The Bona Venture

Issue date: 10/2/09 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Becky McKeown/The Bona Venture Mike Martel on the sidelines at McGraw-Jennings Field.

Men's soccer assistant coach Mike Martel is a busy man. An Olean native and St. Bonaventure alum, Martel is a graduate assistant enrolled in the Educational Leadership Program. He also teaches full time in the Hinsdale Central School District.

"It's pretty busy in the fall," Martel said. "I come directly from my full-time job … in time for training and make sure the guys are set with what they need. (I) usually get them kicked off, spend a few hours down here (until) we wrap it up after training, make sure everything is taken care of and by that time, it's time to go home. Yeah, it's a pretty long day for me."

Martel graduated from St. Bonaventure in 1994 and earned his master's degree in education in 1999. He has worked his way up the coaching ladder, starting with girl's varsity soccer at Hinsdale before four years as men's coach at JCC-Olean, according to gobonnies.com.

The second-year assistant isn't able to attend every practice, but he tries to give head coach Mel Mahler all the ideas he can.

"I'm there as a support for Mel; to give him ideas (and) look at things that he may not see," Martel said. "Every now and then (I) make a comment, make an observation that maybe he didn't see and get him thinking other things. We bounce stuff off each other."

Although he said he has a more subdued approach than Mahler, Martel gets to know the players as best he can, offering advice whenever he sees fit.

"I'm off campus more than Mel is, but I try to get to know the guys in training sessions," Martel said. "(I) try to single out guys while they're doing some training and just talk to them and give them ideas here and there, more as a low-key (figure). Mel's yelling and screaming and I'm kind of interjecting here and there, quietly."

Martel said he is honored to be coaching at his alma mater, especially since he has a number of relatives who are also St. Bonaventure graduates.

"Being at my alma mater, being lots of (members) of my family have gone through here, it means something special to coach here," Martel said. "I'm grateful to Mel to give me the opportunity to coach at the Division I level, working with the best athletes I've ever worked with."

Martel said he isn't sure if he will serve as an assistant long term, instead just taking it year-to-year depending on how the Educational Leadership Program goes.

"We're going to see how that goes and see where that takes me," Martel said. "I'll be here as long as Mel will have me, I guess."

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