By Evan Zimmerman (Whetstone Staff Writer)

Evan Zimmerman: How long have you been coaching?

Jerry Kobasa: 30 plus years. I used to coach high school football and basketball, and I also coached football and baseball in college.

EZ: How have you changed your style since you started coaching?

JK: I’ve learned as I’ve gotten older that there is more than winning. My values have changed more. It’s more important to coach players along in life, and I’ve come to the realization that some things just don’t go your way. It’s nothing to get upset about, just learn from it. One of the main keys to winning is enjoying what you’re doing. Once you start to have fun, winning takes care of itself.

EZ: What rewards do you personally get from coaching?

JK: Watching kids grow. That’s the most exciting thing, watching a young man turn into an adult. It’s like planting a seed and watching that seed grow; you get to nurture it and watch it blossom in to a full grown flower.

EZ: Where did you go to school? What did you major in?

JK: I went to North Penn High School in Lansdale, Pa.  I started at Wesley Junior College, then finished at Delaware State. I got an AA degree in business administration, and a bachelor’s in distributive education.

EZ: What drew you to this field?

JK: Growing up playing all different sports. The roles that coaches played in my life made me want to be one myself.

EZ: What job did you picture yourself having while in school?

JK: Coaching. Coaches and teachers-professors were the ones who guided me and kept me on the right path.

EZ: Where were you born and raised?

JK: Lansdale, Pa.

EZ: Do you have a favorite movie?

JK: Too many to name just one, but I’m a big James Bondaholic, anything James Bond I’ll watch.

EZ: Favorite book?

JK: James Bond books

EZ: Favorite music or artist?

JK: I’m an old-school guy, ‘60s Motown music where you can understand the words and it has meaning.

EZ: What are your favorite pastimes and hobbies?

JK: I love music, and being out on the water, on my boat.

EZ: What are you most passionate about in life?

JK: Other than family, the passion of being around my players. It keeps me young and keeps me in tune with what is going around in our culture. It’s an extended family; you always want them to succeed in life. You learn and grow from your mistakes.