John Gradwohl has dedicated much of his life to making an impact in youth sports. His hard work and perseverance paid off in a big way when he took part in the National Football League's Youth Coaching Summit in Canton, Ohio on Aug. 6-7.
Gradwohl, the Peninsula Jewish Community Center's sports and recreation manager, was one of two participants to represent the Jewish Community Center Association, a leadership network comprised of more than 725 JCCAs in the U.S. and Canada. The summit emphasized life skills, teamwork, education and discipline, in addition to skills-based coaching techniques. The annual event was designed to support the world's youth coaching community.
A host of former NFL greats attended the summit, including Hall of Famers Art Shell and Gale Sayers and NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue. With youth football leagues across the country seeing a drop in numbers, the NFL and its Players Association has poured in $650 million dollars to support community-based programs to get more children involved in the game.
"Football is losing a lot of kids to other sports, the Internet, video games and what have you," Gradwohl said. "So the NFL is investing a lot of resources to make sure kids have fun and stay in the sport. It was quite an honor to be selected to attend the summit. There were 150 youth and high school coaches from America, France and Austria. It was very educational and I learned a lot of values that will make me a better coach."
Gradwohl is an assistant with the Hillsdale High football and baseball teams. His 30-year coaching career has included stints at Serramonte, Terra Nova, South San Francisco, Carlmont and Jefferson. The 1974 Whitworth (Spokane, Wash.) College graduate has built a reputation over the years for making youth sports a priority.
Gradwohl oversees everything out of his PJCC office in Foster City. He is the director of the center's flag football league, which five years ago had only 36 participants. Now there are 300 boys and girls ages 8-15 taking part in four different classes.
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"We try to get high school kids involved in the coaching community as well as high school coaches around the area," Gradwohl said. "There's a mutual benefit for both. The whole idea is to make football enjoyable for kids and not put so much emphasis on winning and losing because sometimes you can turn youth off that way. You want to keep them interested in the game so as they get older they'll be motivated to stay in the sport in some capacity and make a positive contribution."
In addition to football leagues, the PJCC has basketball, volleyball and swim competitions. It recently unveiled a $50 million dollar college-sized gymnasium in May. Gradwohl said the PJCC's tremendous facilities give youths a chance to take part and enjoy multiple sports. The PJCC will be hosting an NFL/Pepsi Punt, Pass and Kick event on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. All boys and girls ages 8-15, regardless of ability, are eligible to participate. There is no cost to attend or compete.
Gradwohl, 53, knew early on he wanted to be a coach. As the captain of Jefferson High's swim team in the late 1960s, Gradwohl found himself leading the team in practices and setting up meets. He was a natural leader, able to inspire his teammates at Jefferson, College of San Mateo and Whitworth. Gradwohl credits his high school swim coach, Bob Rodrigo, and former CSM coach Ted Tollner (current 49ers offensive coordinator) for giving him a vision in life.
"What they taught me I've been able to apply to the kids I've coached," Gradwohl said. "Hard work and dedication pays off in all aspects of life. If you put in the effort, you'll be rewarded. Simple life lessons such as those go a long way. If you can instill this lesson in kids, you've already made a positive impact."
For more information on the NFL/Pepsi Punt, Pass and Kick event at the PJCC, call 650 212 7522.
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