WS has been around for fifty years, and has some very experienced coaches who have been here for ten or more years.
Students only have to be at WS, give or take, four years, and students complain about how we want to get out, but coaches who have been here for ten or more years still love what they’re doing.
“It’s tough to get athletes to buy into what we’re trying to accomplish, but going through the nonstop grind of three straight seasons per year can also be draining. It’s been challenging at times, but overall it’s been a great experience,” said Chris Pellegrini, who’s been coaching Cross Country and Track and Field for 16 years.
Coaches at WS are also teachers and administrators around the school. Jason Eldredge is a football coach, Spanish teacher, and assistant director of student activities, Tina Nham is a field hockey coach, pre-calculus, and AP Statistics teacher, and Katie Tinsley is a lacrosse coach and an English teacher. The coaches here make sure to tell their student-athletes that school and grades come first. This doesn’t only make them a role model on the field, but also a role model off the field during school hours in the hallways and classrooms showing fellow Spartans how to act and learn.
“I had injured my knee playing sports and I couldn’t play anymore so I wanted to still be involved with the sports so I started coaching,” said Rosie Donaldson, assistant director of student activities and former Varsity field hockey coach.
Having to balance coaching, teaching, administrating, and a personal life can be a challenge at times, but they all avoid complaining about the difficulties that they have to overcome.
Some coaches at WS have a history of coaching multiple sports, Donaldson coached both lacrosse and field hockey. Eldredge coached basketball for 11 years and football for the last three years.
“The difference of being a football coach is that it’s more of an administrator and you have more people to deal with, more volume, more materials, equipment, and basketball isn’t as many adults making it easier to manage,” said Eldredge, head football coach for three years and former head basketball coach for nine years.
Ten years of being in the same environment can have a major impact on someone’s life, the coaches at WS are being affected and also are the ones who are affecting students.
“I’ve developed some great relationships with some of the athletes I’ve worked with over the years. Some people I think I will know for the rest of my life,” said Pellegrini.