By: Eric Czerwonka, Follow South Jersey Community Journalist
DEPTFORD, NJ — After being a special education teacher at Williamstown High School, Spectrum Sports owner James Paoletti, together with his business partner Dan Minko, came to a realization almost 10 years ago.
Paoletti would teach in a self-contained autism classroom, dedicated to students on the autism spectrum, and he discovered through his students that a lot of them weren’t doing any extracurricular activities at school or home.
“We wanted to change that,” said Paoletti. “We’re both into sports and fitness, and we wanted to create something that got them out of the house.”
And with that dream, in 2016, Paoletti and Minko would rent out available court space, with a very small group of two or three of Paoletti’s students at first.
By 2018, Spectrum Sports would become an official LLC, and from there, they kept growing. But when COVID-19 hit, just like everyone else, they had to stop in their place.
But going into the summer, when no one was doing anything in the world, Paoletti and the rest of the organization decided to gather their families at a park.
“That was a big step of growth for us,” said Paoletti. “We had a lot of people come out… We just did as many free classes as we could based on the climate of the world.”
Paoletti, who worked at Williamstown for nine years, and Minko, who was there for 10, would decide to leave the school in 2023, when they got their own headquarters.
“Seeing the athletes every day, and they walk in with a smile on their face, despite anything going on in the world,” said Paoletti. “Seeing their personal progress that we see week after week, it’s so big to us.”
Spectrum Sports changes the sporting activity they do each week, like a PE class, weight training, yoga, dance classes, and even a trampoline class.
“Our vision and goal is to give as many opportunities as we can,” said Paoletti. “We wanted to offer as much as we can.”
Rowan University graduate student, R.J. Overton, who majored in wellness management, recalled how he found Spectrum Sports through an exercise science fair during the spring semester.
“They just fit well for me,” said Overton. “I was able to achieve an internship, and I’ve been here ever since.”
The variety and individuality of each athlete is what makes Spectrum Sports special, according to Overton.
“Every class is different, and I love that,” said Overton. “All of our athletes, they all have different abilities, but that’s the beauty in it.”
Kieran Marshall, who’s the head coach of Spectrum Sports, and been with them for nine months also believes that seeing the smile on the athletes is one of the most important aspects.
“We’ve had athletes that when they get here, they have trouble walking,” said Marshall. “Seeing that progression, and that growth, and seeing how happy they are, there’s no price you can put on that.”
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