Sports at NECC has typically always been a foundation in many college kids search for freedom and stress-relieving situations.
When students are overloaded with work, which is what comes with the struggles of college,there’s always another direction students look towards to cool some minds down.
Despite sports being one of these many activities, ultimately it still plays an important role in thelives of many students and staff at NECC, particularly the coaches.
Coaches work everyday to create the most positive environment for their students and their colleagues and play an important role in how their minds function. One example of a coach who makes this their aim in their work space is David Arivella, the Head Soccer Coach at NECC.
“Coming from division 3 program as a player I wanted to stay within the college level and NECC was a perfect opportunity to start my career and I’ve been happy so far going into my third year, and it’s been an amazing journey,” states Arivella
“Since I’m a younger coach compared to some coaches, I believe that’s an a advantage because I believe I can relate to the players, such as juggling with sports and athletics, and if they need help I give them advice on financial aid and where to contact, and most of our staff have helped t make the players succeed on and off the field.”
Having a type of connection with other students is one of the key measures towards their development, both physically and mentality, according to Arivella, and he says he’s been able to do so by being a helping hand in students’ lives both on and off the field.
I always tell my players that school always comes first since you need a certain GPA to play athletics. As long as you’re eligible and meet the GPA needs then you should be good.
“A lot of kids can’t focus on both since they feel like you need to focus more on one another. In college you have a lot of free time so you can use that time to play sports, and then focus onhomework and classes.”
College students love doing extracurriculars as sports, and although it’s enjoyable, coaches like Arivella are there to remind students that education comes first and to not get too complacent.
