Santa Catalina School Volleyball Coach Wins KSBW Golden Whistle Award

Congratulations to the winner of this season’s KSBW Golden Whistle Award… Paul Elliott, Volleyball coach at Santa Catalina School in Monterey, CA.

Coach Elliott has more than 20 years coaching, overall, with the past 9 years at Santa Catalina. His players and colleagues say he is patient and an excellent teacher. He has a lighthearted nature and puts an emphasis on good sportsmanship.

One of his players writes, “Coach Elliott is an amazing coach because he focuses on how to make us better players by demonstrating enthusiasm, drive, and love for the game. He constantly inspires me to make him proud in not only volleyball but also in everyday life. Additionally, his devotion to the team provides us with a stable and fun learning environment that makes us eager to show up for each and every practice. Overall he is the greatest coach I’ve ever had because of his nonstop belief in the team and everyone’s abilities to perform on the court.”

“Paul cares deeply about students and supports them off the field (and out of the gym) as much as he does on. His humility and dedication are remarkable,” said a colleague of Coach Elliott.

Coach Elliott lives as he teaches, and leads by example with his team and the community, like when a rival team visited from South County. After the bus ride and volleyball matches, he arranged for the visiting team to stay and have dinner in Santa Catalina School’s dining room with his team, so no one would have to travel all the way back on an empty stomach.

“It was great to be apart Coach Elliott’s Golden Whistle award, and see just how many athletes he has made an impact on,” said Adri Crawford of Taylor Farms.

We’ll leave you with one last bit of praise from one of his players, “Coach Elliot is so dedicated and committed to our team and pushes us to achieve our fullest potential. He genuinely cares about all of us and sets us up to be successful in sports, as well as in life. His sense of humor brings light to our lives and his enthusiasm encourages us to learn from our failures.”

Congratulations, Coach Elliott!

Taylor Farms and the Transformational Coaches of Monterey County pair up each high school sports season to present KSBW’s Golden Whistle Award. The award is given each athletic season to a local coach who is recognized by the community as an exceptional coach and mentor who strives to positively transform young athlete’s lives. Any coach at a public, private, or parochial high school on the Central Coast is eligible to be nominated by a player, parent, principal, or teacher.