Claire Jenkins Coffman always wanted to be a coach.
That’s what her parents did. Her mom, Laura, coached water polo collegiately and for Team USA while her dad, Nat, worked with high school athletes.
“I’ve seen it since I was a little kid running around on the pool deck,” Jenkins Coffman said. “My mom developed Olympians, and I always thought that was the coolest thing: you helped that person become special. You willed that person to develop that skill that nobody else has.”
But Jenkins Coffman hasn’t completely taken after her parents.
The water at her practices is frozen.
Jenkins Coffman is on the ice this week at Tria Rink in St. Paul for Wild development camp as a guest coach.
She’s believed to be the first woman in that role with the Wild. It’s an opportunity for the recent Augsburg University grad to help mentor the team’s prospects and add to her repertoire before she moves onto her first official coaching gig.
“It’s awesome being out there with the guys,” Jenkins Coffman said, “and I feel like they listen to me 100% and want to learn.”