Craig Curk: An Accomplished Soccer Coach

Craig Curk has enjoyed the opportunity to coach youth soccer for years. 

Currently the coach of an Under-15 Boys’ Soccer team in the state of Kentucky, a team that competes at the Buckeye Premier State Level, Craig Curk looks forward to leading his team onto the field each season.  

Craig Curk Makes His Success in His Hometown

The contribution of hospitals on the regional economy of Dayton, Ohio in the United States, the hometown of Craig Curk, is estimated at over $6.8 billion a year, making Dayton the #3 city in the United States for excellent health care.  Dayton’s ties with aviation began with Orville Wright, who was born in Dayton, and continue today with the National Museum of the United States Air Force and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.  For three years running, 2008, 2009 and 2010, Dayton was ranked the #1 mid-sized city in the nation for economic development, and Dayton was also dubbed the best place in the United States for college graduates to seek employment.

Craig Curk

Craig Curk is genuinely fond of his hometown, and has been since his birth in Dayton, Ohio of the United States in 1961.  Curk grew up, attended high school, and attended college close by Dayton, and lives in the Ohio Valley metropolitan area today as he enjoys a highly successful career in electronics as an entrepreneur who has built his own international business in pre-owned electronics.  Curk’s hometown of Dayton is a fairly recent construct in terms of history, as it wasn’t until 1796 that 12 lone settlers in the Thompson Party paddled up the Great Miami River in a pirogue and landed at the site of several camps of Native Americans.  Their campsite became today’s St. Clair Street, where they were joined by several overland settlers’ trains, forming the core of the first residents of what became Dayton.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dayton,_Ohio

Craig Curk - Qualities That Goalkeepers Need To Possess

While studying for his degree at Xavier University, Craig Curk played Division 1 soccer as a goalkeeper. This position places a number of unique demands on players that outfield positions don’t offer, which means that those who find success tend to have a number of common qualities, which include all of the below.

Alertness
Goalkeepers need to be alert throughout the course of their matches, which can be difficult if their teams have been on the attack for most of the game. They need to watch the play constantly while also being able to communicate with their defenses in order to ensure they stay in shape to deflect threats. A keeper’s concentration level must stay high for the entire duration of the game.

Agility
Keepers need to be able to dive all over their goals and penalty areas in order to prevent shots, which means they must have high levels of agility. This is especially important for shorter keepers, as they need to be just as capable of defending the top corners of their goals and jumping up to claim crosses as they are in stopping lower shots.

Strong Reflexes
As a youth soccer coach, Craig Curk helps many goalkeepers sharpen their skills during training sessions. Having good reflexes is crucial to success as a goalkeeper, as you need to be able to make snap decisions while reacting to shots that will often be delivered with a lot of power. Your footwork will be important in ensuring you are in the right places at the right times as well, so make sure you work on this area.

Craig Curk - Tips to Be a Strong Manager

Craig Curk has served in numerous managerial roles that necessitated a focus on strong supervisory skills to ensure high-quality training. As the regional sales manager at Quad Systems, his first job in the electronics industry, he began to develop a thought process for effective management and says that the following may be valuable for current and aspiring managers.

Exercising high levels of maturity is essential to set the professional example. Being able to align yourself with the mission and policies of your company is key regardless of the circumstances. Of course, issues occur, and even managers need to complain, but that should never happen with employees.

• Be honest with workers at all costs. Authenticity, in turn, inspires teams to be straightforward and direct. Fostering a work environment that harbors and values trust is one of the foundational steps to build strong companies.

• Deal with conflict actively to avoid perpetuating poor morale in the workplace. Sometimes even daily tasks can be challenging and tense, so managers need to diffuse this energy quickly. They must be able to lead the way and push past these issues while leaving a clear path behind them for employees to follow.

• Engage in intentional one-on-one meetings with your employees to check in regularly, assess performance, and reevaluate a management plan if necessary. Keeping the integrity of these meetings in an organized manner with as little rescheduling as possible helps keep workers engaged and reflective.

Craig Curk is the owner of QC Electronics and serves as the national sales manager at ACE Production Companies.

Sources:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/work-in-progress/2014/05/01/five-things-great-managers-do-every-day/2/#39849e497ecd

Craig Curk - Tips to Become a Stronger Youth Sports Coach

As a youth soccer coach who focuses on mentorship and community-building, Craig Curk wants to help all of his players achieve their goals. He knows that taking on this role is a calling that requires a big heart and a lot of patience. Though there are many different styles that one might follow, he says that there are a few techniques that all of the best coaches employ.

• Strong coaches use the sport as a vehicle for educating their players about life. Children will come up against hardship and obstacles in every sport, and using these moments as teaching opportunities help kids build a stronger sense of their capabilities.
• With a focus on personalization, dynamic coaches approach their players’ individual learning styles from a variety of angles to ensure that all children receive what they need. Understanding how each child responds to criticism or recovers from a difficult situation is key to building a dynamic and successful team.
• Coaches should always harbor compassion regardless of what happens on the field. Helping children build mental toughness is never a result of belittling or embarrassment. Players improve their performance when they believe in their skills and take chances in a supportive environment.
• Successful coaches know how to communicate and listen. Working with numerous moving parts, athletes should know that their contributions are valuable and feel empowered to speak.

Craig Curk played Division I soccer at Xavier University as an undergraduate and holds a National “D” License. He is a business owner in the electronics industry.

Sources:

https://www.competitivedge.com/special-what-makes-good-coach