Mike Thompson: A Legacy of Coaching and Caring
The revelation hit Mike Thompson during a bus ride home from a state championship lacrosse game many years ago.
He was putting heart and soul into his coaching. He had a stressful but rewarding position as the Upper School personal counselor and a burgeoning private practice on the side. He had a young family and a life outside Collegiate. There were only 24 hours in the day, and something, he knew, had to go.
He was putting heart and soul into his coaching. He had a stressful but rewarding position as the Upper School personal counselor and a burgeoning private practice on the side. He had a young family and a life outside Collegiate. There were only 24 hours in the day, and something, he knew, had to go.
“There was joy in winning,” he said, “but I realized that what I
enjoyed more about coaching was the relationship with the athletes. I
was also coming to realize that counseling is really coaching. You’re
just not coaching a sport. You’re coaching life.”
There were other factors that weighed heavily on him.
“I can remember a couple of times,” he continued, “being late to practice because I’d been with a person who’d tried to take his life. I was just kind of on autopilot coaching. Somehow, throwing a ball in a goal didn’t seem so important. I needed to give my players 100 percent, and I couldn’t do that when I was hearing some of this other stuff.”
So, after much reflection, he eventually hung up his whistle to devote his professional energy to counseling. Considering his success, it was a tough decision, just as was his latest, announced just a few days ago, to leave Collegiate after 25 years and narrow his focus to his private practice.
“It’s time,” he said. “It’s right for me and my family.”
Thompson’s influence has been felt school wide. He began as a Middle School phys ed teacher and assisted with football, basketball, and lacrosse. He headed the boys’ lacrosse program from 1984-1992. His teams went 106-28 and won three Prep League and two state titles. His 1987 squad, which finished 14-0, was inducted last fall into Collegiate’s Athletic Hall of Fame.
For three years, he served as assistant head of the Lower School. He taught world religion classes in the Upper School as he earned a graduate degree in counseling from Virginia Commonwealth University, gained state licensing, and moved into the post he created and has now held for 17 years.
So often, he’s been the understanding ear for students and colleagues, a guiding light who has helped families sort through daunting personal issues, and one of the “go-to guys” who’s helped a struggling school community cope with difficult, sometimes tragic, events.
“My job is often behind the scenes,” he acknowledged, “and in that sense, it can be lonely, but when the bigger events happen, like 9/11, it’s a community deal.
“Collegiate is a very supportive place. It’s really healthy. The way the faculty relates to the students is so positive. It isn’t like that everywhere.”
Hardly a day passes that Thompson doesn’t miss the competitive aspect of coaching, but the quiet satisfaction he draws each time he helps a friend over a bump in the road or walks alongside him up the devious mountain path more than fills the void.
“To me, life is about overcoming,” he explained. “If you can improve by 5 or 10 percent, it might turn into something great. It might save a marriage. You might manage your anger better. You might get a new job because you had a little more courage to face your issues.”
The support works both ways.
“My heroes are the kids at Collegiate or the faculty or my clients who’ve overcome,” he said. “They truly inspire me. People look to me to help them improve their lives, but I’ve left my office many days thinking, ‘Lord, if I helped that person as much as he helped me, then I’ve done a good job.’” — Weldon Bradshaw
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There were other factors that weighed heavily on him.
“I can remember a couple of times,” he continued, “being late to practice because I’d been with a person who’d tried to take his life. I was just kind of on autopilot coaching. Somehow, throwing a ball in a goal didn’t seem so important. I needed to give my players 100 percent, and I couldn’t do that when I was hearing some of this other stuff.”
So, after much reflection, he eventually hung up his whistle to devote his professional energy to counseling. Considering his success, it was a tough decision, just as was his latest, announced just a few days ago, to leave Collegiate after 25 years and narrow his focus to his private practice.
“It’s time,” he said. “It’s right for me and my family.”
Thompson’s influence has been felt school wide. He began as a Middle School phys ed teacher and assisted with football, basketball, and lacrosse. He headed the boys’ lacrosse program from 1984-1992. His teams went 106-28 and won three Prep League and two state titles. His 1987 squad, which finished 14-0, was inducted last fall into Collegiate’s Athletic Hall of Fame.
For three years, he served as assistant head of the Lower School. He taught world religion classes in the Upper School as he earned a graduate degree in counseling from Virginia Commonwealth University, gained state licensing, and moved into the post he created and has now held for 17 years.
So often, he’s been the understanding ear for students and colleagues, a guiding light who has helped families sort through daunting personal issues, and one of the “go-to guys” who’s helped a struggling school community cope with difficult, sometimes tragic, events.
“My job is often behind the scenes,” he acknowledged, “and in that sense, it can be lonely, but when the bigger events happen, like 9/11, it’s a community deal.
“Collegiate is a very supportive place. It’s really healthy. The way the faculty relates to the students is so positive. It isn’t like that everywhere.”
Hardly a day passes that Thompson doesn’t miss the competitive aspect of coaching, but the quiet satisfaction he draws each time he helps a friend over a bump in the road or walks alongside him up the devious mountain path more than fills the void.
“To me, life is about overcoming,” he explained. “If you can improve by 5 or 10 percent, it might turn into something great. It might save a marriage. You might manage your anger better. You might get a new job because you had a little more courage to face your issues.”
The support works both ways.
“My heroes are the kids at Collegiate or the faculty or my clients who’ve overcome,” he said. “They truly inspire me. People look to me to help them improve their lives, but I’ve left my office many days thinking, ‘Lord, if I helped that person as much as he helped me, then I’ve done a good job.’” — Weldon Bradshaw
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