Thank You Coach Buck

For teacher appreciation day this year, I found myself reflecting on the impact former Dominion Head Football Coach Karl Buckwalter had on my life. We had been introduced towards the end of my freshman year by my Computer Information Systems teacher, Mr. Russell. My proficiency in video production had caught my Computer Information Systems’ teacher Mr. Russell’s attention and he decided to introduce me to someone who could put it to good use. Coach Buck seemed interested in the prospect of having a dedicated videographer to film practices and games so we decided I would come to film try-outs. 

From those first try-outs I became acutely aware of how much Coach Buck cares about every single one of his players. He also made it clear to both me and the rest of the team that I was a part of the team, as if I were on the field with them every game. The fact that he saw me as a part of the team, rather than just some kid who shows up with a camera every once in a while went a long way to help me form connections with players and enjoy the experience more overall. He even used to order Chick-fil-A for me along with the assistant coaches that summer, but don’t tell the players I told you. 

Coach Buck was also an important emotional support for me during a difficult period in my life. He looked out for me in and outside of gym class, tried to help me make friends on and off the field, and he gave me somebody to confide in when I was feeling down. 

He also helped to expand the presence my work at school by connecting me with Mr. Schwartz, the Broadcast Journalism teacher and Coach Lenotti of Boys Lacrosse where I got to hone my skills in making sports highlights reels and video news features.

Over the course of one’s experience in public school, they’ll experience teachers that run the gamut from some that are just phoning it in at the best of times, to teachers that put their heart and soul into everything they do, and truly love each and every one of their students. From my experience, I can comfortably say that Coach Buck is the latter, and that anybody who had the privilege of playing for Titan Football or taking one of his classes during his time here was incredibly lucky.