Jose Cornejo

Soccer Coach at St. David's School (Raleigh, NC)

"Coach Cornejo has a saying that he constantly repeats to his players and parents when he is coaching: “Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, it’s part of the learning process, our goal is not to make the same mistake again”. He makes them feel comfortable. [He] effects his players by teaching life skills in hopes of developing positive relationships. He believes that establishing a positive athlete-coach relationship is critical to achieving effective communication and that no relationship, whether on the playing field or off, can blossom without it.He gets the best out of them. He loves to say; “We never lose, we either win or we learn”. It’s how he deals with people and relationships, managing to be strong in his ways and ideas, while at the same time developing strong relationships with players. Another one of his sayings that resonates with his players is: ’You can be the best player in the world, but if you are not a good person, it is not worth it; you must respect the game”!"