By Kristen Nachtman, Staff Writer, ’14, and Gabriella Giachin, Staff Writer, ’14

Recently the Newark Academy community said goodbye to Steve Puryear, known to most as “Coach P”. During the five years that Coach P worked at Newark Academy, he was the weight room manager and Varsity football defensive coordinator. As a result of his expertise in those roles, he established strong relationships with the students and faculty.

Coach P contributed much to the Athletic Program during his tenure in the weight room. He promoted a healthy lifestyle by teaching people the effects of different foods on their bodies and offering advice on balancing exercise and recovery. He created individual workouts for those who wanted to focus on personal exercises, as well as team-wide programs that pinpointed sport-specific strengths. Above all, his enthusiastic and friendly personality created a positive atmosphere in the weight room – a place that can often seem intimidating.

On the football field as a defensive coordinator, Coach P had a knack for running a defensive system, while also motivating his players to improve their individual skill. Football captain Nick Lawler ’13 admired Coach P and thought of him as, “a great football coach who was an amazing motivator. In the weight room and on the field he had the ability to mentor and connect with everyone, and everyone I know loved being around him.”

Towards the end of his time at the Academy, Coach P contributed significantly to starting the new, well-received weight room clinics. These afterschool opportunities, which are divided by gender, give athletes and newcomers the chance to learn the basics of the weight room, or, for the more advanced, pick up new strategies and routines. The clinics were a joint effort between Coach P and Athletic Director Ted Gilbreath. Mr. Gilbreath explained that the two of them spent long periods of time on the phone over winter break discussing how each session should be taught, and finalizing details. The program is sure to become a part of Coach P’s legacy at the school.

“It’s not only the workouts and the ability to see an athlete reach their goals, but it’s having great discussions with the kids that would come into the weight room every day. That’s where I got to learn about so many people; talking about how your day was, what you did on the weekend; that’s what I miss the most,” said Coach P, a week after he left.

Mr. Gilbreath highlighted the importance of athletic trainers when he said, “I think the most important position in the athletic department is the strength and conditioning coach, who gets all the teams in shape and forms a basis for a team’s initial attitude, which carries over to the way they compete on the field.  Coach P had the ability to push people to work without feeling like you were being demeaned, which greatly benefited all of our athletes.”

The future for Coach P is at Jonathan Dayton High School in Union County, where he is the new athletic trainer and assistant football coach of the linebackers and running backs. He has also recently received his M.A.T. in Mathematics from Montclair State University.

As for Newark Academy, the Athletic Department is still looking for a new weight room manager. Mr. Gilbreath hopes that the replacement will be able to further incorporate running, jumping, linear and lateral speed training into athletes’ workouts. While there may be an end to introductory workout clinics for now, there are plans to set up reserved time slots for athletes and those who would like more teaching in the weight room. Although it will be difficult to fill Coach P’s shoes, many hope that his replacement will be able to channel the same mix of motivation, focus, and friendliness that made Coach P such a valued member of the athletic community.