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Our next National Double-Goal Coach® Award Winner presented by @teamsnapapp is Adekly Paulino, Bowling, Baseball and Basketball Coach at John Adams High School in Ozone Park, New York.
As a coach in an inner-city school, Paulino sees student-athletes from all walks of life. Many are dealing with difficult circumstances at home and many are new to this country and use sports as a way to meet people and assimilate into the community. These circumstances take an already difficult job of reaching kids to a new level, however, Paulino handles it perfectly. He is empathetic and welcoming and embraces the whole person. He uses team-building exercises to bring kids of differing backgrounds together and encourages them all with positive reinforcement.
As an immigrant from the Dominican Republic himself, Paulino relayed that sports was a huge part of his life and how he met friends when he first came to the United States. “Sports is a big part of their life…and it is an outlet for these kids”, he said. He works hard to provide positive, critical feedback because “many of the kids come from negative households so I try to stay as positive as I can. I’m like a father figure to them and if I’m not positive, they shut down.” To ensure that his body language stays as positive as his message to the kids, he tapes himself during coaching from time to time to ensure that he is aware of his actions.
Paulino’s motto of “one team, one vision, one goal, the team is my legacy” stays at the forefront of his approach to coaching. He helps his players find purpose in their lives through athletics and provides extra effort, love and support to help them achieve this. Many students travel great distances to get to school and after later practices Paulino will often spend his own money to ensure that the kids get a good meal before they take the long trip home. He builds them up and provides the support they don’t always get at home.
For Coach Paulino’s full feature see our Facebook page!
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