Coach Leads Northdale Kid’s Team To Victory

By STEPHEN HAMMILL

Rick Valdez has coached six kids to statewide recognition.

Valdez is the director of the Northdale Recreation Center, 15550 Spring Pine Drive in Tampa. He also coaches the Northdale Bulls youth flag football team.
The team is made up of six 12- and 13-year-olds. Over the past two years they have traversed the state, playing in multiple tournaments and winning a fair share of trophies along the way.

“The kids have been working really hard,” said Valdez. He has been involved in youth flag football for about six years now, and his championship team has been together for the past two years.

Vicki Kenny’s son, Tyler Koch, started coming to the Northdale Recreation Center in elementary school. She said he has been having a blast since joining the Northdale Bulls.

“The kids are all pretty low-key,” Kenny said. “They really like Rick because he’s laid-back.”

The kids on the team had all been coming to the center when Valdez arrived. He recruited them more than two years ago. After a while, the team decided to take things to the next level, starting a park league.

They’ve now traveled all over Florida, from the University of South Florida campus to Lakeland, from Orlando to Jacksonville, competing in various tournaments. The Bulls recently took part in, and won, a double elimination tournament in Kissimmee.

Aaron Paulsen, Justin Gray, Koch, Mitchell McNall, Roberto Rodriguez and Carlo Perello make up the current Northdale Bulls squad. The team comprises four students from Ben Hill Middle School on Ehrlich Road, and one each from Davidsen and Walker middle schools.

When asked what their classmates think of the success the team has enjoyed around the state, Koch said, “they’re jealous,” with a smile.

Aaron Paulson is the Bulls Aaron Paulson is the Bulls quarterback and was named offensive Most Valuable Player in the Kissimmee tournament.
“The quarterback is always the team leader,” someone chimed.

“All he does is show his muscles – he gets all the girls,” joked Carlo Perello about teammate Mitchell McNall. Perello and McNall were both named first-team all-Americans on offense in a recent tournament.

Valdez said the main requirement for the boys is that they maintain good grades during the year.

The Kissimmee tournament featured a five-on-five format. In flag football there is no blocking allowed. Instead of tackling players to the ground, the defensive team must remove a flag or flag belt from the ball carrier.

The Northdale Recreation Center is run and maintained by the Hillsborough County Parks, Recreation and Conservation Department.
“Pretty much we hit on all the different team sports,” he said. Valdez estimates 220 kids come to the center daily.

The center also hosts activities for seniors. The Northdale Older, Wiser, Lively Seniors program, or OWLS, has a calendar of events that runs months in advance, from jazzercise to pingpong, all with the help of Valdez.

“We’re getting them active again – we also host dances,” he said.

The Northdale Recreation Center’s telephone number is 264-8956.