An interview with Coach Wayne Alexander of the Senior Mustangs

Chris Davis, Pincher Creek Voice

Coach Wayne Alexander
C. Davis photo

I had a chance to chat with Senior Mustangs Offensive Co-ordinator/ Coach Wayne Alexander in between winning plays by the Bantam Mustangs  on Saturday.  Alexander is a man who knows his football, and speaks with a fluency and ease that needs little intervention or prodding.  This is a man who lives and breathes football.  He also seems to genuinely care about the positive impact football can make in the lives of his young athletes.  Following is the text of that conversation, in his own words.

"I've coached for 39 years in three different provinces and I've been involved with successful programs in the past, and some that weren't so successful. The thing that all the winning teams have is a football program, meaning they have from Pee Wee, Bantam,to Highschool. They have feeder programs.  You have to have the support of the community as well.  I came to Pincher Creek for several reasons... I heard that there was a football community, a feeling of wanting to have football here, but the programs were struggling a bit, if "struggling involved wins. I don't think that's necessarily the criteria for a successful program.  I think creating young men who make wise decisions and don't give up when they are down on the field and then later in life they don't give up on life...I think we're giving people skills for life," said Alexander.

C. Davis photo

"With that said, I heard about the enthusiasm here from a collective number of people here, not necessarily the community as a whole, because of hockey and rodeo and a bunch of things like that (drawing kids to other pursuits).

How do you build on what you've got and make it better? It's things like today (Pee Wee doing well at their Jamboree), if you can celebrate the small successes... our Pee Wee's beat Coaldale today, our Bantams beat Coaldale today, and our Seniors play Coaldale on Wednesday.  My understanding is we've never beaten Coaldale at a High School level.  It would be nice to have a triple all within a few days of each other.
Then we move on to the toughter teams yet.
We have to get through Clarfesholm and Taber.   We play in Claresholm a week from Friday."
                      -Coach Wayne Alexander, Pincher Creek Senior Mustangs

Football 101
Coach Alexander tells me the Mustangs coaches will be  running three classes, 45 minutes in length, to educate people (the adults, the parents, the girlfriends) about football.
When more details are available we will let you know.


Next scheduled Senior Mustangs games:
Tuesday, September 13, Pincher Creek at Kate Andrews, University of Lethbridge, 7:30 pm.
Friday, September 23, Pincher Creek at Willow Creek, Claresholm, 7:00 pm.
Wednesday, September 28, Cardston JV and Pincher Creek, Exhibition game, 5:00 pm.