Coach Kleine: ELHS’s New Head Football Coach
“The group is engaged…this is something they want to be a part of, and their excitement is contagious,” new head
ELHS football coach Tom Kleine said.
While Coach Kleine expresses that he is more than excited to take over this position, have an impact on the players, and make the team his own, he recognizes the work that is going to come with it.
“This is my first opportunity to be a head high school football coach. There’s a lot of things you have to do to prepare… It’s not just about a practice plan. It’s not just about winning a game on Friday night. You’re trying to put these young men in a better position. By playing football, they’re going to be a better student, a better son,” he said.
Coach Kleine has had football running through his veins since 6th grade and played in college at St. John’s University in New York as well as at Southern Connecticut University, worked with the NFL representing players in their teams, and has been an assistant at Pace University as well as Southern Connecticut University.
Coach Kleine plans to take a piece of every coaching style he’s had and insert it into the ELHS football program.
“There will be some changes… things the boys will have to adapt too,” Coach Kleine said. There will be new equipment, tweaks in practice schedules, and new staff such as a strength and conditioning coach that will begin working with the team during summer training. Coach Kleine is also excited to get to know all of the team; he says that he’s met about 80 percent of the team, but many more signed up for the up coming summer program.
“While he has not been a head coach at a high school level previously, he comes with a lot of coaching experience and knowledge,” athletic director Kevin Marcoux said. Mr. Marcoux is excited to bring coach Kleine onto the ELHS team, and to see what he does with his position.
“The overall sense of the team, and the tenor of the team will come from me and a couple different changes in the coaching staff,” Coach Kleine said.
Coach Kleine expresses that he wants to put the athletes in position to make plays, and enforce a more offensive game. Though he has new ideas for the team, coach Kleine explains that it’s mostly going to be small changes. He wants to focus on getting to know the boys and making the team his own.
Ms. Kuvalanka: Assistant Athletic Director
In the beginning of the school year, East Lyme hired a new athletic director, Kevin Marcoux. Now, with the end of the school year approaching, new assistant athletic director Kathleen Kuvalanka has stepped in to help with scheduling inside ELPS sports, with a focus on East Lyme Middle School.
Ms. Kuvalanka is also a social studies teacher at ELMS. She is experienced within both history and athletics.
At NFA, where she attended high school, she played tennis, softball, and did gymnastics.
Her schedule stays busy as both a teacher and assistant athletic director.
“I can go to the high school as much as I’d like according to my schedule, but there will be times where I’ll go in for Mr. Marcoux,” Ms. Kuvalanka said.
At ELMS, many sports have their own clubs, Ms. Kuvalanka will be scheduling, meeting with kids, and organizing transportation for all of them. She wants students to succeed in balancing both sports and school.
“Having extracurriculars and still maintaining your academics takes work,” Ms. Kuvalanka said. She recognized the role that sports play in a child’s development. One of Ms. Kuvalankas goals is to help students develop skills to plan for their studies and athletics.
“We want to set up a program to help generate enthusiasm for kids to get involved. I want them to work hard while doing their sports, to be good sportsmen, [and] to know that certain results are not an entitlement,” Ms. Kuvalanka said.
If you are ever in the same room as Ms. Kuvalanka, you will surely hear a joke coming from her. She values humor and honesty, and is always up for an adventure. She appreciates the dedication and sportsmanship within ELPS, and is hoping to encourage middle schoolers to grow into student athletes.
