Team captains express their love of playing for Roland Minder
A good high school coach will lead a team to victories, maybe a few league championships, or even a state title along the way.
A great high school coach will teach athletes about life, will provide a blueprint for success outside of sports.
A legendary coach does it all.
As we say goodbye to 2018, we salute Roland Minder, longtime soccer coach at Camas High School.
He stepped away from the boys program after the spring of 2017 but continued as the girls head coach for two more seasons.
This past fall, the Papermakers went back to the final four for the fourth consecutive year.
Then Minder called it a coaching career.
In 15 seasons as the girls coach, Minder compiled a 196-24-20 record to go with two state championships. (He was the boys coach for 23 years, by the way, going 296-45-26 with three state titles.)
Those are just numbers.
Two of the the team’s captains from his final season, Maddie Kemp and Justine Pauly, provide these heartfelt words.
“When I first came to the summer trainings as a freshman, I was super intimidated by Minder,” Pauly said. “He is stern and (has a) powerful voice, and it truly took me until junior year for me to realize he is actually a teddy bear inside.”
Pauly noted how patient Minder could be, taking the time to ensure the player had time to perfect a technique.
“Thank you Minder for teaching me lessons and values I can take into the real world. Not everyone gets to be coached by someone like Minder in their life, and I am grateful I was able to be coached by him.
“I will always remember Minder as the great coach and influencer he was. Just like he said, we won’t remember our losses, but rather all the great memories together, and, of course, the wins.”
Kemp said Minder will always be her hero for making soccer a place the players could have fun and still get in the proper training to become elite.
She noted some of Minder’s quotes.
“Fifteen minutes early is on time and on time is late.”
“Is this gonna get me fired?”
How long is the team going to run?
“Until I get tired,” Minder would say.
“I can’t thank you enough for all the laughs … confusion, fun, tiring, unforgettable times we had that I will cherish forever,” Kemp said. “My journey, Minder, would be incomplete without you, and I am thankful for what you have done for me personally.
“I promise the Minder legacy will last forever at Camas.”
Kemp, Pauly, Elaina DeMerritt, Callie Rheaume, Sierra Scordino, Carla Jooste, Jenna Efraimson, and Jazzlynn Paulson were the seniors who get to say they played their last high school season during Minder’s last season.
“It’s been a crazy experience to be part of Minder’s last ride,” Kemp said. “It’s truly been an honor. … I think we made Minder proud, but I know Minder made us proud of all he’s done for this program and town. We will never be able to thank him enough.
“Nothing will ever compare to how speechless you become when someone asks you what it’s like to be a Papermaker and what it’s like playing for a man such as Minder.”
