Paul Marka got involved in coaching when his daughter, Amy, was 8, and a coach was needed for the Albert Lea U-10 girls’ soccer team.

As Amy moved up the levels through the Albert Lea Youth Soccer Association, so did her father, coaching summer teams for the last 10 years. Now, they’re together at the varsity level.

Paul Marka is the new co-head coach for the Albert Lea High School girls’ soccer team.

It was not a planned progression, according to Marka. Things just worked out.

&uot;With the retirement of last year’s head coach Todd Lange, the search for a varsity coach came up empty,&uot; said Marka, who along with C-squad coach Raissa Byer was asked to apply for the job.

&uot;We decided the split the head coaching position,&uot; said Marka. &uot;We just kind of fell into the position.&uot;

Byer will handle the administrative duties while Marka will take care of the media and on-field responsibilities.

It’s a role Marka knows well as coach of some very successful summer squads that won two state championships and finished second in the U-18 state tournament this year. He also coached the Albert Lea junior high school team for three years and, for the last four, was a varsity assistant. He was twice voted Big Nine JV Coach of the Year by his peers.

&uot;I have been fortunate to have coached a great group of girls for the last 10 years,&uot; said Marka. &uot;Coaching is easy when you have players that love the sport and are very dedicated to the success of the program.&uot;

Born and raised in Mankato, Marka played football, baseball and basketball at Mankato East and, in his senior year, the football team won its first ever Big Nine championship. He attended Mankato State and graduated from Mankato Technical School in 1982 with a sales, management and marketing degree. In 1993, he earned an accounting degree at Albert Lea Technical in 1993.

Marka’s family includes his wife, DeEtta, step-son Josh, daughter Amy and son Casey. He’s a lead man at Progress Castings, responsible for production, quality control and every day operations for the Harley Davidson Division.

&uot;The biggest challenge for me personally is trying to balance family, work and soccer six months out of the year,&uot; said Marka, 43.

The biggest challenge as a head coach?

&uot;To try to help a player reach their personal goals,&uot; he said.

It’s also, however, very rewarding.

&uot;We have the players set goals at the beginning of the season, and the thing that I enjoy the most about coaching is when I see a player meet or exceed that goal,&uot; said Marka. &uot;I feel I have done my job when the goals are met.&uot;

The toughest aspect of coaching for Marka is choosing players for the various teams.

&uot;I wish all the players could experience playing at the varsity level, but there are only a handful of openings each year and there are 50 girls to pick from. This is a good problem to have as a coach because it shows how strong the program is. But it hurts to see some girls work hard all their life to meet their goal of playing varsity and to never get that chance because of the numbers.&uot;

Marka’s goals for the program are to continue its growth into a bigger power in the Big Nine and the state, &uot;Just like the Albert Lea wrestling and hockey programs.&uot;

So far this season, things have gone well.

&uot;Tryouts were very intense and competitive,&uot; said Marka. &uot;The second week has been concentrating on getting all squads on the same page. Raissa has done an outstanding job of keeping things organized, and C-squad coach Max Beers has brought many ideas to the program. I feel we are heading in the right direction.&uot;

(Contact Jim Lutgens at sports @albertleatribune.com or 379-3437.)