Kenai man makes an impact on young people's lives
On the job with Southeast Construction, Cedric Scott is known as a "rod buster," tying reinforcing steel for placement prior to pouring concrete.
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As a coach and referee for youngsters in the Kenai and Soldotna area, his approach is similar. He focuses on reinforcing the strengths of the teams' individual players.
Joanne Jenckes' son Jordan is a 13-year-old student at Kenai Middle School. She remembers observing the impact Scott was having on her son's basketball abilities earlier this year and thinking, "We've got to be good to this guy because he's being good for our son."
"Cedric noticed some things Jordan was doing wrong and coached him on the proper way to do certain things," said Jenckes. "The kind of coach he is has really made the kids do a very good job.
"He doesn't get stressed out," she said. "The kids have enough stress just thinking about playing the game and winning. They don't need a coach stressed out with the same attitude. He just seems so cool and knows what the kids need."
Originally from Jackson, Mich., Scott served in the U.S. Army as a communications specialist. Once, while on leave, he happened to come through Anchorage and made a side trip down the Kenai Peninsula.
"I liked the energy here," Scott said of the peninsula. "The people were nice."
One other thing that stood out was that no one locked their doors. That came back to mind when he read a 1985 newspaper clipping that said his hometown of Jackson was the 16th worse city in terms of crime in the United States. He decided then and there he wasn't going back to Jackson.
In 1986, Homer became his new home.
However, it was only a temporary stop. During the first year, he operated the "Slurp and Burp," a restaurant catering to charter businesses on the Homer Spit. When Kachemak Bay began to wash away the area around the building, it became unsafe and Scott decided to head a little farther north.
In 1987, he moved to Kenai, sinking roots into the community through his involvement in sports, both playing and coaching.
Growing up, sports were a big part of Scott's life. He recalled that academics weren't his strong suit. Sports were where he excelled and where he was encouraged. He also recalls there were consequences for not being more involved in his studies.
"I always talk about education with the kids," said Scott. "I ask them if they've got their homework done and tell them they can't play sports without good grades."
His well-rounded approach, mixed with attention to individual skills and abilities, makes him effective.
Clint Chappell, a Pop Warner football coach, met Scott at a Little League game.
"I could tell from the way he was with the kids that he'd be great (as a football coach)," said Chappell.
Following up on that hunch, Chappell was not disappointed.
Neither were the kids.
"He loves sports and he obviously enjoys being around kids," Chappell said. "He's just really calm and knows what he's doing."
Kathy Ehrhardt, athletics administrator for the Boys and Girls Club of the Kenai Penin-sula, said Scott worked as a referee last year for the club's middle school basketball group. He also was involved with the indoor soccer program.
No caption was contained in the photo file
Photo by M. Scott Moon
"He really gives it his all," said Ehrhardt. "He's very dedicated and takes it seriously. He never loses his temper and he's always calm.
"The kids pick up on what a coach is doing," she added. "He's just a great person to have for these kids, that's for sure."
Ehrhardt said Scott's enthusiasm stands out.
"He's just got a good heart. He would do anything for anybody. When the program was over, he thanked me for letting him help. And I said, 'I think you've got this backward, Cedric. I'm supposed to be thanking you.'"
Some of Scott's coaching methods are unique. To get a softball team to catch with both hands, he's been known to toss them a football.
Coaching isn't just a one-way street for Scott. He also learns from the kids he works with.
Nick Barnes, a 14-year-old who is hearing impaired, is teaching Scott some new coaching skills.
Being unable to hear directions means both the player and the coach have to be creative. In order for Barnes to understand Scott's directions on the basketball court, Scott turned to miming. Then he and Barnes began making up their own signs. Now they've taken it one step further.
"I just bought a book on signing," said Scott. "And Nick's helping me learn."
According to Barnes, Scott has been real positive as a coach, teaching him to make the most of what he has.
Jay Griffel said that while he owned Golden Tan, he helped sponsor some area teams. He knows firsthand how infectious Scott's enthusiasm can be.
"He was always trying to help the teams," said Griffel, who remembered Scott even encouraging him to sponsor teams other than the ones he was coaching.
"He's very dedicated and knowledgeable when it comes to the kids. And he's always willing to teach," Griffel said. "If they do something wrong, he explains what's wrong and how to do it better."
