#ThanksCoach: Jake Rondot Balances Family, Career, and Coaching to Impact his Athletes and Community

CAO’s Empowering Stories from Behind the Bench article series – September 2024

“I couldn’t imagine my life without coaching.”

By David Grossman

Jake Rondot is an individual that has a myriad of valuable and significant things going on in his life with the all-important family topping the list. Then, comes his career and, well, everything else falls in line.

Oh, there’s one more thing – coaching. That’s very important to him. It’s also something that he insists involves treating people with respect.

“I couldn’t imagine my life without coaching,” said Rondot, who is managing director of Human Kinetics Canada, the world’s largest publisher of health and physical activity books, stories, journals and webinars including courses and videos.

“Sport is fun, especially at the amateur level, and it’s a very good time helping young people learn about patience as well as balancing performance, anxiety, and even negative stress. It’s also about learning about yourself, too, and I love it.”

Now 47 years of age, Rondot has been providing education, training and development ever since his first experience as a coach. That came at the age of 14 – and it was while helping to stage drills with the non-profit Windsor Minor Football Association.

“I was more of a coach’s player – learning and understanding the game while helping younger people,” he said. “I really liked it and, back then, wondered about a dream job as a head coach or working in some form of sports administration.”

Funny how things happen.

In addition to his primary executive job that focuses on delivering messages that range from nutrition to strength and functional training as well as other sport-related topics, Rondot devotes a fair amount of time in the educational classroom.

He teaches sport management at the University of Windsor. During the appropriate time of the year, you’ll find him coaching his daughters, who compete in the South Windsor Youth Soccer Club.

It is busy times for Rondot, but he’s quite accustomed to managing time – and in a positive and productive way. Back in his teen years at Catholic Central high school in Windsor, Rondot had a dream job of becoming a head coach. At the time, he was focussed on sales and becoming an executive.

Knowledge was big to him. First, it was an under-graduate degree in sports management at the University of Windsor. Then, he crossed the border and earned a second degree. This one, in sport business and from the largest public research university in New England – the flagship campus of the University of Massachusetts in Amherst.

A multi-sport athlete in his teenager years, all-star football player and later university athlete, he’s benefitted from sound coaching. Also quite evident, is his expression of what should be important to a coach.

“It’s not always the wins, but to understand what successful performance should be – and that includes relationship building, instruction, teamwork and clear communication,” said Rondot, who has been coaching for a remarkable 33 years in a variety of sports and is also an experienced football official.

“There’s lot to learn, and improve on, when the victories are not always there,” he said. “As coaches (in amateur sports), we need to remember that the job is to help younger people.”

A busy guy, Rondot connects with both National and Provincial Sport Organizations across the country on a range of subjects that include sport nutrition, inclusive behaviour, fundamentals, strength and functional training.

In Canada, September 16 to 22 is 2024 National Coaches Week. It’s a superb time to recognize and highlight the positive impact coaches have made on athletes and communities across the country. Rondot, in addition to everything else he does, stands out in another area.

He might very well be the only individual who coaches an amateur sport and – also has a craft coffee business in the Windsor/Walkerville area. Called RŌ_ST, his coffee will be a featured item in a coaches limited edition swag box that highlights items from local Ontario businesses.

When one has a conversation with Rondot about sports, what is clearly emphasized is the value he puts on the importance of coaching instruction and relationship building.

“There should be no surprises,” he said. “As a coach, I make time to talk to parents and outline what we do so that everyone understands. There must be a comfort level about coaches and expectations. As with anything, there can be a lack of communication that happens and that needs to be improved.”

Rondot has been fortunate to avoid major contentious issues in his coaching career.

Fair play, fun and supportive behaviour mean more to Rondot than the final score of a game. Bullying of players is a serious no-no and a behaviour that he does not tolerate.

After a minor incident on the field during a game, which caused some commotion with parents, Rondot asked game officials to step in. The game was stopped. Rondot pulled his squad together for a calm and direct conversation.

The discussion focussed on teamwork, good sportsmanship, and stressed that inappropriate behaviour would not be tolerated. After the game, he spoke with parents about his job, as a coach, teaching important life lessons. By season’s end, there was no issue.

“Coaches have parent and player disagreements regularly, sometimes with emotions running high, but keeping calm and having clear communication and expectations with parents and players (from the start of the season) are fundamental in taking the edge off those exchanges because they know exactly where you stand (as a coach) and what you are likely to say and do in response.”

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David Grossman is a veteran multi award-winning Journalist and Broadcaster with some of Canada’s major media, including the Toronto Star and SPORTSNET 590 THE FAN, and a Public Relations professional for 45+ years in Canadian sports and Government relations.

“It’s not always the wins, but to understand what successful performance should be – relationship building, instruction, teamwork and clear communication”