Mindfulness coach making history with Fern Creek High School Football team

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — A JCPS coach is breaking barriers as the first female coach in the district.

Koki Harris is one of the coaches for the Fern Creek High School Football team.

Even though Coach Harris isn't a position coach and doesn't call plays, each Friday, she's right there on the sidelines to help the players stay focused as a mindfulness coach.

"When you feel well, you play well," Coach Harris said. "So sometimes, some of our athletes may get frustrated, things might not be going their way."

And when that happens, Coach Harris is there to help keep players balanced both physically and mentally.

"So the students a lot of times will come to me and say 'Miss Koki, my knees bother me, can we do knee stretches today?'" Coach Harris said. "But we also work on things like growth mindset, healthy habits, hydrating."

While the team breaks plays, head coach Joshua Abell is well aware Coach Harris is also breaking barriers, but said that wasn't even part of the game-plan.

"So the relationships that she had is why I felt it was important that she had a role on this year's team," Coach Abell said. "It was less about the female aspect and more about just who she is. Miss Koki, as we all call her, she's phenomenal, and she's great with our kids."

Before COVID, most of the players had probably never even heard of a mindfulness coach but now, it's a crucial part of the playbook.

"We use it as like a reset button, Coach Harris said. "So I hear a lot of the kids say they feel better. Our coaches have seen the difference in our kiddos, and so we just I hear a lot of overall they feel better like they're playing from a place of positivity."

Even though Coach Harris is the first female coach in JCPS, she said she definitely hopes she isn't the last.