Testimonials
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"Thank you for inspiring and motivating us and teaching us the importance of teamwork and mental preparation. We are extremely grateful."
 Ms. Pat Rudy, Head Field Hockey Coach & Players
Lock Haven University Field Hockey Team
2000 Division II National Champions,
2000, 2001 PSAC Champions
NEC Regular Season Champions 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004
NEC Tournament Champions 2007 & 2006
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| "Mr. Keith Waldman and his associates at OPA are not your standard consulting group. Their ideas, messages, and teaching methods are unique and highly effective. They created a fun, interesting, and non-threatening atmosphere that allowed the most critical of my employees to learn and improve their performance. OPA helped us generate a considerable improvement in our teamwork that led to significant improvement in our results. OPA was an investment in my people and our objective that is paying returns to us ten fold every month." |
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Mr. Christopher Defillippis,
Director of Network Sales
MCI Telecommunications |
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| "We had the great fortune to have Keith work with our team this year. Our roster consisted of 7 first-year student athletes, along with 7upper-classmen. The exercises that Keith’s program had our players involved and engaged with were invaluable to our young program. As a coach it was a great opportunity to observe as our athletes came together to solve non-basketball problems and challenges. It was a great opportunity for our young team to take significant strides with one another as well as for the coaching staff to see our athletes in a different light. Keith’s continued support and communication with our program long after our session with him was over was unbelievable. I have experienced many team building programs and Keith’s approach, execution and follow-up was by far the BEST!" |
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Ms. Nan Hambrose
Head Women’s Basketball Coach & Assistant Athletic Director
St. Mary’s College of Maryland |
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| "I would like to express my thanks for the superior character education workshop you provided the students of Lafayette Mills School. My teachers and students learned a great deal from your program. The results can be seen throughout our school. Asking children to continually ask the best of themselves is critical in building and maintaining a positive climate in any school. Your program was customized to meet the needs for the district and school. You worked diligently at ensuring these needs were met in each grade level. You followed up with each of us. The teachers and students are looking forward to your next program during the next school year." |
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Gregory T. Duffy
Principal,
Lafayette Mills School |
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"Your team was absolutely amazing! There were more than 35 students of
different ethnic background, ages, life experience and different level
of physical fitness - you all nailed it! Each and every student
participated and said that your activities were mentally and physically
challenging. Everyone could take part in the teambuilding and
leadership activities.
I would recommend Keith and his amazing team to all student leadership,
student activities, programming board and student affairs
professionals.
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Jenavia Thompson Weaver
Assistant Director for Student
Leadership and Involvement
Community College of Philadelphia |
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| "Thank you for all that you did for our team this season. I really think all the team building, team chemistry and mental preparation tactics you brought to our team really helped us. Although our record at the end of the season was not what we had hoped
for, I do believe that our team chemistry was so great and the team attitudes were so strong and positive, it was just awesome... and I do think that in a large part had a lot to do with your help. I thought that you really helped our team come together in so many different ways. I know as a captain I really appreciated how you had the ability to help our underclassmen (especially the freshmen) connect with everyone so quickly. I do think that this really helped out our team throughout the season-- as it was apparent that there were no real class differentials. Again, thank you for your help and continued support throughout the season; I know that I can speak for the team in saying thank you." |
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| Anonymous Division I Student-Athlete |
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| "Keith Waldman from Optimal Performance Associates helped our student-athletes grow in the area of team chemistry and mental toughness. Through his interactive workshop, student-athletes were able to develop the mental toughness of his/her sport and achieve optimal team chemistry. Keith enhanced the Missouri State teams on various levels which included collaboration, trust, working through mistakes, communication and individual development. Keith Waldman is very enthusiastic, dedicated and very knowledgeable. I highly recommend Keith for student-athletes that are looking to gain the mental edge." |
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Casey Comoroski -
Associate AD/SWA
Missouri State University
901 S. National Ave.
Springfield, MO 65897 |
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| "The Northeastern Field Hockey Team thoroughly enjoyed working with Keith Waldman from Optimal Performance Associates. Despite the content of Keith's work having a level of difficulty for any team tackling group tasks, Keith made the team exercises fun and allowed the team to fully enjoy the experience." |
