Coach Emphasizes Well Being Of Kids

In March 2023 Dave Smith founded Mohawk Valley Sports Charities. Its slogan is One Kid. One Team. One Dream.

Smith said it sums up perfectly how he believes sports should fit into a kid’s life, and what he hopes to have others realize.

“It’s not just physical ability,’’ Smith said. “Sports can shape a kid’s life that has nothing to do with how they play.’’

Smith had been on the Board of Upstate Sports Charities before he started the Mohawk Valley chapter.

In that time, and as a coach from youth through college levels, Smith said he saw the mental health aspect that often gets overlooked.

“There’s a big calling for addressing the mental health of kids,’’ he said. “Kids need someone they can talk to, someone they know is in their corner and not just because they play sports, but who they are.’’

Smith was hired a few months ago as the varsity head coach for Clinton boys basketball after serving a season as an assistant.

He logged some years as the head coach of West Canada’s boys basketball team, leading them to six league titles, and coached girls basketball at Unadilla Valley.

His blended family with fiancee Ashley Caraher includes four kids who are all active in sports of some sort.

“I’m living it,’’ Smith said, “seeing the impact sports and coaches can have on kids.’’ Learning to play the game is important, Smith said, but is just one of the three pillars MV Charities stresses.

The other two are the emotional and mental well-being of the young person.

When he was growing up in Delhi, he said, the sports coaching model was along the lines of Bobby Knight and Dan Hurley.

“No one cared about how it made you feel when a coach put you down or mocked you in front of teammates.’’

His mom worked hard so he could participate in sports, he said.

“She worked her tail off,’’ Smith said. “I grew up with not a lot but learned about hard ...