A family affair

PINE PRAIRIE – Deep in every father’s heart is the desire to see your children succeed in life. And, part of that is the eagerness to be involved, as much as possible, in their everyday lives, so that they will come to understand that success means nothing without unconditional love.
There is even that secret yearning that maybe; just maybe, they will follow in your footsteps if you impart the passions that drive your existence. Whether that passion is hunting, fishing or even the profession you have chosen for yourself. This especially holds true for the relationship between a father and his sons.
For Quint West, this yearning has come to fruition, as both of his sons, Elliott and Aaron, have soaked in the example that he has set for his boys and followed in his professional footsteps; teaching and coaching.
“I was very excited when they told me that they wanted to go into the coaching profession,” said Quint. “In a lot of ways, I am thankful that they chose education as a profession. I truly believe that it is an awesome field for family oriented people. We are a very tight family and I know that they are going to have a tight family when they get married and have children. Being off during the holidays and the summers allows you to spend a great deal of time with your family.”
West should know this, as both he and his wife Roxane, have been a part of the education profession their entire career.
Still, how does a father become lucky enough to have not only one son, but both sons enter into the same profession that he has enjoyed so deeply for so long?
That answer lies in his unfathomable devotion to make sure that he was with them every chance he got through each one’s athletic careers; even having the opportunity to coach both of his sons to a state championship title.
“Actually my wife coached both Elliott and Aaron when they first started out in tee-ball and actually won some championships with them,” stated Quint. “But then as they moved up in age, I was able to coach them. It was time consuming because I was coaching high school baseball and then I would coach them in Dixie Youth. But, I enjoyed every minute of it and would not trade that experience for the world. It seemed like it took forever for them to get to high school so that I could coach them on that level. I wanted to travel with them and spend more time with them. I loved being with them; my strength came from being with them.”
That experience hit an all time emotional high when West and the Pine Prairie Panthers captured the school’s first baseball title in 2001 by defeating Doyle. That year Elliott was a seventh grader on the varsity team. The father and son duo got to share the title two years later in 2003 with younger brother Aaron, an eighth grader on the varsity team at the time.
The trio almost made it three state championships in 2004, but the Panthers fell short in the finals to Oak Hill to take home the runner-up trophy.
“The first championship was the biggest relief of my life,” said Quint. “We had been disqualified the year before, and I thought we had our best team that season. When the game was over and the sun is setting at Bringhurst Field and you are the last one standing, it is an amazing feeling. What made it even more significant was that Elliott was there to share it with me.”
According to Elliott, the second title came as a surprise to everyone but the players on the team.
“We lost three seniors from the year before and we weren’t expected to do well that year,” said Elliott. “But, we had been playing baseball with each other ever since we were little, and not just in Dixie Youth. We would call each other up or go to each other’s houses and gather up a crew and go play pickup games at the park. I really think that is what led to us being so successful. We were like a family.”
The younger West had the opportunity to play in the title game as an eighth grader, thanks in large part to an injury to his older sibling.
“Elliott had hurt his arm the game before the championship,” stated Aaron. “So, he could not throw, but he could be the designated hitter. The night before the game, my dad came into my room and told me that I would be starting at third base for my brother and he would hit for me. I was so nervous because I really had not played in a varsity game all season. But, I got the chance to play in the biggest game of the year.”
“When I told him he was playing I knew he was nervous because the first thing he said was ‘I need the bathroom’,” Quint interjected.
Whatever the case was, it worked out for all of the West boys. The title was theirs to share with each other.
“For me, the second championship was extra special because I wanted Aaron to have the same feeling that Elliott had,” commented Quint. “You really want the two of them to feel the same emotions of winning a state championship. I was happy I got a chance to share it with both of them.”
The desire to coach consumed the two siblings throughout high school, mostly because of the example set by their dad.
“Since I was old enough to begin thinking about college, I wanted to coach,” said Elliott. “I witnessed my dad all of my life stay at the gym or stay at the park. His work ethic inspired me to get into the coaching profession. Besides I loved sports.”
“It was like that is what we were supposed to do,” stated Aaron. “We we were growing up, dad taught us everything about baseball and basketball. I can’t argue with you about mechanics or computers, but when we talk about baseball and basketball, we can talk for days and that is all because of him.”
Both West sons were able to fulfill that dream, as they earned their degrees from Louisiana College and began their careers.
Ironically, both Elliott and Aaron were able to coach at their alma mater early in their careers.
In what would be the most memorable time in the coaching careers of all three, the West trio coached Pine Prairie baseball together alongside Quint’s brother Shane in 2012, who also had a career in the coaching profession. Shane recently passed away after a long battle with cancer.
“I was so grateful that we all got to coach together as a family, especially with Shane,” an extremely emotional West said. “I feel blessed that they were able to share that time with their uncle.”
Eventually Quint gave up the coaching aspect of his career and focused all of his energy on just teaching. According to West, this was due to two main reasons.
“I was just tired, I had coached for seventeen years,” said West. “That and after they got out of high school it really was not the same without them. I knew I wanted to watch them coach when they got out of college.”
However, both Elliott and Aaron have taken up the West coaching mantle and are enjoying successful careers of their own. Elliott is the head boys basketball and softball coach at Plainview, while Aaron is the head baseball coach and assistant girls basketball coach at Glenmora.
When asked if they are inclined to get or take advice from their father when it comes to all of the facets of coaching, the two brothers both agree that dad is a perfect go to resource.
“We keep him in the loop and talk to him about games, situations and the overall coaching experience,” stated Elliott. “My dad was not just a good coach, but he was fun to play for. We learned a lot from watching him and do a lot of the same things he did with us at practice.”
“After he comes and watches our teams now, he will give us advice about certain situations that may have come up,” said Aaron. “We listen and use it if we think it would help. I find myself being hard on the kids, but being fair because that is how dad coached. All of my favorite coaches did it that way, including my dad.”
“I see a lot of my mannerisms in them when I watch them coach, especially the hand gestures and the facial expressions,” commented Quint. “It is pretty interesting to watch them on the field.”
As they say, chips off of the block. Or in this case, all directions point West.