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Cheryl Murtagh
Northeastern Field Hockey Coach
360 Huntington Ave.
Boston, MA. 02115 |
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| "What an addition Keith Waldman and his associates have been to the Natural Helpers Program!!! Thank you Keith and Optimal Performance Associates for helping to teach our students important life, leadership and teambuilding skills through fun, hands-on adventure based activities. Some of the comments made by the students were "Mission Impossible was very hard, but I was very fun," "The skills we learned in the activities really do show up in life," and "The best part of today, was doing the activities with Keith." There is no doubt that the kids walked away with a wealth of information to help them in everyday life by participating in all of the activities you planned for them. We are looking forward to having you and OPA on board next year for another great Natural Helpers Retreat Training." |
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Amy Spanbauer
Health & Social Service Coordinator
Lakeside Middle School |
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| "Middle School is tricky age to work with! Our school's emphasis on Caring Community strives to support both the emotional development of young adolescents as well as the development of leadership abilities in our 7th and 8th grade students, and our work with Keith and his OPA teams for the last four years have been an integral part of this initiative. Their emphasis on team building and problem solving start our year off with "best foot forward" for both students and staff. The experiences shared in OPA's orientation program echo through our school year and culminate with a second end of the year follow-up from the team that demonstrates to our students just how far they've grown as leaders and thinkers, and reminds our staff just why we work with kids in the first place." |
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Jill Eckel -
Principal
Sussex County Charter School for Technology |
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| "We’ve been utilizing Keith Waldman and OPA as the team building
facilitators for our residential life Hall Advisers for the past several
years. Every year our staff ranks the teambuilding initiatives as the
highlight of their orientation. Keith and his associates are creative,
energetic, flexible and extremely personable. It’s always a pleasure to
work with Keith because he invests the time and resources needed to help
achieve your goals. I look forward to a continued partnership with Keith and OPA for our
future training programs." |
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Ms. Angie Sheets,
Director of Residence Life
Bryn Mawr College |
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| "I highly recommend Keith Waldman and Optimal Performance Associates. Keith came to our campus and worked with each athletic team focusing on team bonding, leadership, and goal setting. His “Raising the Bar” program is an excellent mixture of practical information, challenging questions, and fun activities all geared towards getting teammates on the same page. Keith possesses a strong knowledge base in sport psychology and has a great presentation style. Our student-athletes and coaches all enjoyed working with Keith Waldman and OPA." |
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Mr. Scott Devine,
Director of Athletics & Recreation
St. Mary’s College of Maryland |
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"Keith Waldman of Optimal Performance gave the best seminar our program has ever had. His team-building activities allowed our players to focus on common goals, and made them understand the value each individual brings to the team. We will be able to use this experience to build outstanding team themes and goals. His professionalism and positive approach helped to increase motivation and self-esteem of our players. We are going to use the experience of the seminar as a springboard for a successful season." |
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Jim Flynn, Head Men's Basketball Coach
Rutgers University Camden (1998-2002)
Head Basketball Coach and Assistant Principal
Burlington City High School (2004-present) |
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"Mr. Keith Waldman and Optimal Performance Associates have facilitating team-building workshops with The New Jersey Youth Corps of Camden County for six years. Keith Waldman is a master at creating adventurous, hands-on activities that are used metaphorically to help corps members’ process issues in their classes and in life.
Our Corps members and staff find him to be energetic, enthusiastic, and effective" |
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Ms. Lori Godorov,
Executive Director
New Jersey Youth Corp of Camden County |
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| "Keith Waldman and his associates at OPA have a very unique and creative approach to performance enhancement and team building. They are able to teach important and effective psychological skills in fun and stimulating team-building activities. His series of team initiatives are a must for managers, supervisors, and coaches who are seeking to improve communication patterns, performance levels, and skill development among their employees, players, and teammates." |
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Dr. Robert Ciervo,
Director Academic Support
Drexel University |
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“The OPA team building workshop was a great learning experience. I learned that being a member of a team is an important skill to master and that we need to rely on others to get the job done.”
“Thanks for facilitating your team building during our residency retreat. The group thoroughly enjoyed it!”
“The OPA activities were well organized and the lead facilitator did a great job leading the team building experience.”
“During the OPA team building session I learned the importance of having balance in life and collaborating with my colleagues.”