Parents are included in Scott's approach to coaching. At the end of this year's basketball season, he sent letters home to the parents, specifically addressing each player's strengths and accomplishments.
"We also have written him a note expressing our personal thanks," said Joanne Jenckes. "I hope other parents did the same thing."
It wasn't just the parents who wrote to Scott. The players also sent notes of gratitude.
One read, "I really appreciate your helping with the Boys and Girls Club basketball program. I had a great time playing on the team. You made the season very educational for everyone on the team."
Scott's talent for working with area youth led to his involvement in the Special Olympics from 1996 to 1999, when he coached basketball for players from ages 10 to 22. In 1997 and 1998, he organized the Elks hoop shoot in Soldotna.
"I've always known I was good with kids," said Scott. "It's because, basically, I'm a kid myself."
To be able to volunteer so much of his time requires a flexible schedule. That's where Scott's employer, Mike Gatling, project manager at Southeast Construction, comes into play.
"I've known Cedric for four or five years," said Gatling. "I met him playing softball on the city league. He was coach of the team.
"When he came into the office and told me he was tying steel and heard we might need someone, I jumped at the opportunity to hire him based on his coaching," Gatling said. "I felt that if he put as much energy into his work as he did coaching, we couldn't go wrong."
After three days with Southeast Construction, Gatling gave Scott a key and told him to work his own hours.
"He comes in late at night so he can coach the kids in the afternoons and evenings," said Gatling. "We come in the morning and it's like the steel fairy's been here over-night.
"I can't say enough good things about Cedric."
Joanne Jenckes voiced similar thoughts.
"I would like to publicly thank him for the time and effort that he put into my son and the other kids on the team. It was just exceptional."
Clint Chappell expressed his appreciation of Scott by saying he hopes he'll have him back with the Pop Warner program.
Scott turns to Nelson Mandela, former president of South Africa and recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, for inspiration.
Mandela once said, "Children are the rock on which our future will be built -- the leaders of our country for good or ill; which is why the rich potential in each child must be developed into skills and the knowledge that our society needs to enable it to prosper."
For Scott, volunteering his time to work with kids is a simple matter.
"You've got to help if you can."
On the job with Southeast Construction, Cedric Scott is known as a "rod buster," tying reinforcing steel for placement prior to pouring concrete.
As a coach and referee for youngsters in the Kenai and Soldotna area, his approach is similar. He focuses on reinforcing the strengths of the teams' individual players.
Joanne Jenckes' son Jordan is a 13-year-old student at Kenai Middle School. She remembers observing the impact Scott was having on her son's basketball abilities earlier this year and thinking, "We've got to be good to this guy because he's being good for our son."
"Cedric noticed some things Jordan was doing wrong and coached him on the proper way to do certain things," said Jenckes. "The kind of coach he is has really made the kids do a very good job.
"He doesn't get stressed out," she said. "The kids have enough stress just thinking about playing the game and winning. They don't need a coach stressed out with the same attitude. He just seems so cool and knows what the kids need."
Originally from Jackson, Mich., Scott served in the U.S. Army as a communications specialist. Once, while on leave, he happened to come through Anchorage and made a side trip down the Kenai Peninsula.
"I liked the energy here," Scott said of the peninsula. "The people were nice."
One other thing that stood out was that no one locked their doors. That came back to mind when he read a 1985 newspaper clipping that said his hometown of Jackson was the 16th worse city in terms of crime in the United States. He decided then and there he wasn't going back to Jackson.
In 1986, Homer became his new home.
However, it was only a temporary stop. During the first year, he operated the "Slurp and Burp," a restaurant catering to charter businesses on the Homer Spit. When Kachemak Bay began to wash away the area around the building, it became unsafe and Scott decided to head a little farther north.
In 1987, he moved to Kenai, sinking roots into the community through his involvement in sports, both playing and coaching.
Growing up, sports were a big part of Scott's life. He recalled that academics weren't his strong suit. Sports were where he excelled and where he was encouraged. He also recalls there were consequences for not being more involved in his studies.
"I always talk about education with the kids," said Scott. "I ask them if they've got their homework done and tell them they can't play sports without good grades."
His well-rounded approach, mixed with attention to individual skills and abilities, makes him effective.
