By Paula Dispa
With spring fast approaching, coaches are busy preparing on the field and in the classroom. These individuals juggle the hardships and highlights of being both teachers and coaches.
For seven years, Mr. Stump has been the head coach of the varsity swim and dive team, and has been teaching in the math department for 10 years.
“I really enjoy being both a teacher and a coach at Coronado because I get to see my athletes as students and some of my students as athletes. There’s not a lot of challenges since we have great kids here, and it’s a great place to be, and I love the swim and dive program and all my athletes; I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else,” Stump said.
The assistant varsity coach for the girl’s softball team and Spanish teacher, Mrs. Sosa, has been coaching and teaching for seven years.
“My favorite part about coaching is the bond that we form as a team throughout all the tournaments we go every year and all the games throughout the season. We are really excited for this upcoming season, we have a lot of returning players, and we are very thrilled to have lot of seniors that have signed to play softball in college,” Sosa said.
Athletic Director Rich Santigate has been coaching at the high school level since 1988. In addition to coaching women’s varsity basketball during the winter season, he is the varsity head coach for the varsity baseball team and teacher of boys’ PE.
“What I like most about coaching is helping my players succeed and get to the next level, which is college. We are excited for the upcoming season; we have a lot of players back from last year’s team. Last year we only had two returning seniors on the team and another two players who weren’t eligible; however, this year those two players are eligible to be on the team, which means they will play a big part on this year’s season,” Santigate said.
For eight years, Mr. Matt Johnson has been teaching government and coaching the men’s varsity volleyball team.
“I enjoy the competition, and I like helping athletes get better at whatever they are trying to achieve, it doesn’t have to be volleyball it can be anything. I became the volleyball coach at Coronado because it’s been my favorite sport for a long time; I played it growing up and in college, so it’s been a big part in my life. This upcoming season I feel optimistic that we will be successful as a team, and that everyone will work hard to meet the goals we set for this season as a team and as individuals,” Johnson said.