“During the OPA retreat I learned the importance of teamwork and being able to collaborate and communicate with my co-workers.” |
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Quotes from Physicians at
Christiana Care Health
Services
Family Service Residency Retreat |
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| "Prior to our last season I was very concerned about our team chemistry and attitude. I thought an unbiased outside source would be of great value for our team. After researching possibilities, Mr. Keith Waldman from Optimal Performance Associates, enthusiastically agreed to work with the Penn Field Hockey Team. His team building activities quickly led to better team unity and a greater respect between teammates. As a result of the OPA team building experience the team gained a better respect for each other and became more goal oriented, both individually and as a team." |
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Ms Val Cloud,
Head Field Hockey Coach
University Pennsylvania |
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| "Thank you for supporting our field hockey team! You helped change many of us
on the team by being more confident in playing and the way we play our game. We are doing so well this season and it has to with a bunch of little things that we did during our pre-season team building workshop. Thank you for everything you taught me and my teammates." |
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| Anonymous Division II Student-Athlete |
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| "Mr. Keith Waldman has proved to be a valuable asset to the Rowan University Athletic Training Department. He is very effective in helping injured athletes overcome psychological barriers to return to participation. In addition, he has been instrumental in helping a number of athletes overcome anxiety issues related to performance. He has also conducted a significant number of team building sessions with several groups on campus, including the athletic trainers, which were met with rave reviews! I highly recommend his services for enhancing group and individual performance, and refer athletes to him on a regular basis." |
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Mr. Chuck Whedon, Coordinator
Athletic Training Services
Rowan University |
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| "Mr. Keith Waldman and his associates at OPA showed an excellent ability to engage our students and build an excellent rapport with our staff. The OPA challenge programs are innovative and creative. What was unique about the OPA youth challenge program was Mr. Waldman's ability to apply sport psychology principles into an adventure-based counseling program. He effectively taught our students the principles of goal setting and how to utilize techniques that promote positive thinking and confidence in a safe and fun atmosphere that promoted trust. Each participant at Princeton House, including staff greatly benefited from the challenge program." |
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Mr. Cliff Koblin, Director
Ms. Debra Cundiff, Child Program Coordinator
Ms. Laura Olsen, Senior Adolescent Therapist
Princeton House Partial Program |
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| "I found the workshop to be very enlightening and it taught us the importance of teamwork and having a common vision. The facilitators were very knowledgeable and would highly recommend this workshop to other school districts."
"The OPA team-building workshop got me motivated and pumped up for the start of the school year. I thoroughly enjoyed the workshop and the facilitators should be commended because they actually made it fun." |
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Quotes from staff and administration
Brookfield Academy |
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| "As a fast growing company with international diversity challenges, Mr. Keith Waldman helped us better understand the importance of team-building and creating shared goals. His team-building programs allowed me to see my employees and colleagues in a different light, which greatly improved communication. I highly recommend Keith and his associates at OPA." |
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Mr. Justin Leavenworth,
Director of Business Development
Inlingua Intercultural Communication Solutions Group |
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| "Mr. Keith Waldman and his associates at OPA are not your standard consulting group. Their ideas, messages, and teaching methods are unique and highly effective. They created a fun, interesting, and non-threatening atmosphere that allowed the most critical of my employees to learn and improve their performance. OPA helped us generate a considerable improvement in our teamwork that led to significant improvement in our results. OPA was an investment in my people and our objective that is paying returns to us ten fold every month." |
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Mr. Christopher Defillippis
Director of Network Sales
AT&T Telecommunications |
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| "For the last two years Optimal Performance Associates took an original approach to our Leadership Training at the annual CUNYAC Leadership Seminar. Rather than dictate
a set of skills to learn over time or merely engage in open discussion about
the challenges of leadership, OPA lead a series of interactive activities and games that forced student-athletes into positions of leadership. The activities that focused on self-confidence were clever ways to ease the nerves of the participants and to highlight the importance of focus and clarity in leaders. Other activities focused on the essential skills of leadership, like planning, having a focus, dealing with pressure, and positive communication skills. What was most helpful about the seminar was understanding that leadership is not only comprised of a series of skills, but, more importantly, it is a state of mind and of being - one that a leader must sustain continually in order to be the example for others to follow." |
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Catherine Alves -
President
CUNY Athletic Conference SAAC |
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| "Mr. Keith Waldman and his associates at OPA present families with information and techniques that produce success in athletics and life in a user friendly style. Any family wanting to grow in essential areas such as communication, goal setting, trust, motivation, in an atmosphere of fun will benefit from the OPA experience. Keith shares practical information that is a must for families and teams." |
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Mr. Denis Cesare,
School Counselor & Certified Parent Trainer
Kresson Elementary School, Voorhees, NJ |
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