As long as CoachUp has existed, we’ve gone to great lengths to give you the videos, resources, and tools you need to succeed as an athlete, coach, or parent. But have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes at CoachUp? That’s the purpose behind our CoachUp Team Spotlight! Each week, you’ll get a fun, in-depth look at the people that make this company tick! This week, we talk to our beloved blog author and new Client Experience Associate, Ben Nadeau!
CoachUp: Hello, friend! You’re finally on the other side of one of these interviews! Can you tell us a little bit about yourself
Ben Nadeau: My name is Ben, I’ve been living in Boston since 2010, and have a super strong sports background in almost everything — from soccer to Ultimate, I’ve played it all. After spending the first eighteen years of my life in Portland, ME, I went to Emerson College and got my BFA in Writing, Literature, and Publishing. Despite all of this, somehow, I was not a believer in the Oxford Comma until I started working at CoachUp, so major thanks to Catherine for that!
CU: What’s your position at CoachUp and how long have you been here?
BN: I’m a Content Intern turned Content Contributor that has been transformed into a Customer Experience Associate. I’ve been here since June of 2015 and sat next to the printer for the first four months, so people think I know a bunch about printing. This is not true, but I’ve accepted the role regardless. 
CU: What drove you to join CoachUp? Why?
BN: I love sports and I love writing, it really is that simple. I’ve always aspired to make a living writing about sports and CoachUp has given me an outlet for that passion. From writing tryout guides to sport-specific content on our Training Center, it’s been a blast learning to understand sports in ways I didn’t know before.
CU: What’s your experience with sports? This includes playing, spectating, coaching, etc..
BN: OK, buckle up. I played baseball and soccer up through the end of high school, running track sporadically in four years along the way, hockey for three, basketball for two, and Ultimate for four. After college, I continued playing Ultimate in Portland, Maine’s Summer League and Boston’s BUDA Organization. Additionally, I played four years of Quidditch, yes, that Quidditch, at Emerson College and within in the Boston Community. Three of those high school years were spent as the captain + coach of our Ultimate team and then spent three years doing the same for Quidditch teams at both the National and Intramural levels.
CU: What can people find you doing in your free time?
CU: What can people find you doing in your free time?BN: Nowadays, I don’t play anything, unfortunately — but you can find me obsessively watching and writing about them. From everything like Brooklyn Nets basketball to Arsenal football club, you’ll have to seriously bribe me to miss one of my team’s games. Besides that, I love hanging out with my cat, Ron, and talking about video games with Shaun or soccer with Art.
CU: What’s your favorite sports memory, played, experienced, or watched?
BN: Believe it or not, I have a special list for occasions just like this. Some of my absolute favorites include the Red Sox breaking the curse in 2004; Landon Donovan’s last second goal against Algeria in the 2010 World Cup; Arsenal’s drought-ending FA Cup Final against Hull City in 2014; and John Brooks’ game-winning header versus Ghana in the 2014 World Cup. Honestly, I hold them so dear to my heart that it would be impossible to truly choose a favorite.
CU: Who is your favorite athlete of all-time? How do they inspire you?
BN: For the longest time, it would’ve been Nomar Garciaparra without question. Growing up as a young baseball fan in the Northeast, my life revolved around Nomar, Pedro, and whether or not the Sox could beat the Yankees. From his #5 to that elaborate batting routine, Nomar had my heart for the longest time. Since then, there have been plenty of wonderful favorites like Brett Favre, Jason Kidd, Trot Nixon, Joe Sakic, Landon Donovan, Thierry Henry, and Aaron Rodgers, but I’d have to say that my current favorite athlete is Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil. See, Ozil really embodies a lot of the qualities that I find within myself as a person and as an athlete. Ozil is so quiet and unremarkably not arrogant that people actually believe that he’s lazy and doesn’t play hard. In reality, it’s Ozil pulling all the strings of the incredible Arsenal offense, subtly seeing things before they happen, making passes that others can’t, and being an overall leader without raising his voice. At the end of the day, there are more things to accomplish than just goals and Ozil is the master of those small details.
CU: Who in the office would you want by your side in a 2-on-2 basketball game + why?
BN: I’m going with Jack on this one — we may not be as tall as Ryan or John, or as good at ball handling as Brandon, but I’d bet that we’re two of the quicker athletes in the office. If we can’t beat you with powerful moves, we’ll just run circles around y’all until you tire out! — A big thank you to Ben again for helping everyone get to know him better! We’ll be back in another week with more insider interviews from our talented team. As always, thanks for supporting us, our company, and the ideals that push CoachUp to another level!
