Mrs. Stauss – or as some students know her, Coach Stauss – is retiring from her soccer coaching career from Morris Hills Girls Soccer after many years with the sport.

She began playing soccer at the young age of nine after being inspired by her father and grandfather, who had both played the sport as well. Her dad played in high school as well as college, and her grandfather, who grew up in Slovakia, had coached a team in Linden.

Mrs. Stauss began playing soccer in the late 1970s, and she was beyond excited as she had previously attended a Catholic school, which didn’t provide any source of physical education, recess, music, or art. When she moved schools, soccer was becoming more popular, so she decided to partake in the activity.

The sport became a staple in her life. She played throughout high school and played for four years as a starter center midfielder for the State University of New York. It was the school’s first winning season and first time playing in the SUNYAC playoffs.

Mrs. Stauss got into coaching when she was in high school, when one of the gym teachers hosted a summer camp named Silton Swim and Soccer and gave her an opportunity to work. Around the age of 17, she started working with younger kids and showing them the basics of soccer.

With this experience, she came to the conclusion that she wanted to become a teacher, as the idea of a community had become important to her. From the very start, teaching and coaching has been a comfort and something she hoped to continue.

Mrs. Stauss finds her favorite part about coaching to be watching everyone “honing different skills” and noticing “different parts as a team to come together as a whole.” Additionally, she finds that the idea of being physically active comes easier when people are involved in games or a sport.

Through her college years, she was very close with not only her coach, but her coach’s friends as well as they became grandfather type figures to her. Their connection felt very familial. One of her coaches, Coach Durkin, ran the Empire State Games and offered a job to Mrs. Stauss. She worked for him on campus with athletes the summer after she graduated.

“The people you meet and the relationships you make, to me, was wonderful because everybody has another interest or another facet of their lives associated with sports and athletics,” she said.

Her friend was teaching and coaching in a nearby school district and asked if she would like to be an assistant coach, who would also be able to be a substitute in this school. Mrs. Stauss liked the thought of being able to have more hours working with children right after college as she felt that reaching a certain level of experience with people was necessary.

Mrs. Stauss has coached on and off for approximately 24 years. This year, she decided to step down from coaching after many dedicated hours. Last season, she started to experience stress and mental fatigue. Three weeks into this year’s season, she knew that she couldn’t continue the long days and the anxiety that came with it.

Additionally, Mrs. Stauss has a deep connection with art and music, and with that comes sensitivity. With the myriad of emotions regarding the team, she couldn’t seem to separate herself from it on many occasions. She tried to be objective and organized with her feelings but her efforts proved to be fruitless, and she said that it was difficult to constantly carry around.

She hopes that the lessons which she has taught the players can assist them positively, whether these experiences help reveal something about themselves that they didn’t know they could do or help them strive for success.

Mrs. Stauss stepped into coaching at Morris Hills four years ago and felt that she’d leave the team on good terms with wonderful coaches, athletic directors, and teammates. It was a difficult decision to make but she knows that this is the right path to choose, as art and teaching are her passions, and she wants to focus more on that after drifting away from it the last few years.

Overall, Mrs. Stauss feels that this sport – both coaching and playing – has been an incredible experience. She wants to let the girls on the team know that seeing the challenges that they face through the program will let them keep growing and with the new leadership, achieve even more.

Mrs. Stauss has taught many lessons over the course of her coaching career, both related to soccer and life. She has guided those towards the right direction and supported her players with courage and determination. Those who have been coached by Mrs. Stauss are grateful for all that she has done for the team.