Greg Pickel
Member
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2009
- Messages
- 43
Hey guys, working on a feature story on a high school strength and conditioning coach. Just finished the rough draft, so keep that in mind, but would love to hear your thoughts! Names have been changed for the most part.
Just who is that guy you see in the bleachers at a baseball game, standing at a soccer game, or in the coach’s box at a football game? Student athletes call him Coach P, colleagues call him Bob, and parents refer to him as the guy who helped their kids learn to use the bench press, squat rack, and other weight room equipment properties. P grew up in Podunk, left for a brief time, and now he’s back, teaching and coaching, a profession he grew affectionate to as he grew older.
Life before Teaching
Bob P was a 1983 graduate of Podunk Area High School, where he graduated as a three time letter winner in football under Podunk legend Di, as well as a three time letter winner in basketball. After graduating as apart of the class of 1983, he took some times off of school before landing an opportunity that would change his life, and lead him on a path he never expected to go down. “It was during the 1980’s that Coach I asked me to assist him as a football coach. I began as a 7th and 8th grade football coach, and then ascended to an assistant on the freshmen football squad, before finally moving up to the junior varsity/varsity level. He also coached boy’s freshmen basketball during those years between high school and college under Podunkteacher and former coach B. P, at the age of twenty-four, attended and graduated from Lock Haven University, where he majored in Health and Physical Education. With his degree in hand, he headed to his first job.
Home away from Home
After college, P landed his first teaching job in Baltimore, Maryland, in the Baltimore City School District. Once landing a job there, he began coaching middle school basketball, continuing the coaching career as he had hoped to do after his brief coaching stint at Podunk. “Coaching is something I’ve always had a passion for after working under the great coaches Podunk had in the 80’s. It allows me to continue to help our student athlete’s progress in their sport and reach the next level.” He would build his resume in coaching before returning to Podunk, logging fourteen seasons as an assistant football coach, nine seasons as a head basketball coach, three at Kenwood High School in Maryland, and six at Hanover High School in Pennsylvania. After years away from Podunk, he knew it was time to come home and help the community that once helped him.
Giving back through Fitness
P returned to Podunk in VERIFY YEAR as the school’s strength and conditioning coach/coordinator, as well as being a teacher. He currently teaches strength and condition two and three, as well as two other gym classes, and a Current Health Issues class at Podunk Area High School. Between 7:25 and 2:30, he is a teacher, but it is after the school ending bell that he is able to use focus his attention on his biggest goals; helping student athletes prepare for their future through goal setting and planning, while teaching them how to be physically fit and obtain it properly for the rest of their lives. “In the weight room we have the same mentality as all coaches and teachers do, to help the kids go above and beyond each and every day, and then help them achieve their short-term and long-term goals in anyway we can.”
Since Pelleteir’s return to Podunk, he has aided in the vast overhaul of equipment in the Edward Tennis Fitness Center located behind the high school. “ When I first got here, I had mentioned some concerns about some of the equipment in the weight room. Some of the benches and other equipment were just getting to too old and overused, and needed replaced. With the help of Mr. Mills (the athletic director) we were able to get in contact with some experts from InGear, an exercise equipment company in Podunk, and bring in some equipment that we felt could not only improve the safety of the weight room, but also help put our athletes over the top.” Some of the new equipment in the weight room can be found in the new weight lifting benches, cardio vascular machines such as treadmills and stationary bikes, and P’s favorite piece of equipment, the two machines referred to as functional trainers, machines that help athletes in all sports improve their speed, strength, and acceleration.
“Community is the great thing about Middletown. There are a ton of people willing to lend a hand, help out here and there, and it’s always to help the kids get better, and that’s the best part.” A sense of community is what makes P proud to be a Blue Raider, and it’s his sense of hard work and dedication that makes his co-workers and coaching colleagues excited to have him in the strength and conditioning and teaching role he’s in. “Bob is just great, because he’s so dedicated to helping all athletes get better, regardless of whether they’re working out as a team, or as an individual. We would not have achieved the success we have the past two years without his dedication to helping our guys in the weight room.” Said boy’s basketball coach C, and his sentiments were echoed by two of his varsity coaching colleagues. “Coach P’s greatest asset is his knowledge of the weight room, and his ability to teach our student athletes the proper weight lifting techniques. He has a vast knowledge in the strength and conditioning field, and that allows him to design conditioning programs for our teams to cut down on injuries, which is key.” Girls basketball and soccer head coach H couldn’t say enough about P's dedication to success, saying, “He (P) puts countless hours in helping our athletes become more successful not just in-season, but year round.”
It is often said that goal oriented people enjoy helping others reach their goals, and P is no acceptation. “My goals every day are to help our kids get better, and no matter what task they are attempting, if I, or we as a teaching body can help them, we are enabling them to go back and help the community, which is really what this is all about. Fitness is a large part of my life, and I hope through teaching and educating that I can help others feel that way as well. The fitter you are, the easier life is, and the easier it is to reach the goals you are striving for.”
