Jalen J.

Daniel Estrada/ Montclair HS graduate/track and field athlete CO'26 (Testimonial)

This is Daniel Estrada from Montclair High School where I ran track and cross country for all four years. Throughout all my years in Montclair High School I believe I lacked a lot of support from track coaching staff in events that should have been given and should have been pushed for me and all the athletes on the team that raised money and deserved to run at a competitive level. In my senior year I was happily and pleasantly surprised to find new coaches being brought onto the team with one of those coaches being Coach J. For all my running years in high school I believe I lacked the discipline and training routine to take it to the next level, I would just work off of what I felt like I wanted to do instead of putting in the necessary work but when Coach J stepped in to be the new distance coach I found that routine and hard work ethic being implemented into my daily routine. Throughout pre-season, season, and breaks, Coach J would show his dedication to the routine and workouts that he would assign us by sticking with us and accommodating our needs and my needs, hosting extra practices and staying long after school to work with all of our athletes. The effort he put into our team and the program inspired many athletes on the team and me to push our limits beyond what we thought was possible, with Coach J pushing more invitationals for me and my teammate Adrian on the distance side I was able to break three school records in one season and shatter all my personal records beyond what I thought was possible for me. Our team after many years of not winning a single track meet our boys' team was able to place 2nd overall in rank in our league finals with many of our male athletes placing in every single event and I contribute a lot of that success to Coach J and his dedication to uplifting the team. Overall, I would like to say great thanks to Coach J and to speak on his character, Coach J is a very hardworking, patient, and caring person and this all translates to the amount of passion and work he brings to the team.

Amanda Reed/ Montclair HS graduate/track and field athlete CO'26 (Testimonial)

I was on the Varsity Track team for all years of high school and let's just say I've seen it ALL. Only having one coach, no coach, a coach that had no clue what they were doing, having the worst season ever, having my prime season, contemplating if I should stay or quit. Coming into my last and final year of high school track. I had a run down in my head on what to expect for this upcoming season. I thought it was just going to be the same as last season, boring and a literal shoulder shrug, until I met Coach J. I wasn't so sure what to think of him at first, when they introduced him. I knew nothing about him and just saw him as some random who probably just took the job because they needed the money and wasn't going to take it seriously, just telling kids to "run" or "fix your form". Well let's just say I was completely wrong. Looking back at it now, Coach J was probably the best coach I ever had throughout all 4 years of my experience at Montclair High School. Although he made me run 200s, 300s, 800s as a SHORT distance sprinter it was all worth it at the end. His coaching is something I honestly wish every athlete gets to experience in their life. I never seen someone so dedicated to come teach a group of teenagers and support them through a sport that's all mental. At times I felt like he was putting us before himself, just to see the excitement on our faces PR-ing in our events. Coach J honestly carried the whole team. I'm not even trying to exaggerate it. I swear I've seen this man at the finish line for relays, mile, 100m, 100mH, you name it and he was there. Best believe he had feedback for every single athlete too. He created a positive environment where I felt like I wasn't being judged for what I can and can't do. There was not one person on the team who didn't like Coach J. He was everyone's safe space, mines included. He was a shoulder I can cry on. He gave me helpful feedback and never gave up on me even on times I was giving up on myself. On meets I felt like I didn't do my best Coach J was by my side comforting and hyping me up at the same time and understood me not just as an athlete but who I am outside of track. Coach J genuinely cared about the success of everyone on the team and sure did have the patience for it also. Him always having the biggest smile and making practices fun to come to, even when we had to lock in and do the most tiring workout. He went above and beyond for the team. He led ONE athlete to becoming not one, not two, but three record holding times in distance. Seeing him cheering me on at graduation gave me a humongous ache in my heart, knowing the very first time having a supportive coach who is just as dedicated for me to succeed, for me to leave and say my goodbyes literally 4 months into getting to know each other. All I can say is I wish I had more time, who knows where I would be at if I had Coach J as my coach for all 4 years. Til this day I will never know how to thank him for being the person he is. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to have been coached by him for my last season of high school. I hope other athletes have this experience if not better. He impacted on my growth not only as an athlete but as a person. He really set a great example on not only how a track coach, but all coaches should be coaching. Track taught me that progress isn't always about finishing first but staying consistent, showing up and continuing to move forward even when the path is difficult, and Coach J helped me not only understand that but that the lessons learned on the track carry over into an everyday life.

Adrian Lopez/ Montclair HS graduate/ track and field athlete CO' 26 (Testimonial)

As an athlete coached by Coach J, I have had nothing but positive interactions with him. Even though he was my coach for one semester, it was an unforgettable and inspiring season. I felt motivated every day because I had someone push me and encourage me even on my worst days. He always wanted the best for me and showed up as much as he could. Apart from me, I see Coach J consistently connect with the other athletes but instead appreciate him for doing an above and beyond job. Coach J was an amazing addition to the Montclair Track and Field team; he moved the program in a better spot than it was a year ago. I hope he continues to inspire and push athletes not to only better runners, but better people as they enter adulthood.

Hunter Roy/ 5-time NAIA All-American; Former teammate (Testimonial)

Coach J played a big part in my early college success, and that translated to long term success, and that translated to long-term success in my later college career. I am a Middle-Distance athlete, which means I need to train for sprints and distance to compete at elite levels in the middle. Training for distance was easy, just be patient, put in the miles and hours, and execute the paces of your workouts, the aerobic benefits will come. But training for the sprint side of things is not as simple as distance running. There are many techniques, micromechanics, and biomechanics on top of training the anaerobic system. This is something I was lacking in my early college Mid-Distance training. My former sprints teammate and CPP alumni was willing to be my unofficial assistant coach/helper outside of my practice with the team, because he was invested in my short-term and long-term success. In our time together, he taught me many drills and mechanics to sprinting, improving the little things that improve efficiency. At the end of our final season together I dropped ~1.3 seconds off my 400m, allowing me to drop ~1.1 seconds off my 800m. Years later I continued practicing the things he had taught me, and now I am experiencing long-term improvements in my final college seasons.