Professional Soccer Coach Brings World-Class Training to a Polk County Elementary School
LAKE ALFRED — Alixon Parrado did not grow up with easy access to organized sports. He was raised in Santa Teresa, a rural community near Villavicencio, Meta, Colombia, and did not play in a soccer academy until he was 15. From that start, he went on to captain a university team, compete at the professional level, win an international tournament as a coach, and eventually build a program of his own. That program is now running out of Lake Alfred Elementary School, where he serves as the Elementary PE Coach/Teacher during the school year.
Physis Fit Academy Art is an extracurricular organization founded by Parrado last year. Physis Fit operates an after-school program during the school year at Lake Alfred Elementary, and a summer soccer camp with approximately 30 students participating each week. Parrado serves as founder, director, and head coach. He is supported by two additional coaches. Parrado works to incorporate fitness and life skills into the curriculum at both school and in his program.
The Coach
Coach Parrado played for Universidad de los Llanos, where he served as team captain and helped the program qualify for the Colombian National University Games. He later joined the youth divisions of Llaneros FC, a professional club, and was invited to play professional futsal in 2014 at age 19.
He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Education and Sports in 2017. Before he graduated, he was already coaching and teaching. In 2018, at Colegio Don Bosco, he developed a sports program that earned the school an invitation to an international tournament for private schools in Mexico. His team won the championship.
In 2021, Parrado immigrated to the United States. He worked various jobs, entered the school system as a paraprofessional, and rebuilt his career as his English improved. He has now been a Physical Education teacher in Polk County Public Schools for four years. In August 2024, he joined Lake Alfred Elementary, where Principal Mr. Burkett, Mrs. Brown, and the administrative team supported the launch of what would become Physis Fit Academy Art.
The Program – Physis Fit Academy Art
Soccer is the entry point, but the real goal goes further. Physis Fit is built around fitness, life skills, discipline, and teamwork, with a specific focus on targeting childhood obesity and physical fitness deficiencies that often go undetected at the elementary level.
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Parrado said more than half of students struggle to pass fitness assessments by the time they reach middle school. Currently, elementary students are not required to take fitness tests. Parrado says this leads to fitness-ability problems going unaddressed for elementary children until they become harder to correct as they advance in school. The program works to build fitness foundations early and provides important nutrition education, as more students deal with obesity.
The summer camp kids spend a lot of time outside working on skills through drills and scrimmages.
There is also a structured cool-down period in which students rotate through stations in 15-minute intervals. The stations are designed around soccer, featuring soccer-themed board games and FIFA video game stations to keep kids engaged with the sport even during downtime. Parrado found the transition away from screens has been smoother than expected because students earn team points and are accountable to each other; they cooperate to move on time from one station to the next. The team-first culture he is building on the field is carrying over into every part of the program.
“Many children today face challenges related to inactivity, obesity, low self-confidence, and excessive screen time,” Parrado said.
Through Physis Fit Academy Art, I have the opportunity to provide a safe and positive environment where children can be active, learn teamwork, develop discipline, and build confidence while having fun. – Coach Parrado
The program is also designed to align with school PE curriculum and reinforce skills students are learning in physical education classes. Parrado is actively seeking partnerships with elementary school principals across Polk County. On July 29, he will present research through his master’s program on how Physis Fit Academy Art can be formally integrated into school systems.
What Participants have to say
The Citrus Tea spoke with students during a visit to the summer camp program. Their answers reflect what Parrado is building, and the kids were eager to share. Their favorite parts ranged from open scrimmage to drilling fundamentals, with one student summing it up as loving everything he can do on the field, from dribbling to scoring goals. Beyond soccer, the program is leaving a mark. Students credited it with building leadership skills, pushing them to work harder, and even making them kinder to others. One said it makes her feel healthy and strong. They also demonstrated techniques that have clearly stuck, including the inside touch and the triangle passing method, which keeps players open and creates options when a teammate is being defended.
One student summed up Physis Fit Summer Camp this way: “We didn’t just come for soccer. We got a family out of it.”
Looking Ahead
Parrado holds the CONMEBOL Pro License as a professional soccer coach, a Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Education and Sports, and a Master’s Degree in Educational Management and Leadership. He is completing a second master’s degree in Physical Activity and Sports Training and is more than halfway through a doctorate in Educational Management and Leadership.
“My hope is to continue expanding the program so that more children can benefit from quality physical activity opportunities,” he said. “Ultimately, I want Physis Fit Academy Art to become a model program that demonstrates how sports and education can work together to improve children’s health, well-being, and future success.”
Soccer gave Parrado opportunities he did not expect growing up in rural Colombia. The program he built in Polk County is aimed at giving those same kinds of opportunities to the kids coming up here.
To learn more about Physis Fit Academy Art, email [email protected]. Elementary school principals and administrators interested in partnering with the program are encouraged to reach out directly.
