Soccer season is approaching rapidly and taking the lead is CP’s newest teacher and soccer coach, Micheal Jaskowiak. Here is a Q&A interview with Jaskowiak over the boy’s soccer program and how his time has been so far at our school.

Question: How has your experience been with our school and the boy’s soccer program?

Answer: I am so happy to be here at CP and leading the boys’ soccer program. It’s been a great experience so far; I have really enjoyed getting to know the boys, especially once we truly got rolling with tryouts and into our season. 

Question: Have you felt welcomed to our school?

Answer: Everyone has been so welcoming and helpful. I especially have appreciated the support of everyone in the Social Studies department and all of the other coaches. I couldn’t have asked for a more supportive environment.

Question: Have you had past experience with coaching? And if so…where? and what was your past experience with them? 

Answer: I have coached soccer for many years, but most recently was the assistant coach at Klein Oak. I was the head assistant there for three years and was hired to take over the program here in May. This is my first head coaching job.

Question: What are your expectations for the upcoming season? 

Answer: My goal for the team is to really solidify our foundation and identity for the future but with a shared focus on success this year. I believe we are capable of achieving great things.

Question: How has the season been so far? 

Answer: So far, I feel positive and encouraged by our early play. We are 3-3-1, have played a good mix of teams, but most importantly I feel like we’ve gotten better every game, and if we continue to do that, we’ll get where we want to go.

Question: Was it difficult to build trust and bonds with your players? 

Answer: Not at all – the boys were very receptive and ready to get to work as soon as I arrived. Of course, there’s a period of adjustment for everyone, but it really felt like a smooth transition as it relates to the growth of our relationships.

Question: How have the practices been with your players? And what skills do you focus on? 

Answer: Training has been excellent. We sort of move in phases – early in the year we focused heavily on fitness and strength – as the year progressed and we moved closer to and now into our season, the focus shifts somewhat. We began to focus on building our team identity – who we want to be as a squad every time we take the field. There are a lot of parts to that – and it takes time – but I really feel like the boys have bought in.

Question: How do you think you can improve your player’s skills? 

Answer: The key is to find solid principles and work on them until they become second nature. If every player is committed to those principles and developing the areas where they can most improve, the team improves by default.

Question: Have you ever played soccer in your past? If so, how old were you when you fell in love with the sport?

Answer: I’ve played essentially my entire life, and continue to do so (although I move a bit slower than I used to). I absolutely love the game and consider myself fortunate to be spending so much of my life with soccer as a major part of it. It really is a dream come true. 

Since being at CP, Jaskowiak seems to feel pretty comfortable and has already started making modifications to the soccer program. He has elevated the boy’s locker room, implemented new uniforms, upgraded soccer equipment, and has started many fundraisers for the boys. District games start this Friday and it is safe to say that the boy’s soccer season is in for a good one this year.