Volunteer of the Year Award- Matt LaPointe Profile

This year, the NPTO recognized two volunteers of the year: Matt LaPointe and Vanda Berman. Matt LaPointe talked with one of the NPTO Communications Co-Chairs, Ryan Vlastelica. In a future post, we will profile Vanda Berman. Stay tuned!

A big congratulations to Matt LaPointe, who was voted a volunteer of the year! Several parents wrote in to nominate Matt for his work coaching both football and basketball. Here are some of the accolades he received:

~ He does such a wonderful job of including all the kids that want to participate, promoting great sportsmanship and making it fun. According to my son, he's patient, teaches the fundamentals and gives everyone a fair chance. There are lots of places with a super competitive sports environment, but Coach Matt just makes participating

in Nettelhorst sports really fun. Thank you!

~ He's incredible. He's dedicated so much of his free time to help coach 5/6 and 7/8 football AND basketball. He's extremely patient juggling the thousands of boys who join his teams.

~ Matt is an exceptional parent volunteer! For the last couple of years, Matt has been the assistant coach for the 5/6 and 7/8 boys flag football teams, AS WELL AS the assistant coach to the 5/6 and 7/8 boys Basketball teams. Matt has a full-time job but yet somehow manages to lead weekly practices, attend weekday games (as well as weekend practices), and manages ALL weekly communications to the athletes and parents, which looks to be a job within itself! Matt's assistant coaching spans over several seasons (September - March). We truly appreciate all the time Matt has donated over the years and are grateful for the enthusiasm he brings to the boys and teams.

~ For his unwavering dedication and passion for coaching basketball, he has inspired my son, instilling in him not only the fundamentals of the game but also the values of teamwork, discipline, and perseverance. Thank you Matt!!

Matt has two kids, including Blake, a Nettelhorst sixth grader, and Levi, a freshman at Lincoln Park High. He generously took the time to answer a few questions about his work with the school:

How did you get involved with volunteering?

Honestly, I initially got involved simply because I knew there was a vacancy (the prior parent-coach's kids had graduated, Mr. Bailey wanted a co-coach), and I had some experience coaching my kids in little league when they they were younger, and while I wasn't the most experienced, knew a large part of the "job" was just showing up and trying my best. I mostly enjoy my job, but sometimes didn't/don't feel like I'm "contributing" much to the community in it, and felt this could help address that sort of hollowness (it did/does).

Is there a part of volunteering that’s your favorite, or which you find the most rewarding?

I think getting to really know my kids' friends has been awesome, and was the initial best part. My oldest son's Nettelhorst friends still sit down on my couch when they're over and call me "coach" and chit chat. This year, I had the opportunity to coach a team (the 7th and 8th graders) that didn't have one of my kids on it, but just since I had built a relationship with that group the year before, it was still really rewarding to continue and grow the relationships I had with them. Next year, I'll coach a 5th/6th grade team without a kid of mine on it, but having a few of the 5th graders leave our last game saying "see you next year coach" has me excited to work with them some more. It's trite, but spending time working with the kids towards a collective goal is really rewarding. Also, frankly, I consider my co-coaches - Mr. Bailey, Dan Blaney-Koen, and Matt Bushman from the year prior friends at this stage. That's been a nice side-benefit.

Are there way the school and community have supported your volunteering?

Most obviously, my co-coaches are awesome. I think every parent knows who Mr. Bailey is (I did prior to coaching with him), but what I didn't appreciate was how dedicated he is to the well-being of every kid in the school, and how well he knows basically all of them. We hold a lot of extra practices and scrimmages on our teams - way more than we're required to - and that really comes from Mr. Bailey's dedication to the kids we work with. The support from Dan Blaney-Koen joining us in basketball this year was also invaluable - the team couldn't have run without him. Finally, the kids are fantastic, and fantastic kids generally come from fantastic parents. The amount of support we receive (help with rides, donuts after a few games, etc) is really appreciated.

Is there a goal you’re looking to achieve with your coaching, or a lesson you’re hoping to impart?

Just because I grew up playing sports and did so through college, and watched my oldest son spend a lot of time in organized sports, I think they're a great way to learn some really invaluable lessons (though obviously not the only way). We try to impart to the kids that playing time and opportunities aren't given based on skill and ability, they're given based on effort, on teamwork, and on attitude. Our main goal is to get the kids to try hard, and to support each other as a team no matter what. Lots of kids start out with us wanting to make the game bend to what they want - we try to teach them that collaboration always works better! At some point, we're going to fail, but we're going to do it as a team, and we'll re-group and try not to fail the next time.  Also - this is supposed to be fun! We want them to have fun.

Is there a notable lesson or two you've learned from your volunteering?

I don't think I understood how powerful being part of a group - something bigger than yourself - is to people. We have kids who never played these sports prior to joining us, and maybe don't have an intention of playing after their time at Nettelhorst, but spending time with their peers working towards a joint goal is something many of the kids naturally find really attractive. Honestly - it does the same for me - being a part of this bigger group (even if they're 10-14 years old) makes a difference to me.

Favorite Nettelhorst memory, whether within your volunteer role or otherwise?

There was a game towards the end of the football season where we had a significant lead towards the end, and we were able to throw a touchdown to one of our 6th graders - Ye - who was playing American football for the first time, and started the year being pretty unfamiliar with the basic structure of the game. When he caught it, every single member of the team sprinted on the field and jumped on him, probably celebrating more than they ever celebrated anything they did individually. It was a great moment, and sort of embodied some of the stuff that we try to impart.

Any future goals or aspirations for your volunteering?

Probably just to be a better coach. I know I can show up and try my best with a positive attitude, but my fellow coaches and I are just amateurs. We're doing a good job, but we need to come up with some better plays :).