Clint Chappell, a Pop Warner football coach, met Scott at a Little League game.
"I could tell from the way he was with the kids that he'd be great (as a football coach)," said Chappell.
Following up on that hunch, Chappell was not disappointed.
Neither were the kids.
"He loves sports and he obviously enjoys being around kids," Chappell said. "He's just really calm and knows what he's doing."
Kathy Ehrhardt, athletics administrator for the Boys and Girls Club of the Kenai Penin-sula, said Scott worked as a referee last year for the club's middle school basketball group. He also was involved with the indoor soccer program.
"He really gives it his all," said Ehrhardt. "He's very dedicated and takes it seriously. He never loses his temper and he's always calm.
"The kids pick up on what a coach is doing," she added. "He's just a great person to have for these kids, that's for sure."
Ehrhardt said Scott's enthusiasm stands out.
"He's just got a good heart. He would do anything for anybody. When the program was over, he thanked me for letting him help. And I said, 'I think you've got this backward, Cedric. I'm supposed to be thanking you.'"
Some of Scott's coaching methods are unique. To get a softball team to catch with both hands, he's been known to toss them a football.
Coaching isn't just a one-way street for Scott. He also learns from the kids he works with.
Nick Barnes, a 14-year-old who is hearing impaired, is teaching Scott some new coaching skills.
Being unable to hear directions means both the player and the coach have to be creative. In order for Barnes to understand Scott's directions on the basketball court, Scott turned to miming. Then he and Barnes began making up their own signs. Now they've taken it one step further.
"I just bought a book on signing," said Scott. "And Nick's helping me learn."
According to Barnes, Scott has been real positive as a coach, teaching him to make the most of what he has.
Jay Griffel said that while he owned Golden Tan, he helped sponsor some area teams. He knows firsthand how infectious Scott's enthusiasm can be.
"He was always trying to help the teams," said Griffel, who remembered Scott even encouraging him to sponsor teams other than the ones he was coaching.
"He's very dedicated and knowledgeable when it comes to the kids. And he's always willing to teach," Griffel said. "If they do something wrong, he explains what's wrong and how to do it better."
Parents are included in Scott's approach to coaching. At the end of this year's basketball season, he sent letters home to the parents, specifically addressing each player's strengths and accomplishments.
"We also have written him a note expressing our personal thanks," said Joanne Jenckes. "I hope other parents did the same thing."
It wasn't just the parents who wrote to Scott. The players also sent notes of gratitude.
One read, "I really appreciate your helping with the Boys and Girls Club basketball program. I had a great time playing on the team. You made the season very educational for everyone on the team."
Scott's talent for working with area youth led to his involvement in the Special Olympics from 1996 to 1999, when he coached basketball for players from ages 10 to 22. In 1997 and 1998, he organized the Elks hoop shoot in Soldotna.
"I've always known I was good with kids," said Scott. "It's because, basically, I'm a kid myself."
To be able to volunteer so much of his time requires a flexible schedule. That's where Scott's employer, Mike Gatling, project manager at Southeast Construction, comes into play.
"I've known Cedric for four or five years," said Gatling. "I met him playing softball on the city league. He was coach of the team.
"When he came into the office and told me he was tying steel and heard we might need someone, I jumped at the opportunity to hire him based on his coaching," Gatling said. "I felt that if he put as much energy into his work as he did coaching, we couldn't go wrong."
After three days with Southeast Construction, Gatling gave Scott a key and told him to work his own hours.
"He comes in late at night so he can coach the kids in the afternoons and evenings," said Gatling. "We come in the morning and it's like the steel fairy's been here over-night.
"I can't say enough good things about Cedric."
Joanne Jenckes voiced similar thoughts.
"I would like to publicly thank him for the time and effort that he put into my son and the other kids on the team. It was just exceptional."
Clint Chappell expressed his appreciation of Scott by saying he hopes he'll have him back with the Pop Warner program.
Scott turns to Nelson Mandela, former president of South Africa and recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, for inspiration.
Mandela once said, "Children are the rock on which our future will be built -- the leaders of our country for good or ill; which is why the rich potential in each child must be developed into skills and the knowledge that our society needs to enable it to prosper."
For Scott, volunteering his time to work with kids is a simple matter.
"You've got to help if you can."