Just who is that guy you see in the bleachers at a baseball game, standing at a soccer game, or in the coach’s box at a football game? Student athletes call him Coach P, colleagues call him Bob, and parents refer to him as the guy who helped their kids learn to use the bench press, squat rack, and other weight room equipment properties. P grew up in Podunk, left for a brief time, and now he’s back, teaching and coaching, a profession he grew affectionate to as he grew older.
Life before Teaching
Bob P was a 1983 graduate of Podunk Area High School, where he graduated as a three time letter winner in football under Podunk legend Di, as well as a three time letter winner in basketball. After graduating as apart of the class of 1983, he took some times off of school before landing an opportunity that would change his life, and lead him on a path he never expected to go down. “It was during the 1980’s that Coach I asked me to assist him as a football coach. I began as a 7th and 8th grade football coach, and then ascended to an assistant on the freshmen football squad, before finally moving up to the junior varsity/varsity level. He also coached boy’s freshmen basketball during those years between high school and college under Podunkteacher and former coach B. P, at the age of twenty-four, attended and graduated from Lock Haven University, where he majored in Health and Physical Education. With his degree in hand, he headed to his first job.
Home away from Home
After college, P landed his first teaching job in Baltimore, Maryland, in the Baltimore City School District. Once landing a job there, he began coaching middle school basketball, continuing the coaching career as he had hoped to do after his brief coaching stint at Podunk. “Coaching is something I’ve always had a passion for after working under the great coaches Podunk had in the 80’s. It allows me to continue to help our student athlete’s progress in their sport and reach the next level.” He would build his resume in coaching before returning to Podunk, logging fourteen seasons as an assistant football coach, nine seasons as a head basketball coach, three at Kenwood High School in Maryland, and six at Hanover High School in Pennsylvania. After years away from Podunk, he knew it was time to come home and help the community that once helped him.
Giving back through Fitness
P returned to Podunk in VERIFY YEAR as the school’s strength and conditioning coach/coordinator, as well as being a teacher. He currently teaches strength and condition two and three, as well as two other gym classes, and a Current Health Issues class at Podunk Area High School. Between 7:25 and 2:30, he is a teacher, but it is after the school ending bell that he is able to use focus his attention on his biggest goals; helping student athletes prepare for their future through goal setting and planning, while teaching them how to be physically fit and obtain it properly for the rest of their lives. “In the weight room we have the same mentality as all coaches and teachers do, to help the kids go above and beyond each and every day, and then help them achieve their short-term and long-term goals in anyway we can.”
Since Pelleteir’s return to Podunk, he has aided in the vast overhaul of equipment in the Edward Tennis Fitness Center located behind the high school. “ When I first got here, I had mentioned some concerns about some of the equipment in the weight room. Some of the benches and other equipment were just getting to too old and overused, and needed replaced. With the help of Mr. Mills (the athletic director) we were able to get in contact with some experts from InGear, an exercise equipment company in Podunk, and bring in some equipment that we felt could not only improve the safety of the weight room, but also help put our athletes over the top.” Some of the new equipment in the weight room can be found in the new weight lifting benches, cardio vascular machines such as treadmills and stationary bikes, and P’s favorite piece of equipment, the two machines referred to as functional trainers, machines that help athletes in all sports improve their speed, strength, and acceleration.
“Community is the great thing about Middletown. There are a ton of people willing to lend a hand, help out here and there, and it’s always to help the kids get better, and that’s the best part.” A sense of community is what makes P proud to be a Blue Raider, and it’s his sense of hard work and dedication that makes his co-workers and coaching colleagues excited to have him in the strength and conditioning and teaching role he’s in. “Bob is just great, because he’s so dedicated to helping all athletes get better, regardless of whether they’re working out as a team, or as an individual. We would not have achieved the success we have the past two years without his dedication to helping our guys in the weight room.” Said boy’s basketball coach C, and his sentiments were echoed by two of his varsity coaching colleagues. “Coach P’s greatest asset is his knowledge of the weight room, and his ability to teach our student athletes the proper weight lifting techniques. He has a vast knowledge in the strength and conditioning field, and that allows him to design conditioning programs for our teams to cut down on injuries, which is key.” Girls basketball and soccer head coach H couldn’t say enough about P's dedication to success, saying, “He (P) puts countless hours in helping our athletes become more successful not just in-season, but year round.”
It is often said that goal oriented people enjoy helping others reach their goals, and P is no acceptation. “My goals every day are to help our kids get better, and no matter what task they are attempting, if I, or we as a teaching body can help them, we are enabling them to go back and help the community, which is really what this is all about. Fitness is a large part of my life, and I hope through teaching and educating that I can help others feel that way as well. The fitter you are, the easier life is, and the easier it is to reach the goals you are striving for.”
