The holiday season is upon us and that means the season of endless gift searching for the important people in your life. So what do you gift that ever so incredible coach who has hustled all year to help her athletes thrive? Well, beyond the customary ‘Best Coach Ever’ coffee mug (which she totally deserves), we've put together a gift list that will help her stay legendary in her everyday life.
This list will inspire you to think fab and functional. If you have a gift item that should be on the list, let us know and we will add it.
She’s on the Road a lot. Check out these Travel Essentials.
Roadtrips require that she leaves the house before Dunkin’, Starbucks, or the local coffee shop open, so she needs a go-to customized travel tumbler to hold the hot or cold caffeinated drink of choice. We like this one from Yeti. She'll also need a water bottle with a straw top to minimize bus spills.
If you want to add a little extra in the Tumbler, we recommend a gift card to her favorite coffee shop. I am a big fan of small local shops - here are a few of my favorite on the east coast.
Shenandoah Joe - Charlottesville
Undercurrent Coffee - Charlotte
She needs a stylish and functional weekender bag for the ever-so-often overnight trips she takes to recruit or coach. This one is expensive, but it will inspire ideas.
Since she shops at Costco and buys everything in oversize bulk, she needs travel size options. Get her either travel size bottles or a separate travel kit filled with everything she needs so she doesn’t have to check her bag when she travels.
Portable Travel Bottles - TSA Approved
Make her life easy with fun(ctional) travel toiletry bag filled with all the travel size items she will need in a pinch. Fill it with hand sanitizer, hand lotion, deodorant, toothpaste, chapstick, gum, face sunscreen etc.
Tricks of the Trade for the Tool-belt:
Coaching is a craft, and every great craftswoman needs a tool belt to hold the tricks of her trade. One of the biggest things I can’t stand about women’s sport clothing is the lack of pockets. Pockets are essential in coaching because you need a place to hold all those smalls items that you may need while on the field coaching - your whistle, dry erase marker, phone. So since she doesn’t have pockets, she needs a tool belt to keep everything accessible at a moments notice. We recommend this handy-cross shoulder bag from Lululemon:
The pandemic ushered in a new age of whistles. An electronic whistle is essential to any coaches tool belt. It’s easy to use and safe to share. Just make sure to turn it off when you are on an airplane. Yup, that happened to me. We love this simple and classic Fox 40 whistle. If you live in cold weather temperatures, make sure to stock up on replacement batteries.
It never hurts to have a few extra dry erase markers stashed away for that all too often moment when the marker dries out in the midst of a half-time talk.
We recommend getting her an eraser too because she's ruined too many T-shirts cleaning her board. It helps if she can attach it to her board. We like this small cloth one from Office Depot.
Some coaches think and remember best with a pen and paper. Get her a mini coaching notebook that fits in her pocket, and if she doesn’t have pockets, and it fits in her tool belt. We recommend something like this Moleskin mini.
Or Something Smaller from Etsy
Check out this fabulous female led brand that makes awesome coaching notebooks. They have a field hockey option too.
How many times has her phone been dropped or hit by a hockey ball. This screen protector has saved my phone more than once.
Yes, she gets stressed during trainings and games. Since she can’t play, she chomps her stress away. Get her some gum.
Functional Field Style: Look good, feel good, coach with confidence
A fab pair of game-day sneakers, purposefully worn for the moments when she needs to look down and ground herself in the nitty-gritty of game-day, while still remembering that her kicks are cool.
New kicks always need a fresh pair of socks. This brand was recommended to us.
Every queen needs a crown, or in this case, a cap. A hat to beat the elements. Get her a baseball hat, a bucket hat, a winter hat. You could do a classic baseball hat or a more trendy flat brim trucker hat. The options are endless. Get her caps for all the elements.
She needs rain gear. I love a long black rain jacket that can be thrown over everything and worn in all weather. Something like the one below.
Sunglasses are key, and also a matter of personal preference. Gift her the Warby Parker home try-on experience.
Beauty and Sundry Essentials:
Sunscreen (Face and Body)
Sunspot Minimizer
Perfume
She's Always Learning and Growing:
Coaching is all about community, and women in coaching need to find their tribe. WE Coach is a great resource. Give her the gift of community.
A coach also needs solitude - to think and reflect deeply. This book list provides a range of athletic related material.
Check Out This Awesome Book List
I know we live in the digital world of calendars. Yet there is still something special about flipping through a calendar with photos and memories of your favorite times during the year. Gift her a personalized calendar to remember all her triumphs and favorite people.
Personalized Calendar Options from Etsy
For the coach who is working Double Duty as Mom:
I don't have kids, but my sisters do. On the road, they are pumping, feeding, momming and coaching. Think of gifts that will make their lives easier. Sister Meg recommends an insulated cooler for her milk and the kids snacks on those long travel days. Did I say it also holds wine too? Because, you know...
Sleep is essential. Not just for athletes but coaches and their babies too. Sister Sarah does a great job recreating her kids sleep environment on the road. Her go-to for doing that is a portable sound machine. We recommend this simple and affordable sound machine from HoMedics:
Comments
Post a Comment