It Runs in the Family

By: Maggie Jividen

My sister, Cheryl Cullinan, passed away suddenly on Friday, October 14th. She was an English teacher and a coach, impacting hundreds and hundreds of soccer players and students across Western and Central New York. She was vibrant, supportive, realistic, and sometimes sarcastic. It wasn’t about winning or the final grade, but about the person’s development as a whole and holistic happiness. She supported her students’ dreams as her own. 

My sister Cheryl, coach of Clarence Inferno, far right in black. My niece, Lauren, holding the trophy second from right in the front row.

The outpouring of love and support from the Buffalo community in her passing has highlighted her passion and impact in all she did. A lifelong teacher and teammate, she was equally as impactful to her teammates from Fredonia, many of whom she stayed close with throughout the years.

My sister coached countless soccer teams in our hometown of Clarence. She coached her son Zach’s and daughter Lauren’s teams, and I even had the chance to have her as my own coach during some indoor seasons. Having my sister as the coach felt like a cheat code, the pressure was off and I knew she believed in every single person on the team.

My sister, me, and my nephew Zach. My sister supported all we did, including soccer.

My longtime teammate Sarah Probst described Cheryl’s loving and supportive coaching: 

“After I got cut from the Condors, I was super devastated, but she offered to have me play on her older team and it meant the world to me. She made me feel like I belonged and helped me find joy in something that had become a source of anxiety. She had a knack for making everybody feel like a valued member of the team and coached with love and positivity.”

Others remember Cheryl’s patience and gentle demeanor towards the very smallest athletes beginning soccer. Those who had her as a teacher or tutor describe how life-changing her impacts were, inspiring them to become teachers, to love themselves, and to become more confident not just in school but in their entire lives. She was always smiling and her students often shared how safe and welcome they felt in her classroom.

Without soccer and my sister’s love for it, I would’ve never become a runner. Before I worked at Fleet Feet and began coaching, I was an environmental educator. Working in various state parks across New York with students 3 to 103, I worked as a non-traditional teacher in the outdoors. Now in my second year at Fleet Feet Syracuse, I have coached the distance program, the trail running program, and our youth cross-country camp. I never questioned if I could coach or teach because my sister made it look so effortless. All I had to do was support and share in the passion of the people I worked with. I share my sister’s love of teaching and coaching, and I hope to make even a sliver of the impact she had on her students and athletes. Her memory shines bright in every person her powerful love and support touched. 

Whatever you do today, as you do it, shine and support like Cheryl did.

Kevin (Cheryl’s husband of 25 years), Lauren, and Cheryl