So what makes Master Sgt. Rick Stage such a good youth sports coach?

He's not necessarily a master of the X's and O's or a dominating personality behind a pregame speech. It's more about his ability to relate with his players.

"I'm really a big kid myself," said Stage, the noncommissioned officer in charge of the 62nd Operations Support Squadron's weather flight at McChord Field. "I really enjoy being out there and running around with them."

Stage was named Joint Base Lewis-McChord's volunteer of the year for active-duty and honored for his contributions to the youth sports programs on both McChord Field and Lewis Main last week during a ceremony on the base.

"I'm kind of a quiet person," said the 41-year-old Elmira, N.Y. native. "I don't enjoy going to (those) type of luncheons. I don't really like to do the public recognition thing. That's not why I (volunteer)."

A father of two sons who are now too old to participate in the 12- to 15-year-olds league Stage coaches in, the master sergeant is still a familiar face around youth league circles in the JBLM community. He coaches various youth sports (his favorite is soccer) and also works as an official refereeing intramural games.

Although the hours on the weekdays with practice and games on the weekend have a tendency to pile up sometimes, Stage finds time for his passion.

"I have a very understanding wife," he said with a laugh.

In fact, Stage and his wife, Tracey, have been at McChord for nearly five years and both volunteer a lot of hours at the McChord Youth Center and with youth sports.

"We like to be involved in the community," he said.

In an era where professional sports has such an immediate impact on children and how they play the game and conduct themselves on the field, Stage said he puts an extra emphasis on the importance of sportsmanship.

"Sportsmanship is the most important thing for me," he said.

And while it is always a challenge for youth coaches to find a good balance between fielding a winning team and helping players develop, Stage said he's gotten a good feel for how to balance things out.

"I seem to do it well," he said.

Even though things can get a little overwhelming sometimes when an assistant coach doesn't make it to practice and Stage is left to make sure 19 teenagers are doing what they're supposed to, he is unfazed.

"It's a test for your organizational skills, but patience is very important," he said. "I'm usually a pretty patient guy."