Athletico Physical Therapy Announces 9th Annual Coach of the Year Award Recipient

OAK BROOK, Ill. — Athletico Physical Therapy is proud to announce Coach Terry Cole of Richwoods High School in Peoria, Illinois as the recipient of the 9th Annual Athletico Coach of the Year Award. The Athletico Coach of the Year Award was created to recognize coaches for all they do to serve their local communities, including sportsmanship, coaching success and classroom involvement. In addition to receiving a commemorative plaque, Coach Cole will receive a recovery package from Athletico’s partners at Hyperice, a $250 Amazon gift card, and an Athletico prize package.

“Coach Cole’s nomination stood out to us because of the strong connections he’s made with students using the P.H.E.A.R.C.E. acronym to instill a core philosophy in his tennis athletes. His coaching philosophy aligns well with Athletico’s Core Values that drive our day-to-day actions,” said Payten Gerjerts, Director of Athletic Training Services for Athletico. “We were also impressed by Coach Cole’s creativity to find additional resources for his athletes when they need them, whether that be during the pandemic or by finding more ideal practice locations. His drive and passion for seeing his athletes succeed is part of the foundation of what we look for in a Coach of the Year. Congratulations to Coach Cole and the Richwoods High School community!”

Nominated by his athletes, parents, and colleagues, Coach Terry Cole exemplifies the Coach of the Year by instilling strong values in his athletes that promote growth and experience. In 2021, Coach Cole entered his sixth year at RHS as the Choir Director and fourth year as the head coach of the girls’ and boys’ tennis programs, where he has had a significant impact on athletes on and off the courts. Coach Cole grew up as a focused musician and holds a BME in Music Education from Illinois State University, but he also enjoyed playing tennis in high school. When the RHS tennis coach retired, Coach Cole was approached to take over the program and rebuild the team. He focused on creating a team culture that educated athletes about the sport of tennis and encouraged the team to have fun, grow together, and learn to love competition, without focusing solely on wins and losses. In just a couple years, Coach Cole has built the program to over 50 players and developed one of the top girls’ tennis programs in the state with a seventh-place finish in 2021. Coach Cole believes his greatest accomplishment in coaching is the number of students who have learned how to play tennis and can now enjoy the sport for the rest of their lives.

“Coach Terry Cole took over a fading tennis program with courts in disrepair and only 15 players in the program between both the girls’ and boys’ teams,” said Ron Dwyer, Richwoods High School Athletic Director. “In just three short years, he has turned tennis into the school’s most successful sports program. Terry has grown the team to over 50 tennis players on both the girls’ and boys’ teams this year. This past fall, the girls’ team won the sectional for the first time in 15 years and went on to a seventh-place finish in state this season!”

Coach Cole leads by his P.H.E.A.R.C.E philosophy to inspire athletes to live by the following ideals in his program:

• Process: Build trust through leadership.
• Humility: Remain humble. No one player or coach is bigger than the team.
• Energy: Bring high energy to everything that we do.
• Adversity: Learn how to overcome setbacks and defeat.
• Relationships: Build relationships among team members and coaches.
• Culture: Create culture through shared values.
• Excellence: Strive for excellence every day.

The Coach of the Year Award is open to any junior high or high school level coach within the states of Arizona, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, Texas or Wisconsin. Nominations are open to the public and submitted via an online entry form. Nominators were required to explain why their coach should be recognized. A selection committee within Athletico reviews the nominations before selecting a winner. Nominations for the 2022 Coach of the Year Award will be accepted in fall 2022.

Additionally, Athletico will open nominations for its 2022 Athletic Trainer of the Year Award on February 15, 2022. Learn more at: www.athletico.com/atoftheyear.

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About Athletico Physical Therapy
Athletico Physical Therapy provides the highest quality orthopedic rehabilitation services to communities, employers and athletes in over 600 locations throughout 19 states with more than 5,000 employees. Athletico is committed to our patients and referring physicians through our patient-centric focus, positive work environment, attention to quality and high standard of care. Athletico measures patient outcomes and satisfaction and is dedicated to continuous improvement. Athletico was named #1 Workplace in Chicago, “Best Physical Therapy Practice in the Nation” by ADVANCE magazine, Top Workplace in the Nation and has been recognized as a leader in employee volunteering and charitable giving. Our services include physical and occupational/hand therapy, workers’ compensation, women’s health therapy, concussion management and athletic training. For more information, or to schedule a free assessment in clinic or now online with our virtual free assessments, visit http://www.athletico.com and follow us on Twitter at @athletico.

Media Contact:
Dana Andreoli
Athletico Physical Therapy
dana.andreoli@athletico.com
630-259-5156