Mr. Michael Velez, who graduated from Choate in 2000, is in his fourth year as a teacher in the History Department and is the assistant coach for Boys’ Varsity Water Polo, Lacrosse, and Hockey. Several athletic experiences profoundly impacted Mr. Velez as a person, coach, and teacher.

While at Choate, Mr. Velez played hockey and lacrosse. The hockey team made the semifinals of the New England tournament both his junior and senior years. His squad had lots of talent, but what he remembers most about the experience was the students he played with. He felt that the team “was a close group of guys who pushed each other every day to become better, both as athletes but also as people.” He believes that the hockey team was the first situation for him as an athlete in which accountability was stressed heavily. Playing lacrosse at Choate was also a fulfilling experience for Velez. While playing lacrosse at Choate, he feels, he learned a lot about teamwork and character.

After his athletic experiences at Choate, Mr. Velez went on to play hockey at Middlebury College. In his four years at Middlebury, the hockey team was always competitive. His senior year, however, was special: his team won the Division III National Ice Hockey Championship. He believes that winning the championship was extradordinary because that year the team had the least talent out of the four years. “The factor that made the team better than before was that the guys believed in each other, played for each other, and moved towards a common goal of making their time together last as long as possible,” says Mr. Velez.

Mr. Velez believes that many of the lessons he learned through sports turned out to be life lessons. He feels that through sports he learned how to work well with others towards a common goal, to be accountable for one’s actions, and to enjoy playing, but also to enjoy time with team and friends.

Mr. Velez’s favorite part about being a coach is “working with individual kids, seeing and helping them improve over time, working with a group that believes in each other and enjoys what they do, and seeing meaningful relationships build throughout one’s athletic career.”