Coach Chris Amill: Y’town Will Band Together, Beat This

Chris Amill, football coach at Chaney High School and the dean of students for the Youngstown City Schools, is hanging tough. You can read more about Chaney as its website.

What are some ways the COVID-19 outbreak has changed your work life?

The main change has been not being able to see my students and players face to face. I’ve always used social media anyway, but being able to see them face to face was good for me. As a coach, we post workouts and challenges on an app we downloaded and we can all respond with videos or messages. That has been different but fun because coaches have been included in workouts.

How about your personal life?

Personally, it has made me sit down and try to work on me as a person and coach. Like my work life, football plays a huge part in my personal life, with the bonds and friendships I have with my coaches. Not being able to be around my guys has been tough. Also, with my father getting older and having some previous health issues, I get nervous to just go hang and relax with him. Social distance is NOT my thing. I’m a pretty social guy.

What steps are you taking to hang tough?

For me it’s been relaxing with my family, listening to music. I go to Mill Creek Park daily and get at least six miles in, watch video clinics for football, zoom professional development trainings and do a lot of social media with college coaches. You know they are still watching and recruiting players, and I always want to make sure my boys are up on somebody’s computer screen, phone, Twitter account or whatever is being looked at.

What advice are you sharing with the people you love?

Be Smart, be Safe and be Careful. For me, I didn’t think this was very serious early on and thought it would come and go, but it hasn’t. So now we have to be smart, because there are so many unknowns. Enjoy life, don’t let this stop you from living and enjoying life, but be careful doing it.

What do you think about Youngstown being #1 in deaths per capita in the state of Ohio?

Being a small, close-knit city, it took some time for us to get it. But Youngstown is a strong and resilient community and always has been. We will band together, support one another and overcome this like we have so many other things.