When Chip Kenyon says he likes sports and coaching, he’s not kidding. Kenyon is the father of five kids between the ages of 13 and 16 (three are triplets). He coaches them all.
And not just an occasional soccer game here and there. Kenyon is the dad who loves all sports and loves seeing his kids play.
“My kids get a kick out of it,” he says. “They like having me around.”
Kenyon is a trader, who works out of an almost-at-home office after years of being on the trading floor. Living and working in Kenilworth—with the flexible afternoon hours—has made his involvement in his children’s teams possible.
The list is extensive: soccer, softball, basketball, hockey, lacrosse and football. The only sport he hasn’t coached is baseball. On a recent weekend, he listed off five games he was coaching and another five where he would be watching and cheering.
“It gives our family a common thread,” he says, talking not only about his coaching, but also his wife, Becky, and her support of the family’s athletic pursuits. Being involved gives each parent some one-on-one time when driving a child to games and practices—time that can be tough to come by when you have five kids.
Kenyon’s involvement in sports goes beyond his own children. He established and runs the Kenilworth lacrosse program and also runs the football program, which gives him the chance to get to know his children’s friends and classmates.
And what does this dedicated dad get out of coaching? Kenyon tells of a glorious moment—a tackle at a crucial point in a game by a kid who wasn’t very athletically inclined.
“That kid isn’t going to have an athletic career,” he says. “But, just for a moment, he gets to feel really good about himself, and that goes a long way.”
