The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

The boys soccer team will have a new coach this year: Jeff Husmann, who has extensive experience as a coach and leader.

Husmann graduated from the University of Iowa with a Bachelor of Arts degree and went on to get his masters degree in English. After college, Jeff led bike trips all over New Hampshire, which culminated in a bike trip to Velo Echappe, France. The numerous bike trips led to a middle school language arts teaching position in Moultonborough, New Hampshire, where Jeff spent the bulk of his 19-year teaching/coaching career.

While in Moultonborough, Jeff was named the head Nordic ski coach, started the program from scratch, and coached the team to five state championships over his 15-year tenure. He was also the varsity girls soccer coach for six years, and took them to their first playoff win in school history.

In 2018, Husmann decided he wanted to move west, and although he didn’t have a job, he packed up and in June moved to Montana. He told The Nugget he wanted to be closer to the mountains and the snow. He was hired at Turning Winds, a therapeutic boarding school that helps teenagers with addiction problems, and is located in Yaak, Montana, which is about 40 miles north of Libby.

At Turning Winds, Jeff designed and implemented the English curriculum, facilitated group therapy sessions, and led outdoor skiing, hiking, and biking trips.

“Yaak is very remote, with only two businesses in town,” Husmann said. “It’s a place where people go to get away from people. A lot of Vietnam vets have found seclusion there, there’s lots of hippies and folks living off the grid. But the thing I really missed about teaching while I was in Yaak was the connections with families and community, so I decided to look for another job.”

Jeff was offered a job in Libby and Seely, Montana, as well as Sisters, and for him Sisters was the best choice.

“It’s obvious that Sisters is a proud school, with a community that endorses the arts, music, and sports,” said Husmann, “and the proximity to family was also very important to me.”

Jeff has a brother in Bend who he hasn’t lived close to for 25 years. Husmann told The Nugget that life took them different directions, and now they’re both thrilled to have the opportunity to live close to each other.

This will be the first time Husmann has been a head coach for boys soccer, and he’s excited about the opportunity and the season ahead.

Husmann said, “It’s already obvious to me that the boys soccer team has a very supportive group of families, which seem excited about someone new taking over the reins. They have high expectations and I’m up for the challenge.

“Of course we want to get wins this season, but the larger goal is that players feel like they belong to something bigger than themselves. The most important thing to me is getting to know the players and their families.”

Husmann noted that coaching is just another vehicle where kids can be taught valuable lessons.

“Sports isn’t an end in itself,” said Husmann. “It’s an extension of the classroom.”