All year round, every sport, every season, he is up at the school from sun up to sun down. Coach Quentin “Q” Oliphant is currently the Head Athletic Trainer/ Strength and Conditioning Coordinator/Physical Education Trainer. But as the school year comes to a close, Coach Q’s career at the school does as well.
Next year Coach Q will be the Strength and Conditioning Coach at North Garland. Former Coach Eddie Parmer and Jason Regan have gone there as well.
“I’ve been with Coach Parmer and Coach Regan for over a decade, so obviously there’s a connection there. Also the Athletics Coordinator over there is also a guy I’m familiar with and worked with over at McKinney North. So I’m pretty much going home,” Oliphant said.
Coach Q is getting his chance to work with new athletes and develop new relationships with them.
“My main goal was to have an impact on kid’s lives and I think that is the most important thing. It is not necessarily what you do in the classroom that counts, but when you show a kid that you care about them. I believe that a kid will run through a brick wall for you if they know for a fact that you care about them,” Oliphant said.
Over the years Coach Q has built strong relationships with many athletes. He has worked with some of them since 7th grade.
“I think it is really upsetting because I’ve known him for 7 years and he has impacted our program a lot,” junior Emily Silva said. “He will be greatly missed.”
Being with these athletes for so long made it harder for Coach Q to let go.
“It’s a painful experience for me. Very rarely do you get a chance to work with kids from the younger grades all the way up,” Oliphant said.
Coach Q has worked with the school since it was still developing. He helped develop the athletic program.
“It’s been a great run here at Lovejoy,” Oliphant said. “I think a majority of that has to do with Coach Puckett of course. He is a great guy to work for and I thank him for the opportunity to be Strength and Conditioning and Head Athletic Coordinator.”
Even though Coach Q is leaving the school, he doesn’t plan to leave his athlete’s lives.
“I will be at every home game that I can make it to,” Oliphant said. “Even though I’m not apart of this district anymore, I still would like to be apart of the kids’ lives.”
