Bell hopes to remain Riverheads coach

Riverheads boys soccer coach and Virginia House of Delegates hopeful Dickie Bell said that if his election campaign is successful this November he hopes to remain the Riverheads boys soccer coach.

Bell said that while ultimately the decision is up to the Augusta County School Board, he believes that he can continue coaching the team for at least this season if he is elected as the 20th District’s delegate over Erik Curren.

“We just can’t speculate on the election,” he said. “If I’m successful, the school board will have to decide on how to proceed. I will have to be gone for a major part of the year and we just haven’t got to that point yet. I believe that I will be able to coach boys soccer. [The assembly] will be over by then. I don’t know how long I plan to coach, but I do plan to coach in the spring.”

Bell also served as the Riverheads girls basketball coach for six years, but resigned in April. Bell said that he had no idea that Chris Saxman would resign his seat at the time he stepped down from the girls basketball program.

“It’s funny how things work,” he said. “I always believe everything happens for a reason. Leaving the girls basketball program was very difficult for me to do. I’m glad I didn’t have to make that decision, that would have been a tough one. I don’t know what I would have done.”

While the General Assembly is in session, the spring sports practice season begins. Bell said that the early preparation would be handled by his assistant coach Lynn Key if he were to win the election and the school board keeps him on as the varsity soccer coach.

“I’m so fortunate. I have an assistant coach and I believe he can handle it,” Bell said.

Bell said that he has not sat down with his players to discuss the possibility of him serving in the House and coaching the soccer team but did say he was contacted by members of both the girls basketball team and the soccer team to congratulate him on his nomination.

“I figure they were paying attention to the media,” he said. “I have heard from some of them, most of them are hard to pull together in the summer.”