BY CLAUDIA WATSON AND JAKE ARMSTRONG, Freshmen
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| MINKEL VIDEO FEATURE |
BLYTHEWOOD-- Many may know Jason Minkel, or Coach Minkel, from his teaching and coaching at the schools Blythewood Middle and Blythewood High. Minkel is known as a role model in the eyes of many students.
“Coach Minkel has taught me self discipline,” BHS Freshman Jacob Cowan said. In Minkel’s classroom, students will have respect for him or he won’t have respect for them. Students in his gym class learn not to cut up because they would receive consequences.
“In the last four years that I’ve known Coach Minkel, I’ve always seen him in a nice, cheery mood and he likes to see the best in people,” BHS freshman Ryan Williams said.
Minkel may seem like a tough guy, but he really does care for the well being of his students and wants to see them improve everyday in his class. His background in many different sports helps him when he coaches in PE and in football and golf at the high school.
But, Minkel doesn’t only focus on football, he is going to be the new men’s golf team coach, starting this year.
“He likes to push people to their best abilities,” Williams said. "When one of his students didn’t make their goals for one of their tests, he would push them to reach that goal next time. He tries to make everyone realize that reaching their goals is a great feeling."
Minkel is very popular with the students and teachers at BHS. When he walks down the hallway, someone will talk to him about sports or how their day has been going. Not only is Minkel popular, but he is a great role model.
Minkel is in great shape and he is a great example of a good athlete. As a child and in high school, he played many sports other than football.
“I played other sports other than football. But football was the sport that I was best at and I had the opportunity to go farther with,” Minkel said.
Minkel played football in high school and college.
Coach Minkel still has connections with his past students, such as Clemson kicker Greg Huegel. Huegel helped Clemson win the National Championship this year against the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Huegel and Minkel still try to get together and play some football. Minkel was Huegel's kicking coach at the high school.
When Minkel left his teaching job at Blythewood Middle School to start teaching at Blythewood High School, many people hated to see him go because he was such a great coworker and friend.
Minkel was always in charge of the field days at the middle school and he made it such a fun event. He helped the students really get into the races and games.
Anything that Minkel is involved with will definitely be done correctly and done at its best quality. He always puts his best effort forward, just like what he tries to teach his students.
Using effort for everything that someone does will really help anyone in life and coach is a great example of that.
“One of the coolest things I did with football was try out for the NFL,” Minkel said. He tried out as a kicker.
Even though he didn’t make one of the teams, you know that he gave his best effort into the practices that he got to experience. It takes a really brave and tough football player to do the drills and workouts during practices that players have to do in the NFL.
Peers and students appreciate and look up to Minkel. He is a great person, teacher and coach and everyone hopes that he continues to influence people’s lives for many years to come.
