Poulin looking forward to St. Charles N. debut

While many of his teaching cohorts are spending Spring Break week on planned vacations to warmer climates, Tom Poulin can be found in a much less glamorous position.

Rake in hand, Poulin began the week trying to prepare St. Charles North’s softball field for Tuesday’s season opener against Plainfield Central.

Like many of his friends, Poulin has been getting in some sun the past couple days but at a much greater risk of windburn than sunburn — with the near-freezing wind chill temperatures slowing down suburban Chicago high school athletic teams.

But you won’t hear Poulin complaining.

In fact, Poulin considers himself to be the fortunate one as he heads into his first season as the North Stars’ varsity softball head coach.

“I’m enjoying it,” said Poulin, who took over late last summer after the resignation of April Stary. “Obviously, there are a lot more responsibilities as head coach than being an assistant.”

Poulin can speak from experience, as he has served as the North Stars’ varsity basketball coach for the past 5 seasons.

“I’ve been attending softball booster club meetings since I got the job,” said Poulin, who also is an assistant football coach at St. Charles North. “You have to stay organized. Luckily for me, the softball booster board keeps me organized.”

As a rare 3-sport coach, Poulin doesn’t enjoy a great deal of down time.

“You don’t have much time to be sick,” he said. “And while I admit there has been a few times where I wish I could have taken a day off, I love what I do. I get a chance to coach in my hometown. I’m lucky, and I know it.

“St. Charles North is a great school. Coaching three sports, I get a chance to be around some great kids and meet a lot of nice parents.”

Inheriting a team that returns basically its entire roster from a year ago when the North Stars compiled a 29-4 record and captured the Upstate Eight Conference with an 18-1 mark, Poulin realizes he is stepping into a promising situation.

“I don’t want to over-coach this group,” he said. “We have a pretty good team and the girls know what they’re doing.

“The main difference between being the head coach and working as an assistant is the responsibility involved,” added Poulin. “As head coach, you’re responsible for everything that goes on from the varsity team to the freshman team. You’re in charge of the entire program.”

Poulin, who spent three years as a girls basketball coach at Larkin (one year as freshman head coach; two years as a varsity assistant), also served as a freshman girls basketball coach for two years when St. Charles North opened its doors.

“I have quite a bit of experience coaching girls,” he said.

Poulin also had the built-in advantage of watching his sisters, Ruth and Anne, play soccer at St. Charles High School, while another sister, Elizabeth, competed as an equestrian.

“Having three younger sisters doesn’t hurt,” said Poulin. “I was able to see how they reacted to different things growing up. Looking back, I learned a lot of things from watching how Joe Moreau and Sue Soderberg coached the girls soccer team, especially when Anne was there.

“I learned some things from a motivational standpoint and how well they handled success and stayed humble. St. Charles won four straight state soccer titles when Anne was there.”

While winning remains the ultimate goal, Poulin admits there are a few differences coaching boys and girls.

“Generally speaking, I’ve found that girls tend to come together easier and faster,” he said. “Not that the boys don’t do it, but girls take instruction well when you break it down to the finer points.”

Poulin isn’t the only boys/girls varsity head coach in the Upstate Eight Conference. Bartlett’s Jim Wolfsmith has guided the Hawks’ softball squad to 3 regional titles and a pair of sectional crowns (2007, 2009) while also directing the boys basketball team to 2 regional championships (2008, 2010).

“I’ve gotten to know Jim pretty well since I spoke with him last fall,” said Poulin. “I’ve got a lot of respect for him and the success he has had in both sports at Bartlett.

“I picked his brain on a number of things. When we had our all-conference basketball meeting a few weeks ago, I sat down and talked softball with him for 45 minutes afterward. He’s one of our biggest fans.”

Several of the North Stars’ veteran players, including Sydney and Taylor Russell, Amanda Ciran, and Ashley Seering, have played for the Bartlett Silver Hawks traveling team during the summer months.

Armed with 7 college-committed seniors — Annie Korth (Loyola), Ciran (Loyola), Natalie Capone (Indiana State), Loren Cihlar (Ball State), Seering (IUPUI), and the Russell twins (University of Indianapolis), the North Stars are out to avenge last year’s stunning 8-7 regional first-round loss to York.

“I’ve reminded them at times but they remember,” said Poulin, who is assisted by a pair of former St. Charles standouts in Brittany Butcher (STC East) and Linda Russell (STC North). “They know just how fragile the postseason can be. They’ve matured a lot.

“I’ve also tried to remind them of all the things they have accomplished.”

One thing they haven’t done is reach their postseason goals. But there’s still time left.

“They’ve got another crack at it,” said Poulin. “They’re ready to go. They’re ready to show each other.”

As for Poulin, he’s taking a simple approach.

“This is a great group of young people,” he said. “It’s going to be a season to remember for all the right reasons — no matter the result.”

You can reach Craig Brueske at csb4k@hotmail.com