By Kiara Doyal, The Seattle Medium
For ShaVon Robinson, coaching has always been about giving young people the same encouragement that someone once gave her.
That commitment to being not only a coach, but also a mentor to young athletes has earned Robinson recognition as Best Female Youth Coach in The Seattle Medium’s inaugural Best of the Best Northwest Readers’ Choice Awards. The honor came alongside another milestone for the program she has helped build, as the CD Panthers were also voted Best Youth Cheer Squad, recognizing the culture of excellence and mentorship that has become synonymous with the organization.
After years of dedicating her time to helping young athletes grow both on and off the field, Robinson said the recognition from the community is both humbling and affirming.
“It means a lot to me that someone would even take the time to recognize me. That, for me, means that the work that I do doesn’t go unnoticed,” Robinson said. “To be a finalist really shows how much people have noticed me.”
Her journey into coaching began with a simple desire to give back.
Growing up, Robinson benefited from mentors at her local community center who invested their time in her, inspiring her to do the same for future generations.
Today, it is those lasting relationships with her athletes that continue to fuel Robinson’s passion for coaching.
“When I first got into coaching, it was because somebody helped me when I was young and I wanted to do the same for somebody else,” Robinson said. “What motivates me to keep going is just working with the kids and seeing them grow and go somewhere. I have kids who have graduated from college and are adults now, who come back and help out. I like being able to say that I was a part of these people’s lives.”
That philosophy has guided Robinson throughout her coaching career.
While winning championships is rewarding, Robinson believes her greatest responsibility is helping young people develop the confidence, discipline and character they’ll carry with them for the rest of their lives.
Related Article: Thank You For Making Our Inaugural Best Of The Best Northwest Readers’ Choice Awards A Huge Success
“Confidence. I would love for them to walk away knowing how to control themselves, control their emotions, learn how to be part of a team, but also being an individual and not following,” Robinson said. “I want people to learn how to have respect for people and be decent human beings.”
For Robinson, success has never been measured solely by championships.
Instead, one of her proudest coaching memories came years before the trophies began to arrive.
“I think my proudest moment was in the fourth year, when we finally moved up a space. We had been at the bottom of every competition for three years, but in the fourth year, we finally moved up,” Robinson said. “We weren’t at the top, but we weren’t at the bottom again, and that was my proudest moment.”
As a female coach, Robinson also understands the importance of representation, particularly for young Black girls looking for positive role models.
“I think representation is very important. I think a lot of times you don’t have that. You don’t have women to look up to, and you don’t have women who are being positive and making sure that you get what you need,” Robinson said. “I think it’s an important role that we play as women mentors. It’s an important role that we play, especially when you’re dealing with Black people, because they need to see that we can be more than what society says that we can be.”
That commitment extends well beyond practices and competitions.
Robinson remains involved in her athletes’ academic progress, behavior and personal development, viewing every interaction as an opportunity to prepare them for life beyond youth sports.
“I’m not only teaching cheer, I also go deeper than that. I teach life lessons,” Robinson said. “If their parents are saying, ‘Hey, their grades are slipping,’ or ‘They talked to me crazy,’ I intervene. I’m involved in that and teach them lessons on how to behave to be successful.”
For Robinson, the greatest rewards come from watching the young people she once coached grow into successful adults and return to mentor the next generation. Some of the athletes she coached have graduated from college and now volunteer with the CD Panthers, continuing the same cycle of encouragement that first inspired Robinson to become a coach.
Ultimately, the legacy Robinson hopes to leave has little to do with championship banners or competition results. Instead, she wants every young person who comes through the CD Panthers program to leave with the confidence and life skills needed to succeed long after youth sports have ended.
“I just want them to be successful, and I just want them to be happy,” Robinson said. “I hope that something that they take away from their time in youth sports is something that I taught them outside of just being an athlete and that they carry with them to help them to be successful in their life.”
To see the full list of winners visit bestofthebestnw.com
