball team, which has seen one district title and one conference championship. Arnold has 304 wins with the softball program.
"I don't like to look at the numbers. I look at the individuals and how much they have improved over the years. I try to develop character and sportsmanship in all of the boys and girls I have coached. I have to challenge them and make them put forth that effort. All I ask is that they give 110 percent every game and have fun. If we can send some of these kids on to the college level, that's the frosting on the cake," Arnold said.
Arnold admitted that the success of his programs is not credited to himself, but to the people who spend a lot of their free time making sure athletes are getting the best training they can.
"Some of these kids work year round. They hit the gym and weight room everyday in the off season, some even have personal trainers, but our coaching staff has been second-to-none. Starting from the elementary coaches who teach the fundamentals of the game, all the way to junior high coaches," Arnold stated.
Arnold went on to explain that Mike Peters, Bob Storm and Pat Touhey are three guys responsible for getting girls involved in AYBT (American Youth Basketball Tour).
"These guys are the real success stories. They go the extra mile," Arnold said.
Other coaches Arnold could not have done without are George Brawley, Skip Miller, Alyse Hoyt, Pat Stier, Linda Dyszkiewicz, Jim Jeschke, Jim Shinsky and Mike Johnson.
"They have all been such big contributions to the program," Arnold said.
Arnold admitted it was going to be tough leaving one of the biggest parts of his life behind, but he has plenty of memories that he will cherish forever.
"I'm ready to travel," Arnold said. "We are going to do a lot of that. My goal is to visit every major league baseball stadium in the country, and so far I've seen 19."
Some of which include Seattle, Boston, Yankee Stadium, Pittsburgh and Cleveland.
"This year we hope to get to Milwaukee and St. Louis," Arnold said.
One thing is for sure, sports will always be a part of his life.