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Sports

A Day in the Life: Athletic Director Patrick Ambrosio

A behind-the-scenes look at the man who runs the Fort Lee Athletic Department and is in charge of the Bridgemen and Lady Bridgemen teams.

Patrick Ambrosio has many responsibilities in his role as Fort Lee Athletic Director, but he says he wouldn’t trade it for the world.

Ambrosio, who grew up in Lodi and currently lives in Wood Ridge, has had education and sports in his blood for a long time and knew that he wanted to get involved in it early on in his life.

“I was fortunate to be given the opportunity as a young man to coach varsity football and baseball at Lodi High School," Amborsio said. "The head coaches at the time were my teachers and coaches and made an enormous impression on me. They were educators and coaches, and I always respected what they did, how they treated young people and how involved they got in the development of young people. I knew that this was what I wanted to do.”

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Ambrosio has been with Fort Lee High School since July 2007 and says he enjoys helping students succeed in the classroom and in their respective sports. It is certainly a rewarding experience for an athletic director.

“I love my job," Ambrosio said. "As an athletic administrator and educator, I have the opportunity to assist young people as they go through the academic process and couple it with the athletic side as well. It’s great to see young people grow and mature and develop into good student-athletes."

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To hear the student athletes express their thanks is a great feeling for all those involved in the athletic department.

"The best moments are when you genuinely help someone get to a point that they may not have gotten to on their own," Ambrosio said. "Push them to be better than they were the day before; expect more from themselves. The best moments are when a student athlete says to you or a coach, 'I can’t thank you enough for what you did for me. Without you, I wouldn’t have gone to college or had the experience of playing football or baseball at the next level if you hadn’t seen that potential in me.'”

Some people may not know exactly what an athletic director  does and how much work goes into the job. Ambroiso handles the hiring process of coaches, scheduling for all teams, setting up transportation, student discipline and the eligibility of student athletes. Ambrosio says that education comes first, and that the main priority is getting students into college. Secondary to that is getting them into the best college athletic schedule at their level.

It is also the responsibility of the Athletic Director to work with the groundsmen to make sure that all of the fields are safe and suitable to play on, along with correcting policies and helping develop plans to better the athletic facilities. Ambrosio also spends a lot of time with coaches and the guidance department coming up with ways to get the students into the right colleges, their academic eligibility and other needs before they head off for higher learning.

The hours of being an athletic director vary depending on the season, but they are always unpredictable, Ambrosio explained.

"My day tends to get very busy around 2:30 p.m.," he said. "Buses will start arriving at approximately 3 p.m. and games start at 4 p.m. and run until 6:30 or so. Many days there are two to four home events happening at the same time, and I make an effort to be at everything I can--not only the varsity contests. During the winter months, it’s a little different. Basketball games and wrestling matches begin at 7 p.m., so I won’t leave until the opposing teams are on the bus on their way home and the officials leave, which is usually around 9:30 to 9:45 from December through February. No matter what season, there are always Saturday events that I need to supervise.”

During his free time, Ambrosio--a very busy man most days, who is focused on the well being of the student athlete in and out of the classroom--enjoys hanging out and relaxing at home with his wife and two children.

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