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Health & Fitness

Meet Your Fort Lee Neighbor: This Week - Ralph DiMeglio

Ralph DiMeglio dedicates significant amounts of time to Fort Lee's Youth Sports and Schools.

If anyone claims that they are too busy to volunteer time to the community, they haven’t met Ralph DiMeglio. Ralph is one of the most dedicated and unselfish individuals in Fort Lee. Even though he has an incredibly demanding day job as the VP of Operations of Off Shore Mutual Funds at Alliance Bernstein, Ralph finds the time to do the job of 10 volunteers. Before I list the multiple hats Ralph wears, you may want to sit down.

Here we go:

Coach of U14 Boys and U13 Girls Soccer, Treasurer of the Soccer Board, Administrative Assistant of Indoor Soccer, Coach of Girls 5th and 6th Grade Travel and In-Town Basketball, Website Administrator of Girls Basketball League, Coach of Girls 5th and 6th Grade Travel and In-Town Softball and Treasurer of School 1 PTA. 

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I think you get the picture, and believe me, there are more items on his list.

Ralph was raised in Fort Lee and graduated from Fort Lee High School. He and his wife Connie, who also dedicates significant amounts of time, have one child in elementary school and one child in the middle school. He feels a strong sense of connection to the town and the youth programs and believes they are an important component to teaching kids about life. 

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Ralph said, “Fort Lee has a much more extensive list of sports and programs today than it did when he was growing up.”

"It is important for kids to have an outlet to do physical activity and be away from video games and computers,” he said.

According to Ralph, a child does not have to participate in competitive sports, but should be involved in some competitive activity, whether it be the debate club, chess club or playing basketball etc. He believes that sports, or other forms of competition, help prepare children to deal with the challenges they may face in their future. 

“Life has ups and downs and can get very intense, and competition, with proper coaching, helps a child find a balance and be able to cope with different stresses,” he said.

According to Ralph, kids need to learn how to deal with losing, as well as winning, and learn from their experiences all while demonstrating good sportsmanship.

Another component of sports, and other types of competition, is that it teaches children to work with others and be responsible for doing their part. Ralph believes that kids also learn vital lessons about how to persevere and not quit or give up.  These are important skills for kids to learn to prepare them for their future.

When asked what draws him to coaching, Ralph responds that he "likes being a teacher, not only for teaching a particular skill connected to a sport, but teaching the kids dedication, responsibility and to strive to do their best.” 

However, Ralph would like to see more volunteers in town with respect to coaches for sports or volunteering for various activities and programs. He said that he typically sees the same names, year after year, as volunteers and hopes more people get involved in the future. Parents and adults, who may not be familiar with a sport or program, shouldn’t be apprehensive about volunteering. Generally, they will get support from the leagues and others who will help them through the season.

In response to the question, “What would you like to see in the future of Fort Lee?”  Ralph said he would love to see the construction of a town square or piazza-style space, where members of the Fort Lee community can socialize, congregate and engage each other in a space that is more conducive to interaction than what we currently have. (Hopefully, this can be achieved within the Area 5 redevelopment project). 

He would also like to see more of a sense of community and support for the schools of Fort Lee from all segments of the population and wants programs that bring students, seniors and other members of the community together to foster a greater understanding and mutual respect.  

And finally when asked what people would be surprised to know about him, Ralph candidly responds that most people don’t know that he is a big fan of the theater, such as Broadway productions, and experiencing the cultural offerings of New York City.

Ralph DiMeglio is one of the nicest people you can meet, and Fort Lee is very lucky to have him.

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