Marian head track coach Justin Huegel remembered how his mother Christine was his cheerleader in the stands during his high school football and track careers. He also remembers how there was seldom a night when he didn’t come home to a home-cooked meal.

Huegel found the perfect combination of parental love and sports.

“Although she was not athletic herself, her stories about her brother’s state championship basketball team, family members who were state medalists in track and cross country, and love of Notre Dame football and March Madness basketball always kept me focused on what my potential could be in sports,” Huegel remembered.

“When I began coaching track and field, and cross country at our alma mater (Marian Catholic), she was the first to help me with organizing fundraisers and donating food for team events. And, when able, she would never miss a meet and was always there to encourage the team - and many times our athletes individually,” he said.

Huegel’s mother passed away just two weeks ago, so this Mother’s Day obviously won’t be the same.

However, her memories will forever be ingrained in his love of sports.

“It was almost fitting that prior to going into a championship season she physically left us in the stands, so she could be the angel blowing the wind at our backs as we run at leagues and districts,”said Huegel. “Her impact on my career to this point and moving forward will live on in my athletes for years to come as the lessons she taught me are now instilled in them.”

With many local coaches, mothers have played a monumental role - not only in their development in sports - but also in their growth as a responsible and respectable adult.

Panther Valley head softball coach Tara Yuricheck’s mom also was active and proved to be a driving force behind her future.

“My mom had a lot to manage with five children, but she always got me to my practices and games,” said Yuricheck. “This went from T-ball on up until I could drive on my own. My mom also took an active role in booster clubs and was always my biggest fan.

“In high school, my sister ran track at the same track that I had softball games. My mom would go from one event to the other making sure that she was there for the both of us. I honestly don’t know how my mom was able to manage all of our activities but she made it look easy.”

Yuricheck, who now coaches her daughter Mikayla, has worked to follow the same path.

“I try to be the same way for my kids as my mom was for me,” she said. “I am their biggest fan and try to teach them the value in working hard to achieve goals. If things don’t go well on the field, we don’t lose the lesson. We approach each game with a positive mindset and focus on being better than the game before.

“I also try to make sure that I make every game I can to support my children and cheer them on.”

Northern Lehigh head softball coach Kate Farber thought the birth of her two children may curb her coaching, but she had excelled as a mother and a coach.

“I coached softball through two pregnancies, which was honestly awesome,” Farber said. “I can remember friends and other coaches telling me ‘Once you have kids, you won’t coach anymore.’

“After having two children, my coaching journey is difficult since I sacrifice so much time away from them, however I continue to coach. I wholeheartedly believe that becoming a mother has made me a better coach, instead of ruining it like so many had tried to tell me would happen. Being a mother has made me more in tune to my athletes and the way they process things. I’m more aware of the things that matter most to them and issues they may be dealing with off of the softball field.

“Being a mother gives coaching an entirely new perspective on how my athletes digest information - both good and bad - and how all of that affects their play. It’s given me a deeper understanding of what motivates them and how to tap into that. It has helped me to be a more understanding coach – where I find ways to reach them, ways to better understand, ways to be helpful both on and off the field.

“It’s truly given me the ability to celebrate their success, but more importantly how to pick up the pieces in their defeat. In the grand scheme of things, the only difference between being a mom and being a coach is teaching the game; all the rest goes hand in hand.”

Like many of her peers, Farber’s life has been a nonstop cycle involving sports and motherhood. She emphasized the fact that her mother definitely impacted her career, and helped her mold her role as a mother.

“My six-year-old daughter now plays softball, and I coach her 8U team,” Farber said. “I spend the entire spring season going from my high school practices and games, directly to her practices or games. It’s a crazy whirlwind of scheduling and trying my best not to miss anything in the foundation of her softball career, but I wouldn’t want it any other way. There’s already been so many full circle moments with coaching her in the sport that makes up such a large part of who I am.

“Watching my daughter on the softball field is a feeling that I haven’t quite been able to put into words yet. I’m eternally grateful to the sport of softball and what it’s given me, so I hope to be able to help guide her in learning the same lessons in the game and in life.”

Growing up, Panther Valley head football coach Mark Lavine’s parents and their passion for sports had a huge influence on his life.

“I grew up in a family where everyone was involved in sports all year long, and my mom was at every sporting event that me and my sisters played in,” said Lavine. “She, along with my Dad, always encouraged us to get involved in as much as possible and spent years eating dinners at concession stands at various sporting events.

“I really think I became so involved in not only playing sports, but also watching them because of my Mom and Dad. In most houses the TV goes off during dinner ... not in our house. If a game was on, the TV was facing the table, or my Mom arranged meals to be ready at halftime or the end of a game.

“When I was at college, she and my Dad sold the 50/50 tickets at games. We watched every big event together, and I have great memories of watching World Series games, New Year’s bowls, and Super Bowls together. She told us she used to skip school when she was a kid and sit in the bleachers at Tiger Stadium watching games. She definitely had a huge impact on both me and my sisters being such huge sports fans.”

Pleasant Valley head girls lacrosse coach Toni Bush encountered a different motherly approach during her high school career.

“My mom helped me in a way opposite of my daughters,” said Bush. “She was a single mom who worked multiple jobs most of the time and it kept her away from my athletics. When I was playing, lacrosse was something just for me because my mom didn’t know enough about it to be able to interject her critiques and suggestions. In hindsight, it was nice because I never felt pressure from her, but at the time, I would have liked to have her at more events.”

Bush took the cue from her high school experience and raised the bar for her daughters - Devon, Alexandra and Lauren. Devon played four years under her mom before graduating from Pleasant Valley last year. Alexandra is currently a sophomore in her second year starting, while Lauren in involved in the Bears youth program.

“I’m on the sideline coaching them now,” said Bush. “I know that they feel the pressure of wanting to do their best because of my expectations as Coach and Mom, and I think that it can get overwhelming at times for them. However, I believe that setting those high expectations has helped them to handle pressure and propelled them to play at a high level.

“I’m not sure if they realize it yet, but I hope that someday they think back and cherish all of our crazy times together on the field. I wouldn’t trade anything for the experience of being the one to teach my daughters the many life lessons that are learned by playing a sport.”