By Olivia dePunte
Born and raised in Falmouth, Coleby Andrade is thrilled to join the Falmouth Road Race team full-time as its new Operations Manager. Andrade will play an important role in the planning and execution of the ASICS Falmouth Road Race and other events throughout the year, working closely with the team to ensure that all events and day-to-day operations are organized, efficient, and successful.
Growing up in town, Andrade has always had a close relationship with the race. “Pretty much as soon as I could walk I was volunteering at the Expo,” says Andrade, whose dad brought him along to volunteer shifts as the longtime soccer coach at Falmouth High School. “It’s always been such a cool thing that happens in my hometown.”
Andrade has even run the race course four times, and now he’s looking forward to the chance to run the race from behind the scenes.
Andrade graduated from Falmouth High School in 2020, and went on to Westfield State University where he majored in Exercise Science and minored in Coaching. While at Westfield, he remained dedicated to soccer for four years and served as his team’s captain for his final two seasons. After finishing his studies, he spent an extra semester there playing soccer and helping his team win the championship, all while interning for Full Plate Strength and Conditioning where he strengthened his professional skills.
After just one semester of interning, Andrade was hired on as a full-time coach and became the head of programming and social media. He also earned a nutrition certification, taking on a four-month training together with this manager. “It was important to learn the skill of being a good listener to understand what issues people were facing and how to tackle them together,” says Andrade.
Andrade brings this teamwork mindset to everything he does. After more than a year of working hard at Full Plate, he was ready to tackle a new challenge. “I was ready for that next step,” explains Andrade. “I wasn’t sure exactly what that was going to be but I was tired of still being in my college town. It was time to step away from that space and grow outside of Westfield.”
“I grew and developed who I was there,” says Andrade. “Once my lease was up I took that risk and challenge of coming back home to see what would happen.”
Soon, Andrade was swept into opportunities in Falmouth – bartending at Añejo Mexican Bistro, assisting at soccer summer camps, and working with Mr. Wakefield as a Sports Center Physical Therapy Aide. “It felt full circle to be back home working with Mr. Wakefield,” says Andrade, who had known him well as the Athletic Trainer at Falmouth High School.
His summer quickly became a happy whirlwind of running soccer camps, spending afternoons as a physical therapy aide, and bartending in the evenings. “I’m just so happy to be back on Cape,” says Andrade. “Back with my people, my family, and friends, and being back in paradise.”
Looking toward the fall, Andrade was expecting to transition to a teaching assistant role when he learned about an opportunity at the Falmouth Road Race – “It was a dream come true.”
“Megan reached out to me saying we have this role that’s open and would be a great fit,” explains Andrade. “I had no idea what it would be but thought I’d hear her out. When she offered me this full-time Operations Manager job I was sold immediately.”
Andrade saw a clear connection between bridging his experience at Full Plate with this new role. “I took the lead on developing programs at Full Plate and creating standard operating procedures at a very low level,” says Andrade. “I really enjoyed putting the pieces of the puzzle together and seeing everything come together. It’s so satisfying to see people enjoy the hard work you’re putting in.”
Now, he’s eager to bring that mindset to operations at the highest level. “There’s always room to learn and to grow,” says Andrade. “I’m excited to learn as much as I can, and to invest my time and my energy into helping this race get to that next level that it’s already trending towards.”
Andrade will stay busy as the Operations Manager by day and moonlighting as a bartender and soccer club coach by night, but he embraces the hustle and loves staying active. Outside of work, he loves to ski, play pickup basketball and pickleball, and spend time outdoors. His fascination with soccer extends beyond the field as well, and he’s an avid fan of the New England Revolution and Chelsea.
More than anything, he’s looking forward to the opportunity to give back to the community that helped shape him.
“I’m excited to give back to a town that’s given me so much,” shares Andrade. “I was a scholarship kid and it helped a lot with the bills for school. I’ve seen the good things they do for the school and the town, so being able to be a part of that and the future of Falmouth.”
For Andrade, the work itself is part of what makes the race so special. “It’s like art,” says Andrade. “You put all of this time and effort into this one thing and then everyone gets to appreciate it.”