Coach says he's voting for Kaplan

To the Editor:

It is with great pride that I write this letter in support of Dr. Nancy Kaplan for re-election to the Merrick Union Free School District Board of Education. Nancy has served on the school board for eight years, and has been a great advocate for our children, our schools and our community.

Since moving to Merrick nearly 10 years ago, Nancy has dedicated much of her life to improving educational and athletic opportunities for all our children. She has been a coach in Merrick-North Merrick Little League and the Bellmore-Merrick Basketball League, and currently serves as treasurer of the Merrick-North Merrick Little League.

For the past three years, I have had the pleasure of coaching youth basketball with Nancy. Watching the way she interacts with the children is incredible. Aside from enlightening the kids with her vast basketball knowledge, she spends a great deal of time teaching them about respect. All of our players learned to respect their coaches, their teammates, their parents, and most of all, themselves. It is rare to come across a coach who is intense and competitive, yet never emphasizes winning a game.

Nancy has demonstrated time and time again that she understands the purpose of youth sports. Rather than focusing on winning, it is more important to her that children learn, develop skills, have fun and feel great about themselves. She has found a way to make each child feel as though they can succeed and contribute to our team. The lessons that she teaches on a basketball court about working hard, not giving up, encouraging others and always acting as a team are the very ones that the children will use in every aspect of their lives. She has shown genuine care and concern for children in our league, whether they have been on her team or an opposing team. In fact, as far as I know, she is the only coach in the history of the Bellmore-Merrick Basketball League to call a time-out during a game to hug a boy on the opposing team!

Our children deserve school board members who will always put their educational best interests foremost. Dr. Nancy Kaplan is just that person. She has deep roots in this community, and her commitment to our schools, students and community is unquestionable.

Adam Kappel

Merrick