James Gonzales is the new coach for the Aragon wrestling team.
Shortly after the previous coach Steve Ratto, a science teacher at Aragon, elected to step down from his coaching duties, athletic director Steve Sell began the search for his successor. Sell says, “[Gonzales] was the top candidate because he struck me as someone with extensive experience and knowledge about the sport.”
Gonzales has a considerable measure of experience with wrestling, saying, “I have been wrestling for nearly ten years. I started wrestling as a sophomore at Serra High School. I wrestled there for three years before wrestling at Skyline Community College and Oklahoma City University.”
However, aside from his own wrestling career, Gonzales still faces challenges with coaching skills. He adds, “One of my biggest struggles is definitely reaching out to the kids because I’m a very reserved person. But by the end of this season, I want to develop a relationship with these kids. I think it’s important to establish a coach-student bond because it builds confidence and a better-suited environment.”
Ratto, who served as the wrestling coach for the previous six years, is no stranger to the attributes required for such a position, saying, “Joining a team is a commitment. Coaches ask the students to sacrifice a great deal of time and energy. Kids are not willing to sacrifice for coaches who they feel doesn’t have a genuine care and concern for them.”
Sophomore Pierce Kelaita, who will be beginning his second season on the team, views Gonzales as someone he can easily connect with, saying, “[Gonzales] carries himself in such a calm and understanding way, so I feel very comfortable around him since I can just talk to him the way I [would] talk to my friends on the team.”
In addition, students are able to notice Gonzales’s personality in his coaching style. Sophomore Joshua Sanchez says, “His way of coaching is unique compared to other coaches I’ve come across. I do martial arts, and I always feel a constant pressure of expectations from my coaches. But [Gonzales] is a lot more empathetic; he chooses to see our needs and struggles.”
Gonzales’s wrestling experience helps him explain lessons and moves. Freshman Corey Quillen says, “It’s my first year wrestling and I joined with no wrestling experience, so [Gonzales] describes moves slowly and patiently so I can understand and learn the moves.”
Sanchez agrees, saying, “One thing [Gonzales] does is that he often teaches technique by demonstrating it in a simple way so every wrestler here would be able to pick up on quickly.”
By the end of the season, Gonzales aspires to train the team to qualify for both the Central Coast Section (CCS) tournament in February and the state championships. He says, “I am trying to help them discover their own strengths and develop a gameplan that they can build on instead of going into a match with no strategy in mind.”
