Lieutenant Steve Kreimer Recieves Award

A long time member of the New Windsor Fire Department was recently recognized for his dedication, and committment to the New Windsor Community. The West Carroll Rec Council recently reconginzed New Windsor Fire Department Member Steve Kriemer, as the 2009 Volunteer of the Year. In addition to being an active member and line officer with the New Windsor Fire Department, Steve also serves as a coach on many area rec teams in the New Windsor Community. The New Windsor Fire Department would like to congradulate Steve on this much derserved award.

The article below appeared in the Carroll County Times, on March 28, 2010.

West Carroll Rec honors Kreimer
By Mike Nortrup, Times Staff Writer

West Carroll Recreation Council 2009 Volunteer of the Year Steve Kreimer is glad he received that honor in a somewhat unusual way.

Kreimer, a lifelong resident of the New Windsor area, was nominated by local residents Victor and Tressa Kolk — whose son Austin plays on the soccer team he coaches — not actually by the Rec Council itself.

"The rewarding thing is that the parents of a kid I coach submitted it," he said.

The written citation spoke of the seemingly endless hard work and time Kreimer has donated to the youngsters, year in and year out, and the influence he has had.

It says in part, "Steve Kreimer is a wonderful role model for the kids. Steve has been the [soccer] coach to seven or more of the same kids since the first grade. They love him as a coach and admire him as a role model. Steve never leaves anyone out. He provides positive feedback to every player on his team...This is why West Carroll has chosen Steve Kreimer as their Volunteer of the Year."

"It's nice to be appreciated like that," Kreimer said.

Being nominated by a couple of parents in a sense confirms the relationship he has tried to establish with the youngsters over the years he has coached his daughters' youth teams.

Daughters Amber, 12, and Melinda, 15, (and now a pitcher on the Francis Scott Key varsity softball team) have played rec soccer and softball.

Kreimer said he originally got involved in coaching at least partially, "in order to grow with my daughters and establish a relationship with them."

Having coached the girls' teams for eleven consecutive years now, Kreimer has succeeded in doing that.

Kreimer makes it clear that he wants to accomplish a number of things when he works with his players.

He says, wants to win, but he also wants to be fair and give everybody a chance to play. He wants the players to learn, but this means pointing out their mistakes However it also means not alienating them when he does that. And while all of this is going on, he also wants the kids to have fun.

"I try to combine a lot of different things and put them all together. It's pretty amazing," he said.

So how does he avoid conflicts among those disparate goals?

"Tell [the youngsters] up front what your expectations are. Always be honest, and you'll gain their respect. They will look up to you, and it will be a lot easier for you to coach them," Kreimer answered.

He says that their mistakes or bad play should be always be pointed out, but that should be done in a positive manner. One never criticizes a player in front of her team.

He said that if a player or players make the kind of mistake that is common, then the coach can talk to the team about the mistake in general terms without attributing it to anybody in particular. Sometimes of course, the coach must talk to the player privately.

Whatever method he chooses, the goal remains the same.

"I want to see the player grow, and watch them get better," Kreimer said.

Kreimer says that he also likes to work "life lessons" into his presentations on the X's and O's. This type of chalk talk shows how the lessons learned on a ball diamond or soccer field also apply later on in life.

"For example, I teach them about being part of a team and setting goals. Hopefully, this will help them later on," he said.

Kreimer says he will keep coaching West Carroll teams until at least the time when Amber is in high school.

Meanwhile, he is also branching out into other areas of coaching. Both daughters pitch for travel fast-pitch teams. Because he has a background in softball coaching, he has been asked to assist with those programs, too.

"I run to Hampstead six days a week during the summer," he said.

Kreimer would like to help out at the high school level as an assistant softball and soccer coach with one daughter there and the other not far away.

"I want to get my foot in the door at Francis Scott Key. I'd love to do it and have a positive impact," he said.