Cammarata Named Head Coach of JCC Golf

Cammarata Named Head Coach of JCC Golf

JAMESTOWN - Jamestown Community College alumnus Phil Cammarata has been selected as the new golf coach for the Jayhawks.

 

JCC athletic and recreation director George Sisson made the announcement Wednesday afternoon. “We’re excited about bringing someone who wants to be a part of the JCC family and coach at the collegiate level,” said Sisson. “We were looking for someone to bring consistency to the program and Phil will give us that. We look forward to Phil building relationships with the athletes and community and grow our program. Phil is a former Jayhawk and he will bring a competitive edge to him on the golf course.”

 

Cammarata, a Jamestown native, is no stranger to the JCC golf program where he competed from 1986-88. During his sophomore season as a Jayhawk, Cammarata competed in the 1988 NJCAA National Championship held in Scottsdale, Arizona.

 

Cammarata graduated from JCC in 1988, earning an associates degree in general studies. During his two years at JCC, Cammarata found that he wanted to be an educator and soon enrolled at Fredonia State. In 1990, Cammarata earned a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education. Continuing his studies while staying at Fredonia State, Cammarata earned his Masters in Curriculum Development in 1992. Two years later, Cammarata received his Administrative Certificate.

 

Cammarata has been apart of the education system in Chautauqua County since 1990, where he was a teacher at Mayville Central School. Cammarata moved up the ranks in education, taking over as the Assistant Principal at Persell Middle School in 1998. Three years later, Cammarata was named Principal at Persell, a position he has held for the past 18 years.. Cammarata announced his retirement earlier this year, effective at the end of the 2019-20 academic school year.

 

Looking to fill his time, Cammarata reached out to Sisson about the vacancy and is ready to take on the challenge. “I am willing to take the time to build the program,” said Cammarata. “JCC has a lot to offer. The goal is to win the national championship, we’ve done it before. To get there, we have to build good relationships with our student-athletes. You have to have the skills to compete while also navigating through the mental side of the game.”

 

Cammarata brings a wealth of knowledge about the game of golf as he taught at Forest Heights Golf Course, a course owned by his father, along with teaching golf at the Sunset Valley Golf Course. While at Sunset Valley, Cammarata taught over 200 golfers in their youth league.

 

“My first goal is to go out and assemble a team of 10-15 golfers,” continued Cammarata. “From there, we can start building those relationships. I want my athletes to get to a point where they will walk through fires for me, because I will do the same for them.”

 

Cammarata will look to make a big splash during his first season at the helm as JCC will host the 2021 NJCAA National Championship for the 21st time.