Baldwin coaches honored, talk memories

Darius Burton, Tom Catapano, Peter Buckley, Adango Longjohn, Mike Palumbo have​ all have been designated “Conference Coach of the Year” for the 2022 winter season in athletics by the Nassau County Coaches Association. In addition, Palumbo’s Marksmanship Team received the 2022 Section VIII Charlie Tacke ​Team Sportsmanship Award. 

Eduardo Ramirez, Director of Physical Education, Health Education, Health Services and Athletics for Baldwin UFSD said of the honor, “These coaches go above and beyond to provide our student-athletes with the best all-around athletic experience, and it is always gratifying to see them acknowledged and recognized by their peers for their excellent work.”

Palumbo, the co-ed marksmanship coach, has been focusing on accuracy of the teams shooting and, equally important to him, fostering connections with students through his 17 years of coaching rifle shooting. “I love to see their excitement and smile on the students faces when the ‘light bulb’ goes off…because all of our practice and hard work pays off on the athletic fields and/or shooting range,” Palumbo said.

Some students began to take out PAL Programs to enhance their shooting season at Baldwin, which paid off in a recent match against Glen Cove High School, where they not only beat the school but superseded their season team high score. It was such a momentous occasion for the team that Palumbo, “Instructed our bus driver to pull into the drive-thru at McDonalds so that I could treat the entire team.” It was the first time in Palumbo’s career that the Baldwin Rifle Team qualified for the Nassau County Rifle County Finals.  

Expressing the necessity of after-school sport programs Palumbo states, “Sports are extremely important for students…it gives them a safe place to go after school where they can have fun, get exercise and be themselves [and] for many of them, this is where their true identity and leadership qualities come out.”

Coach Burton, of the Boys Varsity Basketball Team, approaches coaching a similar way, taking stake in cultivating lifelong connections with players over his 23 years in the Baldwin School District. A memory on the courts that sticks out for him is being a part of the first Boy Long Island Championship in basketball in the school’s history in 2008. “We beat a current National Basketball Association (NBA) player that day, Tabias Harris… I remember it like it was yesterday due to the fact I am close with the family, and I coached Tobias and his brother and sister” Burton explained.

“Sports are essential for school because it promotes a healthy and active lifestyle [students] develop good character, honesty, competitiveness, and commitment,” Burton told the Herald. “I just want to thank building administration and Mr. Ramirez, my boss, for all their support. Their actions do not go unnoticed.”