Parents decry change of soccer coach
BY PAM BRANNON Gulf Breeze News news@gulfbreezenews.com

At least 30 individuals - parents and students - from Gulf Breeze attended the Santa Rosa County School Board meeting Thursday, June 28 to quietly but firmly protest the change in soccer coaches at the school. Five of those making the trip to Milton addressed the board.

The group expressed concern that Gulf Breeze High dismissed assistant soccer coach Robert Simon from the entire soccer program for next year and hired a new head soccer coach. Last year's head soccer coach Eric Miles has accepted a teaching and coaching position in Naples, Florida and Coach Simon had applied for the vacant position in Gulf Breeze. Since another applicant was hired, Rob Simon has now accepted a position at Navarre High as a science teacher and assistant boys soccer coach and assistant softball coach. Simon also coached GBHS softball.

Cindy Gross, co-president of the soccer program and mom to four Gulf Breeze students said, "We do not have anything against the new soccer coach -- we don't know her. But we want the school board to know how much we appreciated Coach Rob and Coach Miles. We first met Coach Rob several years ago as a trainer working with the football program at the school. Since then he has worked as trainer for baseball, boys and girls basketball, track, assistant coach for soccer, and this past year was head coach for softball. We know the position of soccer coach has been filled, but we were at least hoping that he could stay involved with the soccer program at Gulf Breeze through working as a trainer -- or somehow."

One mother who spoke said it was "two or three" people who caused constant controversy with the soccer program over the past two seasons that caused the high school principal and school superintendent to make the decision not to put Coach Rob in the head coaching position.

Student and soccer player Jennifer Wells told the board, "It amazes me how a few opinionated voices can influence such a big decision."

Santa Rosa School Supt. John Rogers said, "I supported principal Ladner in his decision to hire someone new in that position this year. I think it is important to have someone there that was not there during the past two years of controversy. When you look over the past several years, there is no question -- Robert Simon and Eric Miles did a good job, and they are both men of integrity. Coach Miles was Teacher of the Year last year. And taking a soccer team to second in the state, as they did last year, is quite an accomplishment. We had several applicants, some from out of state, and we chose from some outstanding people. Robert Simon is going to be a great asset to the Navarre High program -- he will bring so many skills to their program, I know. They are very happy to get him."

One player's Mom, Dixie Herman, said, "There were some people who drove Coach Miles out of the community, when he just got tired of it all. And now we have lost Coach Simon. Coach Rob was the first person I always called when my daughter had any injuries to help us know how to help her get well." She told the board, "I have home schooled my children and have been very careful who is in their lives, and both Coach Eric Miles and Coach Rob Simon have been very good influences. Coach Miles was my daughter's coach for five years, and a great family man and good role model. And now he is gone."

Co-president Gross told the board, "We want you and Coach Rob to know we have a deep and sincere gratitude for his dedication to our programs -- from football to baseball to soft ball and soccer. We almost got the state soccer title last year, thanks to the dedication and hard work of both those coaches with our students. There will be a very large void to fill with them gone."