As a Special Victims Unit detective with Arlington County police, and as a graduate student and a mom, Tiffanie McGuire does not have a lot of free time.
But she makes time for coaching the Dorothy Hamm Middle School girls and boys soccer teams, something she has been doing since 2019 when she was a School Resource Officer. Over the last three years, she has watched her players become leaders who understand personal responsibility and sportsmanship.
“I have seen many players come through and have watched them grow in both the game and in their personality,” she tells ARLnow. “My sixth graders often come in quiet, recently transitioning from elementary school, and are chosen because there is usually something in them that we see that can be developed with time. By 8th grade, they are the leaders of the team.”
As an SRO, she says consistency was key for forming relationships with middle schoolers, who can be a challenging bunch.
“Pre-teens are beginning to find themselves and push boundaries with adults,” she said. “Finding a way to connect with them took consistency and showing them that I was there to be an adult they can trust, not get them in trouble.”
She stuck it out as a coach event after the School Board voted to remove School Resource Officers from school grounds in 2021. The move responded to calls from some community organizations, including the Arlington branch of the NAACP, citing higher arrest rates for Black and Latino kids.
Throughout all that change, she says she has earned the respect of her players, which she considers her proudest accomplishment.
“Many of these players have been under the same coaches for many years and to them, I have to prove that my style will work,” she said. “Kids question and compare their other teams to this one, and we are bringing together players that have all played on separate teams.”
McGuire played travel soccer from middle school through her senior year of high school. She decided to become a police officer in college, when she realized her sports-related injuries would prevent her previous plans to join the Army. Having her daughter directed her toward working with kids as an officer.
“I realized I wanted to be a positive influence in the lives of other children the way I would want someone to be for my daughter,” she said.
After SROs were removed from schools, McGuire moved to the Youth Outreach Unit that ACPD formed to maintain those student connections outside of the school environment.
“Having great relationships with community organizations and the schools meant that we were not starting from scratch, and everyone loved having us come participate in activities,” she said.
Since becoming a detective and taking on a second master’s degree and undergraduate teaching, McGuire has looked forward to the much-needed break from work even more.
“There are times it feels very overwhelming, but everything I do brings me joy and has a purpose,” she said. “I considered giving up coaching, but in my heart, I knew I would hate the decision and miss the kids.”‘
But McGuire has a team of her own: at home, it is her supportive husband, and on the field, it is Master Police Officer Harley Guenther.
The two say their biggest job is to teach responsibility and sportsmanship.
“We tell the players their soccer bags are their responsibility and packing their uniforms and equipment is part of that,” Guenther said. “It does not fall on their parents or guardians to make sure they have all their things for practice or games. Sportsmanship is also important to us. We aspire to show the importance of being a good person on and off the field.”
Guenther — whose parents have spent a combined 66 years on Arlington’s police force — started playing soccer around five years old and played through high school, making the varsity team her freshman year and often playing goalkeeper. While in high school, she coached a recreational team of younger girls.
For her, coaching requires her to exercise some different muscles.
“I have to breakdown what I expect from them and explain things based on their level of experience, not mine,” she said. “There are times that all I want to do is join them on the field and play alongside them.”
The girls team went 5-0-1 this season and the boys team is currently 2-2 this season. McGuire says losses have taught her more than wins.
“As good as winning feels… there are lessons to be found in losing that you may never learn always winning,” McGuire said.