The Impact of Rick Olita

 

From time to time, reflections go the way of reminiscing, reaching back into our lives a little bit or a long way.  I’m sure I’m guilty of this more than others.  But here’s the thing.  I’m a big believer that our experiences shape us.  Who we are is, in large part, a result of the people who are part of our lives and the impact those folks have on us.  I’ve shared about my family, my teachers, my coaches and my friends.  They’ve all had an impact on me.  I’d like to think I appreciated their influence while it was happening, but the reality is I was either oblivious, resistant or just took it all for granted.

 

Today, my reflection comes as a result of a Facebook memory that popped up on my feed today.  It was a message I posted saying goodbye to a great friend, Rick Olita.

 

Rick was 67 and fought the good fight against cancer before he passed away in 2014.  Rick was an important part of my life and is a big reason why I am where I am today.  I am convinced that God knew I needed someone like Rick and He sent him my way.

 

Growing up, my Philly friends and I were by no means criminals – well most of us. But we were by no means Saints.  As a teacher, coach, and principal, I challenged students to be able to go home on a Friday or Saturday night and look their parents in the eye and tell them exactly what they did.  Many of them could do that in a heartbeat.  I want to tell you that there were some nights my friends and I couldn’t have.  Lord knows people tried to straighten me out – including my own teachers, coaches and administrators.  But I ignored all of them.  All except Rick Olita. 

 

Rick was a counselor in our neighborhood summer program at a schoolyard called Stonehurst.  He directed activities and spent time with us.  We probably had seven or eight counselors at Stonehurst while I was growing up.  No one took an interest in us like Rick Olita.  He knew what we were up to and he knew where it was going to lead us.  So he tapped into what he knew my buddies and I would respond to – sports.  He got us into any basketball or baseball league he could find – day or night – some in our neighborhood; some in the city.  He arranged for group trips to Phillies games.  He found ways to take us away from what he knew would hurt us and lead us to things that would distract us.

 

Rick was probably more responsible than anyone for encouraging me to consider college.  None of my family had gone.  Few in our neighborhood had gone.  In Philly, you finished high school and you went to work.  And that way of life has been good for many of my friends.  But Rick saw something in me that even I didn’t see in myself.  And again, he used sports.  He convinced me that maybe, just maybe, I could play college basketball.  Looking back, I think he wanted me to play basketball but mostly, he wanted me to get out of the neighborhood.  The short version is that he was right and I did.  I left the neighborhood and attended college at Simpson where I played some hoop and I earned my degree.

 

College led me to a degree in education and that degree eventually led me to Wahlert High School where I met some truly incredible people who have had a profound influence on my faith and my life.  My time at Wahlert prepared me for my role as principal at Xavier that during fifteen years I can say was incredibly fulfilling because I got to be around phenomenal young people and a dedicated faculty that worked so hard to help students become the best versions of themselves.  And all of that led me to the position I’m humbled to hold today as Executive Director of the IHSAA.

 

I’m not perfect.  I have a long way to go before I can ever consider myself a finished product.  But I’m a whole lot better off than I was back in my high school days in Philly.  People like Rick Olita came into my life to lead me in a positive direction and to remind me to never stop developing.

 

I lost contact with Rick a long time ago but through the wonder of social media, we reconnected.  I’m glad we did because his guidance on me continued until the day he died.  It’s funny really how life goes.  Rick Olita leads me out of the trouble I was headed for.  College gives me the opportunity to get into a career in education.  The career takes me to Wahlert and Xavier.  The experiences in those places led me here.

 

I miss Rick.  The day he died was a sad day but I take comfort in knowing the guy who looked after me when I was growing up is still a part of me and always will be.  I hope in some way, I allow Rick’s legacy to live through me.

 

There are many who need a Rick Olita – someone who cares enough to tell it like it is.  Someone who sees the potential in others and encourages them to pursue it.  Someone to get them on the right path.  I am guessing I’m not the only one who had a Rick Olita in his or her life.  My challenge for all of us is to be Rick Olita for someone else.  Find those students who need direction.  Students who need someone who cares.  Those who need someone to look beyond the surface and really get to know them.  Students who need someone who sees potential in them instead of what’s wrong with them.  Someone who plants seeds.  Someone who is persistent.

 

By my count, over 1000 of you receive the Executive Director Update each week.  If each and every one of us can be a Rick Olita for just one student, imagine the impact across this state.  Imagine the lives that could be changed.  Imagine the difference each of us can make.