Gina Carlone gives insight into what it takes to win dual coaching awards at Blind Brook in same year

June 19, 2024 at 11:20 p.m.

Blind Brook’s Gina Carlone was named League Coach of the Year for both volleyball and softball this year. (Courtesy photo of Gina Carlone)

It is not every day or year that a Blind Brook varsity coach is named Coach of the Year in one sport, let alone two.

But there is always a first time.

And it happened this year when Lady Trojans Health and Physical Education instructor Gina Carlone was named Coach of the Year in both volleyball and soccer.

Blind Brook announced that Carlone had won the League Coach of the Year in dual sports at the school's end-of-the-year sports banquet May 30 at Tamarack Country Club in Greenwich, Conn.

Carlone, being the intensely private person that she is, insisted the awards weren't about her but about her teams and players.

The coaching mantra

"The strength of the team is each individual member, and the strength of each individual member is the team," Carlone is fond of saying.

That’s because she means it and lives it as a coach.

    Gina Carlone, back row, far left, with her 2023-24 Blind Brook varsity volleyball team.
 By File Photo   

And if there is a reason behind her Lady Trojans team success, she says it has a lot to do with her simple yet not so simple advice about what to do in crunch time:

"As I tell my players during challenging moments, breathe, visualize, ground yourself, pursue excellence."

Because that is what she does. And that is what she has been doing for a long time—since 2014 at Blind Brook with a young lifetime before that spent getting ready to become a Lady Trojan coach and physical education instructor.

The early training days

"I attribute my love for activity and sports to the neighborhood I grew up in (Clarkstown in Rockland County) and the teachers/coaches I had. There were many children always outside playing basketball, baseball, tag, manhunt and football. You would always find me outside playing some kind of sport. In middle and high school, I played both volleyball and softball. The largest coaching influences on me (at various times in her life) were Coach John Pardy, Coach Diane Swertfager and Coach Justin Goldstein.”

And while she doesn't mention it, she played volleyball for Clarkstown South High School where she was named All-League in her senior year with awards won ranging from the Presidential Fitness Award and Most Physically Fit Athlete (both 2009), those awards leading up to her becoming an outstanding student-athlete at SUNY Cortland where she obtained her Bachelor of Science in Education in Physical Education and graduated in 2013. She obtained her M.S. in Physical and Health Education in 2015. And in the year between getting her masters, she started teaching at Blind Brook.

Lucky and loving it

"I am lucky to do what I love at this school," she said. "I am grateful to be teaching and coaching in the Blind Brook School District. I started teaching Health and Physical Education at Blind Brook High School in 2014 as well as volunteering my time with the varsity volleyball team since there was no JV team. Throughout five years of recruiting out of the hallways and starting a youth program with Rye Brook Recreation, we started to see not only more girls interested in volleyball, but an overall skill improvement and competitiveness. In 2019, I became the varsity coach for both the volleyball and softball teams.”

The turning point and highlight of her career so far was when the volleyball team won their first section title in 2022. “This could not have been possible without the incredibly dedicated and talented athletes, support of wonderful parents, our Director of Athletics, and the dedicated coaching staff," she said.

But she may also have had more than a little to do with that title and league runner-up finishes because, again while she doesn't mention it, she has also won the Volleyball League Coach of the Year and Conference Coach of the Year awards before (both 2022) and won the Coaches Sportsmanship Award as well before hitting the daily double of Volleyball League Coach of the Year (2023) and Softball League Coach of the Year in 2024.

Connection with players

That isn't surprising because when asked about what she does for fun/relaxation/hobbies, Gina said: "You can still find me playing some kind of competitive volleyball, whether it be indoor, grass or beach." She feels actively playing helps her make a strong connection with her team as the athletes see her as someone who shares their passion.

Gina also enjoys celebrating her Lady Trojans’ accomplishments with the players, their families and her loved ones, those accomplishments this year including Blind Brook's Fernanda Julian and Oriah Rosenfeld making the All-Section volleyball team with both also making VB All-League as did Ella Rosenfeld while softball's Isabella Montesano received All-Section Honorable Mention, was named to the All-Conference Team and made All-League as did Charlotte Florin.

That kind of student-athlete recognition doesn't just happen because good coaching helps bring out the best in a player and Gina works hard at her craft, including also coaching elsewhere in her free time at the Prodigy Volleyball Academy in Hartsdale where the mission is to provide athletes from 8 to 18 with the tools and resources needed for successful experiences on and off the court and to help them recognize and maximize their potential because they feel all the players were born to be great and they can bring out that greatness. That includes their playing on elite, premier and club age group travel teams competing against top-tier competition.

In any free time left over, Gina said she "loves to stay connected with the Blind Brook community and with my players by planning end of season banquets, luncheons, hosting open gyms, volunteering and fundraising. Currently, I also am an advisor for the dance club and the senior class."

Staying on the ball

She is also an advocate for year-round training for her Lady Trojans.

"Our volleyball team hasn't stopped getting ready for the next season.," Gina said. "Our dedicated players are committed to playing travel club volleyball, attending summer college clinics, open gyms and summer leagues. I have attended professional development sessions put on by the NYVCA. Being successful requires year-round training. I am honored to coach such a devoted group of young women.”

“We had the biggest turnout for our volleyball interest meeting in my career—52 kids last week!” she exclaimed. “And if there are any young women reading this who want to be a part of a hardworking program, come out for volleyball!”

Softball, too.

Because Gina's tagline is: "Keep playing."

And you can't argue with her results.