Ridgefield Resident Takes Coaching Job at John Jay

A Ridgefield resident has taken a new coaching job at John Jay High School—bringing with him close to 20 years of competitive playing experience, over ten years of coaching experience and a love for and dedication to the game.

Angelo Formisano started playing in 1982 and competed in several national men's softball championships. He later played on a New Rochelle team that won the city championships seven times. He previously coached Ridgefield High School varsity softball and is the current co-president of Tradition, a Connecticut-based travel softball program that boasts five national championships.

Formisano is also a former U.S. Marine and owns a baseball and softball training business in Ridgefield. He's a New Rochelle native and has lived in Ridgefield with his wife Sherry and their three daughters, Tara, 21, Kylie, 12, and Gina, 11, for the last 17 years.

Patch caught up with Formisano after he led the kickoff to the Fifth Annual John Jay Softball Clinic, where John Jay's players help run drills in throwing, catching, fielding, hitting, bunting and running—all to get other local players a jumpstart on skills. 

Patch: What attracted you to this district?

Formisano: What attracted me to JJHS and the district was the great pedigree and history of the softball program and the chance to coach in New York. I have a good relationship with Coach Mammoser and respect all that he has done over the years at at the high school and saw this as a great opportunity to continue to build the softball program. I also have a strong interest to work with the youth groups offering clinics and camps during the spring and summer months.

Patch: What are your goals with the team this Spring?

Formisano: This spring, our team will establish individual goals within the framework of the team's goals to ensure a positive experience for all the athletes. I have coached female athletes for many years and understand that they don't care what you know until they know you care. Communication throughout our program will insure that we calculate correctly and achieve our goals. If each player learns and gets better as a softball player—and more importantly as a person—then we achieved our goals.

Patch: You must be looking forward to playing on the new softball fields!

Formisano: The field is awesome and should be one of the best in the state. I believe a team that respects and maintains there field will be a successful one. I want the girls to be proud of their field, along with the school and community in which they live. After speaking with the girls, I know they are very excited and look forward to there first full year playing on the new field.

Patch: What do you do when you're not coaching John Jay?

Formisano: I will be teaching both baseball and softball to many other athletes from NY and CT! My family has grown up with me playing/coaching softball and baseball for over 30 years so to us it is part of who we are. I also spend a lot of time with New York Yankee Legend and my very dear friend Mariano Rivera working with his foundation and church to raise funding for the construction of his new church in New Rochelle NY. Mariano has supported me for years with visits to Ridgefield, participation in many camps and clinics over the years—most recently we held one in Danbury at Frozen Ropes and in Bedford at the Acura dealership.