Interview with Mr. Richard Angeli, Asst. Coach for Hockey and Newly-Appointed Head Golf coach

December 17, 2012

by Tyler Lancaster

I was lucky enough to get an over-the-phone interview with Mr. Richard Angeli, Hawks’ assistant hockey coach and first-year head coach for the golf team. Mr. Angeli has been coaching high school sports for over 20 years. When he was a student at Hendricken, he ran cross-country and outdoor track, played hockey, and eventually became serious about hockey after his years at college. Mr. Angeli was not able to see the golf team play last year but knows that they did extremely well at last season’s states. He’s also looking forward to the returning players having a positive influence on the underclassmen joining this year.

“Golf is a physical but a very mental game,” says Mr. Angeli. At the beginning of the season he expects the players to do well but by the end intends the players to have improved their game by two strokes, though everything depends on the player. “Assistant coach Norm Alborido and I intend to improve the game of the player, but everything takes time. The players will get what they put into it.

“The transition from coaching hockey to coaching golf will be easier than everyone expects. The two games are very physical. Hockey is more fast-paced, but golf is more mental. Golf is very unforgiving; if you don’t put in the work to prepare, then you will definitely not do well. I think all golf coaches want our sport to be like all the other big sports in Rhode Island, just like basketball, football, and baseball.

“Barrington has won nine out of ten championships in the last decade, but this year we want to be the favorite. We might have to change the way we practice and the way we prepare for a match, but what needs to be done will be done. This year’s team will need to be strong, especially guys out of the top six. We will need to push the guys in the top six to do better.”