Ryan Reitz – Jeannette High School

Assistant football coach Ryan Reitz has dedicated years to coaching male athletes in his district because he knows how impactful coaches can be in young people’s lives. He recently began implementing Coaching Boys Into Men (CBIM) with his team at Jeannette High School. CBIM is a character-building curriculum, consisting of 12 structured conversations that teach athletes life lessons they can carry beyond athletics. Each 15 minute conversation helps to empower athletes with skills to be positive roles models for their peers in school.

Ryan recognized that Coaching Boys into Men could strengthen his efforts to lead and motivate his players- two tasks he feels are essential to being a good coach. “A coach should be hard-working and dedicated…. you have to behave in a way that you want your players to behave.” CBIM gives coaches the tools to talk to athletes about important issues that many people are afraid discuss, including bullying, boundaries, and how to treat women. Ryan’s favorite topic of the series focuses on social media, which he attests, “plays a huge role in the lives of these boys.”

Ryan believes in the value of character-building in athletics. He hopes to inspire other high school teams to adopt Coaching Boys Into Men, as well.