Pioneer Coaches Put Sports Into Play
Multiple spring sports at Pioneer receive new coaches for the current season.
By Gabi Vasquez
Multiple spring sports at Pioneer receive new coaches for the current season.
By Gabi Vasquez
Sports at Pioneer are coming into play for the spring season. Over the course of the first semester, more than a dozen new teachers have arrived at Pioneer. Now, in the second semester, four new coaches have stepped up to fill vacancies in coaching positions.
The four new coaches are Marissa Bacon for swim, Lisa Yap for badminton, Mike Rossenbaum for lacrosse and Anthony Rivera for discus and shot put. They are teaching their collective sports at Pioneer for the first time. As a result of the pandemic putting a pause to most sports, many new students are interested in joining sports in the upcoming season, making the need for new coaches more evident than ever.
Although this is Yap’s first year coaching badminton, she has experience coaching other sports such as cross country, track and dance.
“When I grew up, my dad was a coach so I followed in his footsteps,” said Yap. “I love badminton, I teach it in PE and they needed a coach so I stepped up. It’s quick and fun, I like to be quick-paced.”
Athletes such as Sarrah Farid, 11, are enthusiastic about the upcoming season with a new coach who is making a positive influence on her team.
“I notice that she is caring and has a good spirit,” said Farid. “Ms. Yap has helped us in this season by encouraging us whenever we need it as well as making sure we are all in good spirits. Ms. Yap is positive and encouraging to us, and if we lose a game, she reminds us that we can always improve and get better.”
Bacon, the swim team’s new coach and a Pioneer receptionist during the day, is also passionate about her sport as shown through the vigorous training cycle implemented into practice in order to prepare her athletes for competitions. Makaila Khanna, 10, joined the Pioneer swim for the first time this year and finds her coach’s method of coaching helpful.
“Coach Bacon always makes sure we are doing the sets correctly and using proper technique, and if not we typically redo it until we get it right. That is really good because if we are doing something wrong, it is very hard to improve,” said Khanna. “She never gives up on us even though sometimes some of us don’t listen. She is overall an amazing coach.”
New shot put and discus coach Anthony Rivera is also working to make an impact on sports this track season for throwing athletes like Sophia Gonzalez, 10.
“One strength I notice about our coach is he is able to have everything organized and easy for us to learn more quickly,” said Gonzalez. “What separates our coach from others is he is patient and enthusiastic to teach us.”
Track and field recently had their first meet on March 5. Although they are still in the preseason, their coach actively implements training into their weekly practices and includes new techniques for practice.
“Our coach helps prepare us for meets by making sure we are fully prepared to throw with correct form, and is supportive when we are throwing,” said Gonzalez.
The coach for lacrosse, Rosenbaum, is implementing proper technique as a first year coach at Pioneer according to lacrosse player Charlotte Maxwell, 10.
“Everyday we start off running, then we practice passing, catching, shooting, and then we scrimmage,” said Maxwell. “He makes sure the team is very close, he makes sure we have the ability to make friends on the team and become a family.”
The four new coaches are Marissa Bacon for swim, Lisa Yap for badminton, Mike Rossenbaum for lacrosse and Anthony Rivera for discus and shot put. They are teaching their collective sports at Pioneer for the first time. As a result of the pandemic putting a pause to most sports, many new students are interested in joining sports in the upcoming season, making the need for new coaches more evident than ever.
Although this is Yap’s first year coaching badminton, she has experience coaching other sports such as cross country, track and dance.
“When I grew up, my dad was a coach so I followed in his footsteps,” said Yap. “I love badminton, I teach it in PE and they needed a coach so I stepped up. It’s quick and fun, I like to be quick-paced.”
Athletes such as Sarrah Farid, 11, are enthusiastic about the upcoming season with a new coach who is making a positive influence on her team.
“I notice that she is caring and has a good spirit,” said Farid. “Ms. Yap has helped us in this season by encouraging us whenever we need it as well as making sure we are all in good spirits. Ms. Yap is positive and encouraging to us, and if we lose a game, she reminds us that we can always improve and get better.”
Bacon, the swim team’s new coach and a Pioneer receptionist during the day, is also passionate about her sport as shown through the vigorous training cycle implemented into practice in order to prepare her athletes for competitions. Makaila Khanna, 10, joined the Pioneer swim for the first time this year and finds her coach’s method of coaching helpful.
“Coach Bacon always makes sure we are doing the sets correctly and using proper technique, and if not we typically redo it until we get it right. That is really good because if we are doing something wrong, it is very hard to improve,” said Khanna. “She never gives up on us even though sometimes some of us don’t listen. She is overall an amazing coach.”
New shot put and discus coach Anthony Rivera is also working to make an impact on sports this track season for throwing athletes like Sophia Gonzalez, 10.
“One strength I notice about our coach is he is able to have everything organized and easy for us to learn more quickly,” said Gonzalez. “What separates our coach from others is he is patient and enthusiastic to teach us.”
Track and field recently had their first meet on March 5. Although they are still in the preseason, their coach actively implements training into their weekly practices and includes new techniques for practice.
“Our coach helps prepare us for meets by making sure we are fully prepared to throw with correct form, and is supportive when we are throwing,” said Gonzalez.
The coach for lacrosse, Rosenbaum, is implementing proper technique as a first year coach at Pioneer according to lacrosse player Charlotte Maxwell, 10.
“Everyday we start off running, then we practice passing, catching, shooting, and then we scrimmage,” said Maxwell. “He makes sure the team is very close, he makes sure we have the ability to make friends on the team and become a family.”