What Coach P’s Past and Current Players are Saying …

"As a cadet-athlete at the United States Military Academy (West Point), I am around many people with the highest values and morals (including Army Generals, Officers, and other personnel) who teach me character on a daily basis, but Coach Paciorek remains one of my greatest mentors and role models."

From Coach Pete Paciorek reflecting on the ability and character of Ryan Schimpf: “Ryan played for me in the summer after his freshman year at LSU. Though his physical skills and abilities were highly apparent, it was his leadership and character that impressed me the most. Ryan is one of those individuals that I talk about in my guidebook who plays much bigger than they are [he is only listed on the current San Diego Padres roster at 5’9” 185 pounds], but he carries himself like he is 6’5”. In the batter’s box and on the field, he is as tenacious and competitive as they come. On and off the field, he is a consummate role model for young aspiring athletes. Ryan spent close to 8 seasons in the minor leagues prior to finally getting his chance to play in the MLB. He has seized his opportunity, as he has led all rookies in homeruns since being called up to the “Big Leagues”. He was awarded the National League “Rookie of the Month” award for the month of July. This is a testament to his work ethic, internal confidence (not cockiness), focus, as well as many other character values that I talk about in my book and during my youth character development curricula.

"This past summer, I had the opportunity to learn from Coach Paciorek’s character development curriculum and it was a truly incredible experience! The 25 character values allowed me to not only understand the depth and meaning of the concept of character, but also made me so much more conscious of my every day actions. After completing this curriculum, I now put much more thought into every decision I make as I understand the importance of positively impacting the lives of others. Furthermore, the activities involved with these lessons add an interactive aspect to the curriculum and were definitely something I looked forward to each day. Personally, my favorite activity in this curriculum was blind dodgeball. This competition was a fun and exciting experience that taught the lessons of teamwork, humility, leadership, and collaboration which are extremely applicable to school, sports, and life in general. Coach P’s curriculum has ultimately changed my life as it has positively altered my daily actions, dramatically improved my character, and taught me how to be a servant leader by improving the lives of my peers! "