When Britney Eustace and Marlin Panteah coached their first U12 soccer game this season, their nine young players had an enthusiastic cheering section on the sidelines. Parents and grandparents shouted their encouragement, and for the two community coaches, it was a powerful reminder that Zuni shows up for its kids.
Britney and Marlin first became acquainted with the Zuni Youth Enrichment Project and its youth sports leagues about four years ago through their son, Alonzo, now 10 and a fifth-grade student at St. Anthony’s School in Zuni. He was 6 when he started playing in ZYEP’s Basketball League, and a year later, he participated in Summer Camp and the Soccer League as well.
“ZYEP gave him something to do during summer,” Britney says. “He learned new things and made new friends. He really enjoyed Shiwi cooking, basketball and art.”
Summer Camp and youth sports gave Alonzo opportunities to interact with other children and learn teamwork. Basketball was his favorite sport, but his parents encouraged him to give soccer a try.
“He really got into it,” Britney says. “One year, he joined flag football as well as soccer, and they’re at the same time!”
As Alonzo became more involved with ZYEP, his parents did too. Marlin volunteered as a community coach during his son’s first year in the Basketball League, and since then, he has coached three seasons of basketball and two seasons of soccer.
“With my son involved, I wanted to help teach the fundamentals,” he says. “Plus, being around the kids is a lot of fun. I love making them laugh. It’s great to see them leave with smiles on their faces.”
Marlin says ZYEP provides plenty of support to first-time coaches, helping them settle into their new roles. He coached with a co-worker during his first basketball season and discovered that community coaching also provides opportunities to build relationships with other adults who are giving their time to Zuni youth.
During Alonzo’s second soccer season, Marlin asked Britney if she would consider volunteering as a coach. She admits the idea hadn’t occurred to her, and she wasn’t convinced she was cut out for it.
“I didn’t know if I had the right personality for it,” she explains. “Marlin is outgoing, and I’m more reserved. But Tyler [Sice, ZYEP’s physical activity coordinator] and Marlin encouraged me, and I ended up liking it!”
Britney joined Marlin in coaching the U10 division. She quickly discovered that one of the best parts of the experience was building relationships with the children, because those relationships endure after the season is over.
“We’ll see the kids around the community, and they’ll call out, ‘Hey, Coach,’” she says. “Sometimes they’ll hug us.”
For Britney and Marlin, coaching also allows them to help provide experiences that weren’t readily available when they were children. Marlin grew up in Zuni and graduated from Zuni High School, where he competed in basketball and track and field. As a younger child, however, organized sports programs were limited.
“We had T-ball and baseball, so I did that, and I played basketball with my friends outside,” he says. “I’m really glad ZYEP developed all these programs for the kids.”
Britney also grew up in Zuni, although she graduated from Robertson High School in Las Vegas, New Mexico. Sports weren’t a major part of her childhood; she preferred playing outside with her cousins.
This season, Britney and Marlin moved up to the U12 division, with Alonzo once again playing on their team. Having Mom and Dad as coaches does occasionally bring family dynamics onto the field, and Alonzo has been known to give his parents a particular look from time to time. Overall, though, Britney says he’s happy with the arrangement.
“He enjoys it, I think, because we spend more time together as a family,” she explains.
That family time extends beyond organized sports. Alonzo likes visiting his grandma and auntie, riding his bicycle and cruising with his family in their ATV. His parents say he also enjoys camping and fishing, and they are grateful he enjoys being active outdoors.
Through coaching, Britney and Marlin have become trusted adults for other children as well. Britney says being a positive role model is the best part of coaching, especially when the kids feel comfortable enough to talk about what is happening in their lives.
“Once they open up, they’ll start talking away,” Marlin says. “About Roblox, whatever their interests are. After just a few days, they’re comfortable with us.”
Britney says she sees that same emphasis on connection throughout ZYEP’s programming.
“ZYEP gives the kids something to do, something to look forward to, a way to destress about their day,” she observes. “We didn’t have anything like that when I was a kid. They do a lot of family engagement activities as well, which is great for our community.”
She says she appreciates ZYEP’s food sovereignty programming in particular, because it gives multiple generations a chance to learn together. Marlin says gardening and farming are important to Zuni life, and he appreciates the way ZYEP programs are rooted in the culture.
“They teach our core values,” he says.
Marlin plans to return to the basketball court as a community coach this season, and Britney says she’ll be back for the next soccer season. What began with Alonzo joining a basketball team a few years ago has grown into something they all share — with each other, and with children and families throughout Zuni.