What drives someone to keep volunteering season after season—long after the wins fade and the time commitment grows?

In this episode of Semper Try, Bill sits down with Nate Olson—coach, official, Sports Booster board member, and lifelong athlete—to talk about why coaching youth sports matters far beyond the scoreboard.

Nate shares how growing up in a sports-centered family shaped his life, how coaching his own kids turned into mentoring dozens more, and why raising your hand to help is sometimes the most important thing an adult can do for a young person.

They dive into:

The real impact coaches have on kids’ lives

Why sports shape character more than championships

The rising cost of youth sports—and how communities can help

Why some kids just need a place to belong

The role of Brainerd Sports Boosters in keeping opportunities open

How volunteering teaches responsibility, confidence, and resilience

This conversation is about more than baseball, football, or basketball—it’s about showing up, staying consistent, and being the adult a kid remembers years later.

Because sometimes, trying beats quitting—and sometimes, it changes a life.