Clarke Central High School varsity boys soccer head coach Chris Aiken coaches his players at halftime during a game versus Winder-Barrow High School on April 1. Aiken has been coaching boys soccer at CCHS since 2012, and values the relationships he has built with his team. “He’s younger, so I guess he connects with us better than other coaches that I’ve had,” junior and varsity midfielder Lorenzo Calabria said.
By ZOE PETERSON – Sports Editor
Clarke Central High School varsity boys soccer head coach Chris Aiken sets high expectations for his players while maintaining a comfortable learning environment.
Growing up, Clarke Central High School varsity boys soccer head coach Chris Aiken didn’t have a strong passion for coaching. It wasn’t until he was recommended to coach at North Hall High School that he found his place.
“Coaching kind of started uniquely for me. While I was playing soccer at North Georgia, they had a coach at North Hall High School who had to leave, so they reached out to our college coach to see if he had any players who were interested in coaching the boys JV team, and he recommended me,” Aiken said. “That’s how I kind of began coaching.”
While still playing collegiate soccer at the University of North Georgia, Aiken coached a Classic 2 level club team at Lanier Soccer Association. After college, he took a job at North Gwinnett High School, coaching a team he was once rivals with.
“It was fun to go back and coach at a school kind of where I grew up that was actually in the region that I played in,” Aiken said. “I was coaching a rival of ours, but it was a good starting place for me.”
In the fall of 2012, Aiken came to CCHS and became a math department teacher and the varsity boys soccer head coach. On the field, he tries to instill a competitive nature in his players.
“We try to make everything as competitive as possible with a winner and a loser so (the players) can start developing the mindset that although soccer is meant to be enjoyable, it’s also meant to have someone that wins at the end of the day,” Aiken said.
Although Aiken is serious about winning, he also works to maintain a relaxed atmosphere within the team.
“(Aiken) is a fairly laid back coach. He has high expectations but makes sure that he puts everyone around him in position to achieve them,” boys junior varsity soccer head coach Michael Smith said.
Junior and varsity soccer player Lorenzo Calabria agrees that although Aiken expects a lot out of his players, he has an easygoing persona.
“He pushes us to do the best that we can, and I just like the environment that we have at practice,” Calabria said. “I don’t feel as pressured as I have at other teams so it’s nice.
Aiken is also able to form close relationships with his players because he is so close in age with most of them.
“I think my favorite thing about coaching is really getting to know the kids outside of a school setting,” Aiken said. “They all have such unique personalities and it’s so fun to get to see them build relationships with each other and lasting friendships that go beyond high school soccer.”
As a coach, Aiken’s main goal is to win a state championship.
“I think the main reason I would say that I coach is for the purpose of trying to win a championship,” Aiken said. “Everybody who gets involved in coaching loves the sport that they’re coaching, but the ultimate goal as a head coach is to try to develop a team that can compete for a championship.”
In the future, Aiken hopes to continue coaching at CCHS for years to come.
“I hope to stay at Clarke Central for a long time. I’ve really enjoyed it here,” Aiken said. “Dr. Ward and Dr. Hooker have been great bosses and mentors to me and I feel like I owe a lot to them and I’m just grateful to be here. I hope that I can stay here for a long time.”
