Jessica Reeder – “It’s all about the kids”

Chet Reeder is one superstitious guy.

In his house, the only game ever talked about is the next one.

When the Wooden Shoes win, he can wear whatever outfit he has on to another game. If they lose, that outfit is not allowed again.

“I bought him several pairs of pants at the beginning of January,” his wife, Jessica Reeder, noted. “As we all know, January was a little rough for the Shoes, so those brand new pants were never worn again.”

And when he leaves the house?

His tie always goes into the same pocket of the same coat; his tie clip goes into another pocket; and his sandwich wrap goes into yet another pocket. Always the same pockets.

“Chet’s superstitions are something we, as a family, take seriously,” Jessica said. “And we can only joke about them on non-game days!”

Apparently, these peculiarities are working. In two years at Teutopolis High School, Reeder has guided the Shoes to a 51-17 record, plus two regional and one sectional championship. For a community with such rich basketball tradition and high expectations, those are darn good results.

Keep the new pants coming, Jessica.

“We have both been pleasantly surprised with how we’ve been welcomed by this community,” Jessica admitted. “It’s been wonderful. The people have been so kind.”

Chet and Jessica met when both were teaching in Sullivan.

“I don’t know that I’d say it was love at first sight, but there was definitely an interest early on,” she noted.

They were married in June 2014 and now have two daughters – Kristen (3) and Kate (9 months). Jessica is still with the Sullivan School District, serving as the special education coordinator and school psychologist.

She has been very active in cheerleading. She was a cheerleader at the University of Illinois and part of the squad during the Fighting Illini’s magical 2005 season when they reached the Final Four. She later served as the cheerleading coach at the U of I for seven years.

“My mom always joked that she knew I would marry a coach,” Jessica said. “There is just something about the excitement of a great high school basketball game, the tradition of a school and community and the camaraderie that everyone feels by cheering on the same team. I’ve always been a coach myself, so I know the joys, sadness, struggles, stresses and celebrations that come along with sports.”

She describes her husband as “an incredible man.”

“He is extremely thoughtful, patient, kind, loyal, consistent and he loves me very, very much,” Jessica noted. “We are each other’s biggest cheerleaders and encourage and support whatever the other is involved in.

“He is also an amazing father,” she added. “He loves those little girls so much and they love him right back. He knows how to have fun and be goofy, but is firm and consistent with them.

“Never in a million years did he think he would know how to match hair bows to outfits and give the girls ‘cheer hair,’ but he has mastered it like a champ.”

The long basketball season presents challenges, especially when those coaching responsibilities force Chet to miss time with his family.

“The biggest challenge is trying to fill his shoes when he’s not home,” Jessica explained. “He’s a hands-on dad. The girls love basketball and the basketball life as much as Chet and I do and realize that Chet is ‘with his boys’ when he isn’t home. But it’s still hard when the girls just miss their dad.”

Except for a few long road games during the week, Jessica and the girls attend almost every game. And Jessica enjoys being in the stands and cheering for the Shoes.

“A lot of people say hi and so many of them know Kristen,” Jessica said. “I let her go to the concession stand by herself, which I wouldn’t feel comfortable doing in just any community. But so many people know her, plus it makes her feel like a big girl.

“Sitting in the stands as a coach’s wife is an interesting experience,” she added. “I wouldn’t change anything about it.

“There are times it’s the best feeling – the team is doing great, the crowd is happy and there is overwhelming support of your husband’s decisions,” Jessica continued. “Then there are the times that things aren’t going the way we want them to – players are down, coaches are down and the crowd is down. It’s difficult to hear the comments and not share that information with your husband or defend him.

“To be honest, I don’t get the chance to watch the games as much as I did prior to having kids. When I do watch, I find myself watching through my psychologist lens. Chet is big on being a good teammate and acting the right way. I am able to lend some perspective on why a player may be acting in a particular manner.”

Another challenge for a coach’s wife is knowing her role when her husband gets home after a game.

“Obviously, big wins are a lot more fun than disappointing losses,” Jessica acknowledged. “I have learned that we don’t talk about a loss that night. That’s my time to be his wife and support him in his disappointment and sadness.

“After a good night’s rest, we are able to dissect things and make a plan to move forward,” she added. “However, in the moment, he just needs somebody to love him and offer unconditional support.”

After a season-ending loss, those moments are even more difficult.

“These boys are members of our family and we talk about them every night,” Jessica noted. “It is a strange feeling to know that this exact team will never exist again.

“For our family, the end of the season is extremely bittersweet. We love basketball season and want them to keep winning. However, we love having Chet at home. With the end of a season, it brings sadness that this chapter is closing, but happy that he is home with daylight left to play.”

And it is no secret that Coach Reeder is an emotional man. The tears in his eyes when he talks about his team are genuine.

“That’s very much him. He cries and it’s all real,” Jessica said. “He loves these kids. His total focus is on wanting to help these boys become good men. Everything he does in this program has that focus.”

There is a level of pressure on any basketball coach at THS. The “bar” is set quite high.

“Of course, there are pressures that Chet experiences regarding wins and losses,” Jessica said. “But when he sets goals for each season, they never include wins and losses. There is so much more to being a great team than the numbers in the wins and losses columns. His goals are more on grades, overall hustle, being a good teammate and making the community a better place to live.

“The biggest pressure he faces is the type of men his players are becoming,” Jessica added. “That’s why Chet coaches. It’s all about the kids. They truly are extensions of our family. We love them, we celebrate their successes and we are there to support them in the down time.

“The pride and tradition that is a mainstay in Teutopolis is a major factor that attracted us to the school and community. We believe that we are here to make things better than when we started.”