Mentoring a new generation

As her mind and eyes focus, sophomore Jaslynn Cuan shouts across the field to signal her player to shoot. The player follows her instructions and with a small, yet powerful kick, he scores the winning goal. As the stadium shouts of joy, Cuan only notices her American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) co-ed team running to her as fast as they can to hug her. For her, these moments are what grows her passion for soccer and most importantly, her love for helping her players become future stars. 

Cuan has been voluntarily coaching a youth team called “Blue Lighting,” for two years. With the help of her uncle, she was offered to coach her own team with children ages 6 to 8 for AYSO. With Cuan’s experience of playing soccer since the age of 5 and playing on the frosh/soph level at Walnut, she practices once a week with the AYSO team and has games every Saturday. 

“[I was inspired to become a coach because] I really like working with kids, and I also like soccer [so] it’s really a rewarding experience I get to have,” Cuan said. 

As the coach, she plans out the team’s practices after school, focusing on different types of skills the children need to work on from passing to shooting. Then in the evening, she meets the team in the fields of Westhoff Elementary School to teach them drills like positioning and shifting through scrimmaging that will help them improve those skills. During these practices, Cuan’s coaching style is based on what she thinks is best for the player, meaning providing support to those who need it and being strict on others. 

“When I coach, I take it seriously and I’m strict. I think it helps the kids stay serious as well and helps them focus and really understand and learn what I teach them. Sometimes it doesn’t hurt to have fun and I  think that also helps them not get tired of always having to stay serious and let them laugh and have fun,” Cuan said.

While coaching the team, Cuan does face some challenges, especially the amount of dedication and time to implement skills that can help the team grow can be an obstacle. Regardless of that challenge, she hopes to continue accomplishing big goals like coaching higher divisions and bringing the children to the national team. After all, her favorite thing about coaching is seeing the children happy and being able to help them develop new skills that contribute to their growth throughout the season. 

“[Cuan] always talks about [her team] and how happy she is while coaching. Every time I ask her where she is, she’s always at the field,” goalie sophomore Amy Crespo said. 

Besides coaching her team, Cuan also joined the AYSO “Everyone Plays in the Community” (EPIC) program this year, which supports athletes with disabilities. In the program, which started in September but recently ended, she volunteered as an EPIC buddy. She taught a co-ed team called “The Goal Getters” every Saturday at 9 a.m. to play soccer while also having fun and meeting new friends. 

“I really wanted to do [the program] because I also have a family member with special needs so it brings me a lot of happiness to be able to [help the kids.]” 

With Cuan’s qualities like empathy and patience, she wasn’t just a volunteer: she became more of an assistant coach to the head coach of the EPIC team, Desiree Avila. She left an impact on the team by supporting them throughout the season. 

“Her love for children in general helped her work with these special children without special education or training. She sees a need and fills it. She has patience and compassion,” Avila said.”Each child has their own unique needs and she found ways to connect with them and their parents, which really impacted their lives.”