Most high school teachers think of their jobs as a full-time gig – waking up at the crack of dawn, and often staying long after the final bell to grade papers, write quizzes, and prepare for future lessons.
Add to that the long hours of coaching duties required to lead both the boys’ swim team and the girls’ basketball teams, along with four kids of their own at home, and you have the Mustangs’ own Andre and Julie Barashkoff, a couple lucky to catch a wink every now and then.
Andre, who teaches history and physical education at Redmond High School (RHS), has had a long and storied coaching career.
He started with the softball and basketball programs at Bishop Blanchet 22 years ago, and since then has coached hoops at Edmonds-Woodway, Sammamish and Eastside Catholic, along with a collegiate stint as an assistant to Kathy Langston at Northwest University.
In the past seven years, however, since his wife Julie took over the head coaching position of the RHS swim teams in the fall and winter, Andre has significantly scaled back his involvement with coaching.
But after learning the struggling girls’ program at Redmond was in the midst of going through three different coaches in three years, without a replacement in sight, Andre knew that this might be his calling to return to the hardwood.
“Julie and I talked about it, and with our four kids and our youngest son playing basketball, I just said I wasn’t going to do it,” Andre said. “It didn’t make sense for us. The summer came, the fall came, and they didn’t have a coach … finally there was only three weeks left and I looked at Julie and said, ‘We can’t leave these girls hanging.’”
With kids aged 12, 9, 5 and 3 at home, Andre made the ultimate sacrifice and stepped in to save the girls’ program.
While most of his athletes thought that he was simply a “P.E. guy” bailing them out, Andre said that once he got back into it, he knew he had made the right call.
“(Coaching) is always in my blood,” he said. “Even when I wasn’t head coaching or assisting, I scouted for Jason Kerr (at Northwest College). I can’t leave it. After a while you think, ‘I can do this better than a lot of people.’ I wanted to get back in the game and do it all over again.”
A SCHEDULING NIGHTMARE
With four kids and a boatload of extracurricular activities to juggle, the Barashkoffs committed themselves to maintaining a semblance of family life as much as possible upon Andre’s hiring.
But, as they say, there are still only 24 hours in a day.
“Us both coaching the same season is really hard,” Julie admitted. “It’s hard to manage everybody and where they’re going, and what they’re doing.”
Andre also noted that his wife is bearing the brunt of it, working the longest hours while he gets to do the daddy duties a majority of the time.
“It’s tough, with scheduling, and Julie’s doing everything for the most part” Andre noted. “I just get to do the basketball and come home.”
On certain days, however, Julie will be the one at home after swim practice when Andre heads out to coach a 4A Kingco basketball game, which typically start at 7:30 p.m.
And then there are days like Saturday, Jan. 22, when Julie will coach a league swim meet against Roosevelt and Newport at Mary Wayte Pool on Mercer Island that ends in the early afternoon, and later that evening Andre has a night game against the Inglemoor High Vikings in Kenmore.
So much for the family weekend camping trip.
“I try to hang out with them the most, the 3 and 5-year-old,” Barashkoff said. “They seem to miss me the most.”
LIGHTING THE FIRE
Even with the logistical struggles of having two full-time teachers coaching during the same season, Julie was incredibly supportive of her husband’s decision.
“He has such a fire and passion for basketball,” said Julie, whose Mustang girls’ squad placed third at the state swim meet in 2008 out of 45 attending 4A teams. “A big part of him has been missing for the last couple years. I really enjoy watching him coach, because he’s so enthusiastic about it.”
That fire has translated into a fun, high-energy atmosphere for the Redmond girls, who did not have the benefit of attending spring and summer camps with their new coach as all the other teams had, putting the Mustangs “behind the eight ball,” according to Andre.
“He’s done a really good job,” said senior Stacey Kimball, who has played under a new coach for all three of her varsity seasons. “He really listens to us and takes our suggestions, but also has great insight and likes to teach us new things. It’s been fun.”
Andre, who hasn’t held a head coaching position since the 1996-97 season at Sammamish High in Bellevue, said that he simply wants to bring continuity and competition back to the program.
“We’re going to win the games we should, and compete in the games like Woodinville or anyone who’s super strong,” Andre explained. “You never know what happens if you compete. I told the girls, even if you don’t get it done this year, you’re still building for next year, and the year after. Then, everyone knows we’re here to compete, 100 percent, year after year. That’s how you build a legacy.”
Although the Mustangs (2-3, 3-7 overall) have struggled early this season, Barashkoff is content to see hard work and daily improvement out of his athletes. After all, the girls were dangerously close to not having a coach at all this year.
“They’re the greatest group of kids I’ve ever worked with,” Andre beamed. “The parents are cool too, the booster club, it’s a neat opportunity, whether you win or not. I’m having a blast.”
The Lady Mustangs play at home tonight against Newport with tipoff at 7:30.
