www.elpatioescondido.net

"I felt that emptiness to not be able to be there to start them off," said Simmons "That's always been the most phenomenal point of origin for the Howe experience Once you establish that mentality, mindset, atmosphere, spirit, and character - even if they left Howe, they'd take it with them Not being there to help shape their future and get to know them or give them a nickname, or teach them about Bulldog pride, or have them running around me grabbing on to my knee or something "

He made a visit to the school in November and said his heart was pounding because he was so excited to be around the kids And recently, he visited with that kindergarten class that he's not been able to be a part of

"I talked to them about the track meet (Day of Champions) and to not be afraid of the gun I talked to them about gun safety," said Simmons "When I stood up in front of them, it was a good feeling I watched them and was pleased how well they listened and paid attention Even though I wasn't there this year, I've never left and they've never left me I just don't know their names this year But they're still Bulldogs "

Simmons was able to do the motivation chant that he was so known for at the elementary school Traditions that he started over 30 years ago have remained in place even after his retirement

"Alexa Brunner is still there with Coach Ashby and they are doing such a great job with those kids," said Simmons "They named their division - they're the Firecrackers "

Retirement meant seeing his granddaughter more this year even though he says he didn't see her enough Not hunting or fishing, Simmons says working around the house was as close to a hobby that he took advantage of

"I have some school projects that I had that I was always behind on and I thought when I retired I'd be able to get caught up on, but I haven't," said Simmons "I'm asking myself, 'where'd your first year go?'"

Last week was the Day of Champions track meet for the elementary school His main concern was for the organizers who had to make decisions regarding the weather

"It takes so much time and effort and when you get to the end, there's a possibility of rain and you're like, 'Oh no!', said Simmons "But when the weather crept up, I felt a sense of relief that it's not on me this year"

Simmons was there to start each race with the starting gun, however, the gun jammed which he then used his voice which has been rubbed away by years of hollering and chanting When that failed, he grabbed a whistle and for one afternoon, he once again became Coach

"It was exciting to see them on the starting line They all ran two races so I got to see them all twice," said Simmons

He says that one of the best compliments was when a new teacher or coach would come to Howe and comment about how well-behaved the Howe students were compared to the school they were previously

"There are state championships and there's the Lone Star Cup, but to have a teacher-coach make a comment like that, that's what it's about," said Simmons

Retirement is something that had to happen because he felt his stamina had diminished to where he couldn't do physically what he once did But mentally, the will to be around the kids has never left Back in the fall, he watched one of his hundreds of DVDs of PE activities from over the years which made him sentimental

"When I watched it I wanted to go back because when I watched it, I started critiquing it and thinking about the systems and how we implemented things and I thought 'I could do this and I can do that ' I felt like an old coach then I thought, let's give it another shot and plug in those new ideas I was having," Simmons joked "The desire to be with the kids never leaves you and especially when there are kids there that you coached As long as they're there, that's going to be a strong pull "

But Simmons insists he's done and doesn't want to be the person looking over the shoulder of the new instructor With parents living out of state with growing needs and a granddaughter, he says that when he made his decision to retire, he fully committed to retirement

"It's hard for me to say that it's someone else's job That's difficult," said Simmons "I had 31 years of doing it and loving it, but that position is filled and I never want that person to think that I'm looking over their shoulder I made my decision and that's just the way it's going to be "

He compared leaving the elementary position with the decision to leave coaching football His body just couldn't coach the way he liked to coach which was high-energy and loud screaming His desire to coach football never left, but the physical demands made the decision for him The decision to leave the elementary school was the same

"You think about it daily You miss it weekly You're drawn back to it occasionally Like when I put the tape in," said Simmons "I imagine I'll still feel that way as long as my kids are still in school."

For Coach and his kids, it was a treat for him to be at the Day of Champions last week But it was again a reminder for him of his decision as he left tired and exhausted and realizing that he didn't even have to organize it page 8