“There are always those times like when you were a kid and they would say ‘what do you want to be when you grow up?'” assistant women’s soccer coach Anna Hardin said. “And you are like a doctor, or princess, all the crazy answers, but my consistent one was that I wanted to be a college coach.”
Picture this: you are the daughter of not just one, but two college coaches who selflessly instruct and guide an evolving group of athletes. And they have not just imparted wisdom on the athletes around them, but your parents have encouraged you, as well as challenged you, to try every sport possible, sparking a moment of awe of what being a coach means. This is Anna Hardin.
Before making her debut as the assistant coach for Union’s women’s soccer team, Hardin was an art teacher whose dream of being a college coach seemed to linger in a far off distance. For her, there was no conventional path that could easily lead to coaching since her father had to step down from his coaching job for financial purposes, while her mother was abruptly facing the trial of cancer which left coaching at bay.
However, by God’s grace, Hardin’s mother was able to overcome her overbearing circumstance and continue coaching tennis at Oxford College of Emory University. There, not only did Hardin’s mother live out her passion, but Hardin herself began to live hers. Since cancer left Hardin’s mother weak and vulnerable, she asked her daughter if she would be willing to step into the assistant coaching role for the tennis team. In that, Hardin began her unconventional path towards her dream career.
“I did just tennis for a year and then the women’s soccer coach at Emory needed an assistant, so I was like ‘hey, did you know I played soccer in college? Could I be your assistant coach?’” said Hardin. “We had a relationship at that time, so she interviewed me and let me start coaching with her.”
Working alongside her mother for the tennis team allowed Hardin to be influenced in a positive manner that aided her coaching tactics for the women’s soccer team. Although she adored tennis, Hardin was fascinated by the team atmosphere of soccer which drove her desire to pursue just being a soccer coach. With that longing in her heart, Hardin knew it was time to move on from Oxford College of Emory.
In her search for a new place and setting, Hardin landed the job at Union. She is excited to not only impact the women’s soccer team on the field but off the field as well since she is freely able to proclaim her faith in the gospel and boldly guide the next generation of young women.
“I think she is a great coach,” said sophomore athletic training major Kirstie Jackson. “She has a vision that involves high standards on and off the field which challenges all of us to be more like a family.”
In the short time Hardin has been with the Union women’s soccer team, she has allowed her mother to live vicariously through her by implementing her same techniques. As the saying goes, “hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard,” which is exactly the motto both Hardin and her mother have emphasized towards their athletes.
No matter the outcome on the field, the emphasis of working hard and having athletes who, at the moment, may not understand the importance of what a coach is teaching, but continually pushes themselves and trusts in the process set before them creates a bond allowing the team chemistry to thrive. Although the process is demanding, it manifests through relationships between players and coaches, as well as players with their other peers.
“You have to have a relationship with somebody first to be able to make a huge impact on their life, and even just for some to be able to have an impact on their life with Christianity,” Hardin said, openly embracing the journey at Union.
Photo courtesy of Neil Cole
