It was more than just a soccer game.
In fact, for the Bishop Walsh girls’ soccer team, it had very little to do with the sport at all.
In A Road No One Traveled – Side Effects of Coaching, Coach Raymond Kiddy shares the kind of story you don’t expect to find in a book about high school athletics. It wasn’t about stats, rankings, or playoff dreams. It was about a moment of quiet strength, played out on a field, but written into the hearts of everyone who was there.
The Return No One Expected
Erin Langan, a junior forward on the team, had been missing practices here and there. Not because she was injured. Not because she wasn’t committed. But because her mother, Debi, had been diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor.
By the time the team was preparing to play their city rivals, Allegany High School, Erin’s mom had just been released from the hospital. And on that day, something happened that none of the players, coaches, or parents would ever forget.
Debi came to the game.
Her husband helped her into a wheelchair. She was weak and frail, but she was there. And everyone knew that it might be the last time she would see her daughter play.
We Played Not To Win But To Protect Moments
That night, Coach Kiddy and his assistant, Donnie Amann, came up with a game plan that had nothing to do with winning.
They weren’t chasing goals, but they were protecting moments. The strategy was simple: “park the bus,” focus on defense, and keep the game within reach. They wanted Erin’s mom to see her daughter compete and see her team fight with everything they had.
The final score? 1–0. They lost, but in every meaningful way, they won.
After the game, Coach Kiddy led the team while still in uniform up the stadium ramp to greet Debi in the stands. One by one, players hugged her. Tears were shed. Words were few. But love? Love was everywhere.
The Power of Presence
Moments like these remind us what sports can really mean.
Yes, sports are about skill and discipline. But sometimes, they become the vessel for something far more powerful: connection.
That night, the Bishop Walsh girls didn’t play for a scoreboard.
They played for a mother.
They played for a teammate.
They played for each other.
And that’s what makes this memoir so moving.
Coach Kiddy doesn’t try to paint himself as a hero. He simply shows up for his players, for their families, for the hard days that don’t make the highlight reels. He reminds us that sometimes, the most meaningful victories are the quiet ones.
Why You Should Read A Road No One Traveled?
If you’ve ever:
- Cheered on your child from the sidelines
- Tried to support a friend through grief
- Wondered if just “being there” is enough
Then this story will speak directly to your heart.
Because A Road No One Traveled – Side Effects of Coaching isn’t just a book about coaching. It’s about the moments that truly define us, the ones we didn’t plan for, didn’t ask for, but showed up for anyway.
And those are the moments that last.
Discover the full story.
Visit www.raykiddy.com or email Connect@raykiddy.com to order your copy of A Road No One Traveled – Side Effects of Coaching.
Because the best lessons in life… are sometimes taught from the sidelines.