Update on Paul Austin of Play Marin
If your kid plays an organized sport in Marin, you’ve probably met Paul Austin and you were in all likelihood quite impressed when you did. Paul is the founder and CEO of Play Marin. He’s an intelligent, charismatic man, so it makes sense that he’s also a beloved coach and respected community leader.
I think the main reason he’s so universally liked and admired is very simple. Paul really, really wants all of our kids to get outside and play together. He wants them to enjoy and exult in their youth and have a chance to excel and learn on their own steam in a sphere where they feel at home, but also have a chance to meet and connect with new friends and their future classmates, from all over Marin County. That sphere is the “field of play” and Play Marin’s main goal is to close what he calls the “activity gap.” His reputation as a dynamic basketball coach usually precedes him, but you get the impression that Paul doesn’t play favorites. Whether on the track, skatepark, basketball or volleyball courts, soccer and lacrosse fields or in the pool, he works to create opportunities for all of our kids to discover new sports, explore competition, learn teamwork, practice fair play and meet new people.
I’ll admit it though, y’all. One of the reasons I was excited to talk to Paul was purely selfish. You see, I actually miss the insane, white-hot drag race that is my girls’ spring soccer and track seasons. And that really is saying something because spring is, without a doubt, the craziest time of year for any sports parent. But all of the tedium of washing dirty uniforms, driving to and from practices and nursing their injuries and helping them process sometimes crushing losses, is always doubly made up by seeing the smiles, laughter and hard work of our little warriors out on the field. As founder and CEO of Play Marin and a coach in his own right, Paul feels this pain one hundred times over. Before COVID-19, Paul would be full swing coaching CYO track and AAU boys and girls basketball teams in addition to gearing up for Play Marin’s busiest programmatic quarter. Each of his teams would be practicing at least two times per week and traveling to meets and games on the weekends. His AAU teams would be working their hearts out to show their skills at tournaments in Arizona and Los Angeles - trips the kids look forward to all year.
But then the pandemic happened. So what does a coach do when all the games are called off and the fields are closed? Paul Austin did exactly what anyone who knows him would have expected. He focused in, assessed the situation and matched up his skills, talents and resources to the needs of his community. And then he went straight to work. Just days after Play Marin’s recreation programming came to an abrupt halt, Paul immediately organized a small group of volunteers and began delivering over 500 meals a week to families in need in Marin City. When I last spoke to Paul, he was still in constant motion, helping oversee the delivery and distribution of food and giving directions to his band of volunteers. While doing all of this and talking to me, he also made time to say hello and check in with kids who, I could tell, were thrilled to get a few seconds of his time. I kept it brief because…obviously. But what I learned in those few minutes was the most inspiring thing I’ve heard yet during these bleak months of shelter-in-place.
Restaurants join Play Marin to feed Marin City’s neediest.
For Paul, the season may be suspended indefinitely but his coaching never stops. He reminds his players to remember the skills they learn on the field and use them at home. “I expect them to stay physically active and I explain that they can do that by working on their individual and technical skills all by themselves. They can practice dribbling down the hallway or do wall ball drills for lacrosse.” He explains that “social distancing is what their families and community ‘team’ needs right now. So they are still receiving the benefit of sport: self confidence, awareness and learning the value of collectivity and group effort to achieve a goal.” Amazing, right?
Paul will continue working to spearhead the meal delivery project through June (and if you’d like to contribute to this effort you can at playmarin.org/#contact) but like any sports parent and coach, he’s keen to restart Play Marin’s recreation programs this summer. When I asked him how we can best embrace and support Play Marin, the answer was simple and succinct. Please contact Paul with any resources or connections to summer sports activities. He’s interested in any and everything that will get kids active, social and interacting with their future classmates. So if you have connections to organizations that introduce kids to skateboarding, mountain biking, surfing, rugby or more traditional sports, get in touch with Paul at http://www.playmarin.org/#contact
Yours in soul, power and love,
Halicue Gambrell Hanna