TESTIMONIALS
Reya Mecca
Equestrian now Doctor
“Respect is given through the humility of understanding that the other person has your best interest in mind.”
8 years later, these words still resonate in my ears. Coach Joel has taught me more about life and it’s virtues than athletics by itself. His holistic approach to every project is a blessing for everyone benefiting from it.
His pure discipline, hard work and honesty to his work has been a stepping stone of success to the kids he works with. A man who gives his heart to everything he puts his mind to, a man who feels building relationships is important.
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If you want your child to learn a sport with the right attitude, discipline and sportsmanship - Joel Aaron is the man you would want to be talking to!
Rahul C.
Footballer now Architect
My journey with Coach Joel is almost a decade old now and being involved as a player on the field, I haven’t met a mentor who is more involved and interested in an individual’s development and growth, than he is.
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Being emotionally aware is something that he cultivated in me, which still has an impact in my daily life. Whether you are on the field or at home or at work or even sitting idle, being constantly aware of your actions and their many consequences is essential to one in their endeavor to develop their personalities. Being made aware of this, made me realize how important it is to be able to reflect and look into ones own character.
A journey like this never reaches completion. His patience and perseverance in seeing things through encourages me to build on what has been passed down to me and to share our progress with each other helps us understand it from a different perspective.
In sport, a truly dedicated individual with his goals clearly laid out. His experience as a player and not just a coach allows players working with him to open up and discuss their mindset on and off the pitch, professionally and casually. He has been and continues to be an important mentor to me.
Vikrant V.
Footballer now Student at UFT
It seems like only yesterday that I was ordered to drop down to the floor and give coach 500 pushups, shortly after he had heard me melodiously recite a string of swear words directed towards my teammate. Fast forward six years; coach and I may be separated by continents, but to this very day, every time I swear, I look around me; almost scared that he’s going to somehow catch me. But that’s EQ (Emotional Quotient) in a nutshell for you; when coach teaches you a lesson; you remember it for life.
Coach is a unique individual; distinct from counsellors and psychologists alike in the sense that while he may not have a bunch of degrees (which he does mind you), he’s lived a bunch of life. I believe this is what has truly made it so easy for me to openly communicate with him. When he tells me something, I know in my heart of hearts that he isn’t merely preaching. His guidance stems from a genuine foundation of not wanting me to repeat the same mistakes he did in his journey of life. He will selflessly expose his flaws just to teach me that “it’s okay son, we’re all human at the end of the day.”
I can feel the insides of my eyelids turn moist as I think of where I would be if not for Coach; or if I would even be at all. I still remember to this day what he said when I told him I had hit rock bottom. “When you hit rock bottom son; I want you to dig even deeper, not so that you can just crawl your way back to the top; but leap, leap through the pit of life straight to the top.”
You see; coach is the type of teammate to whom if you pass the ball, he’ll simply one touch pass it right back to you; setting you up perfectly to pierce through the net with a shot. But those subtle prods of love has repeatedly helped me shoot through the weary nets of life. I truly am grateful beyond belief to have you in my life coach; and what excites me is that we’re only getting warmed up.
Your self- anointed favorite son
Vikrant.
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Guru
Basketballer now Student of Mass Communication
I was a frustrated angry young kid when i first met Coach Joel. I always loved coach though.
Looking back i don't know now how i'd be today if Coach hadn't introduce me to the program. I'm grateful for the life i have today and it is because of the timely intervention of Coach Joel.
As a sports coach he is one of the most versatile coaches I've ever seen, his training is such that he can be a coach for literally any sport, calling him just a football coach gives a very limited perspective to his ability.
I never really played sport until I met coach, I thought I did. He made me fit in 4 weeks and taught me how to play a sport with the right attitude. The change I see now certainly took a little longer than 4 weeks, but I've never been the same on the pitch again.
Deivanai Vellayappan
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Educator/ Principal
First impressions last. In my very first introduction to Joel, I knew I was looking at someone who is goal oriented, passionate about his work and will go the extra mile to make a difference. In the brief period that we worked together, he went on to prove me right.
As a Physical Education Teacher at Chettinad Hari Shree Vidhyalayam during my tenure as a Principal, Joel established himself as a significant addition to the institution. Proficient in his area of expertise he raised the bar for the rest of the team members in his department and was no doubt a source of inspiration for the children he worked with.
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His professional outlook and the unwavering passion he had for his work earned him the respect of his colleagues as well as the parent community. One also has to applaud his constant aspiration to continuously develop and empower himself on all fronts. With an everlasting spirit for enterprise , Joel was also always on the look out for exploring new ventures to learn and prove. Well informed and knowledgeable on the different aspects of what it takes to be an effective coach, Joel was successful in the projects he took up within and beyond the school.
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The synergy we shared paved the way for the successful implementation of several ideas, including the After School Sport Program and the Summer Sports Camp initiated by Joel. It was a pleasure working with him. Wishing Joel Aaron all the best in his ambition for scaling greater heights.
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Deivanai Vellayappan.
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Camy
Mother
Joel trained my boys in athletics when they were in grade 1 and 3.
Today, they are aged 14 and 15. Both are black belts in taekwondo at national levels and are accomplished swimmers. They can sign up for marathons, and actually do it well. I'm grateful that they were able to build up their stamina and test their limits when they were young.
Joel is excellent with kids. He knows how to push them to their limits, and hold back to the extent that they are not exhausted or worn out. He builds their confidence, which i think is very important for children growing up these days. He is naturally good with extracting the best out of them.
Shreyas
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Basketballer now student
(B.Tech)
Joel sir has always been the type of person to provide constant support and guidance during my development, be it from a student athlete's point of view, or simply a student's point of view.
Sessions with sir, both on and off the court have helped me gain insights on what areas of my game I need to work on, and more importantly, what aspects of my personality could use a few tweaks for me to excel as a successful student overall.
Being an extremely approachable, friendly and professional individual, Joel sir's guidance always proved to be an enriching expenditure of my time in school.