Miss-Delectable
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Model School for Deaf Coach Danny Gabel isn't afraid to express himself
The gymnasium at the Hebrew Academy in Rockville is loud on Thursday night. A girls' varsity game has just ended and a boys' game is about to begin. The teams have taken the court for warmups and music blares from the speakers. Sneakers squeak across the floor as the sound of dozens of bouncing basketballs echoes throughout the gym.
As time runs out on warmups, the coaches gather their players for a pregame pep talk. Danny Gabel, the head coach of the Model Secondary School for the Deaf, takes a knee as his players slowly gather around him. All of them, including Gabel, have limited or no hearing and communicate using sign language. The Eagles that wear hearing aides "take it off so they are one hundred percent deaf when playing," Gabel said.
As the circle forms, some of his team continues talking - looking at each other and not Gabel. As he begins to wave his arms, clearly the coach is less than pleased. When he finally gets their attention, it is undivided. Without uttering a spoken word, Gabel quickly becomes the loudest person in the room. His hands fly in a flurry of movement. Signs appear punctuated and crisp. The intensity of every movement is transferred to Gabel's face. "I might seem to be loud partially because it is a deaf thing," Gabel said. "It's a culture. If you compare a group of hearing people with the deaf group, the movement, expressions, and the 'loudness' will be very evident."
Gabel stays as animated the entire game. Out of necessity, he often has to wave his arms or jump to attract his player's attention. But more often than not, it's just Gabel's nature to move. He's one of those coaches that rarely sits. Pacing the sideline, reacting to almost every play or call.
During timeouts, while his counterpart almost whispers the plays to his team, Gabel is as fiery as ever. As soon as the whistle blows, he runs out onto the court to assemble his team. Through the huddle, you watch him get more and more excited with every word. Even without knowing what was said, you are ready to play. His energy is infectious.
The gymnasium at the Hebrew Academy in Rockville is loud on Thursday night. A girls' varsity game has just ended and a boys' game is about to begin. The teams have taken the court for warmups and music blares from the speakers. Sneakers squeak across the floor as the sound of dozens of bouncing basketballs echoes throughout the gym.
As time runs out on warmups, the coaches gather their players for a pregame pep talk. Danny Gabel, the head coach of the Model Secondary School for the Deaf, takes a knee as his players slowly gather around him. All of them, including Gabel, have limited or no hearing and communicate using sign language. The Eagles that wear hearing aides "take it off so they are one hundred percent deaf when playing," Gabel said.
As the circle forms, some of his team continues talking - looking at each other and not Gabel. As he begins to wave his arms, clearly the coach is less than pleased. When he finally gets their attention, it is undivided. Without uttering a spoken word, Gabel quickly becomes the loudest person in the room. His hands fly in a flurry of movement. Signs appear punctuated and crisp. The intensity of every movement is transferred to Gabel's face. "I might seem to be loud partially because it is a deaf thing," Gabel said. "It's a culture. If you compare a group of hearing people with the deaf group, the movement, expressions, and the 'loudness' will be very evident."
Gabel stays as animated the entire game. Out of necessity, he often has to wave his arms or jump to attract his player's attention. But more often than not, it's just Gabel's nature to move. He's one of those coaches that rarely sits. Pacing the sideline, reacting to almost every play or call.
During timeouts, while his counterpart almost whispers the plays to his team, Gabel is as fiery as ever. As soon as the whistle blows, he runs out onto the court to assemble his team. Through the huddle, you watch him get more and more excited with every word. Even without knowing what was said, you are ready to play. His energy is infectious.