By Katie Morrison
LYNN — As the start of a new season closes in, there will be a pair of new faces on the sidelines for the Lynn Classical soccer teams.
Dominick Steadman will take over the boys program after Rob Upton stepped down, and Bob Burns replaces Justina Gaeta as the girls coach.
Steadman is no stranger to the Classical program. In fact, as an assistant coach under Upton for the past three years, Steadman seems like the logical choice to take the reins.
Steadman, who teaches at St. Mary’s, started coaching high school soccer back in 2002 under Lynn English coach Kerry King. Since then, he’s spent time with the Lynn Tech and Classical programs as well. When Upton took over at Classical in 2011, he asked Steadman to coach the JV squad for a few seasons before moving up to coach varsity alongside Upton.
“The day Rob resigned, he told me he’d give me nothing but support if I went for the job,” Steadman said. “He did such a great job…two conference titles, and he did a great job of changing the culture. It’s bittersweet that he’s stepping down.”
Steadman said that he’s always dreamed of becoming a head coach, and got a taste of it over the past two seasons, filling in for Upton on three different occasions.
Steadman is familiar with the Rams, and the fact that Classical returns a big group of players this season makes the process of stepping into the new role that much easier.
“We have a lot of our big players, guys who played a lot of minutes, returning,” Steadman said. “Having that in mind helps a lot. When I officially got the job, I got a lot of texts not just from old players, but current players who were excited for me to take over.
“We already have a good rapport,” he added. “Going into a new program without knowing much about it, it’s a lot to take in, building your team and setting goals. But with this team, we can skip the introductions.”
Steadman said that the Rams’ goal is always to make the tournament, and knowing what he has coming back in 2016 makes him feel confident about achieving that.
“We have a lot of good foundation pieces in place,” he said.
Steadman says that one of the fundamentals of his coaching style is having open communication.
“I’ve taught under a lot of great coaches and learned a lot,” he said. “I like to be supportive and explain things. If someone’s doing something wrong, it’s about how to fix it.”
Burns, a Medford native, has coached youth soccer in Woburn for 15 years, and guided the U16 team to a state championship this summer.
He’s coached younger soccer players, travel basketball teams and Little League teams, coaching throughout the careers of his three children, the oldest of whom recently graduated from Framingham State.
“I feel like sports really gave my kids a lot, and I keep coaching because I think I still have a lot to give,” Burns said. “When my kids went to college, I just wanted to keeping doing something that makes a difference. I think if you just keep doing what you do and caring about the kids, you can make a difference.”
He says that while he’s still learning about Lynn, there’s something about the city and community that was enticing.
“I’ve played in Lynn a lot in the past in tournaments,” he said. “There’s good people, regular people that you can bond with and talk to, just like growing up in Medford.”
For Burns, the main objective in coaching isn’t necessarily what the athletes do on the field, but instead preparing them for life after high school.
“If I can make a difference for one or two or three girls, that’s all that matters,” he said. “Academics come first, then the on-the-field achievements and personal growth. I want these girls to show up to games knowing their homework is done and they’re doing everything they can to put themselves in the best possible position.”
There will be some challenges to taking over the program, especially since the Rams return only four upperclassmen.
“We’ll work hard, though, and I think it’ll be good,” Burns said. “(High school) is a little different in some ways, it’s a new learning experience with the scheduling and all the requirements, but in the end, for me, it’s about being surrounded by kids I care about and who I’ll treat right.”
The girls begin their season on Sept. 6 against St. Mary’s, while the boys get going the following day, also against St. Mary’s in the Lynn City Tournament.