Vince D’Adamo: What did you enjoy most about competing in athletics throughout your life?
Nick Pedisich: Competition and athletics have been forefront in my life for as long as I can remember. There are so many aspects of competition and athletics that mirror the challenges of everyday life, and I think that’s what makes it so unique. What I have enjoyed most is forming so many lifelong relationships from sports, and the friendships and memories I’ll have that will last a lifetime.
D’Adamo: What have you been doing since graduating from high school?
Pedisich: After graduating high school in 2001, I moved to Santa Barbara and attended UCSB. I had the time of my life down there, but we’ll just say that for those years school took a back seat to other things as I struggled with priorities. I moved to Sacramento and graduated from California State University, Sacramento in 2007 (Better late than never). The week after graduating, I started working for Paul Hanson Partners in Napa, as an insurance broker for the transportation industry. I am lucky to say that I’m still with Paul Hanson working on my ninth year. My beautiful wife, Sara, led me to the Central Valley where I now live, in Ripon, with our new baby boy, Hudson.
D’Adamo:What was your favorite class at Justin-Siena High?
Pedisich: I would have to say that any classes taught by Mr. Roark or Mr. O’Connor were at the top of my list. They were amazing teachers. Coach Bonfigli’s Government/Econ class was also very colorful.
D’Adamo: What was your favorite athletic moment at Justin-Siena High?
Pedisich: Singular moments are hard to identify. Winning the team NorCal Golf Championship when I was a freshman has to be up there, because golf has such a crazy mixture of individualism and teamwork, and at that time, winning the CIF NorCal’s was as far as we could go as a team . There was no State Championship like there is now. However, when I look back on my high school athletic career, being apart of the 1999-2000 varsity basketball team and being on the floor to start the home playoff game against Bret Harte sticks out. That team was probably the most talented basketball team, in my opinion, ever to come out of JSHS. We had a three headed monster of Garrett Halverson, Derek Flegal and Jerrad Bullock, along with a deep supporting cast. In the game against Bret Harte, a second round home playoff game at Justin Siena, Garrett went off for 49 points in front of a packed house at Dan Clark Gym. I got the start that night, and the energy in the crowd, all knowing they were watching something special, is something I won’t ever forget. We went on to lose the next game against Colfax in the final seconds, and had we won, we’d have played at Arco Arena for the section championship.
D’Adamo: How much do you feel you have grown personally since graduating from high school and how much of that do you trace to athletics?
Pedisich: As I mentioned above, sports/competition/athletics have a way of mirroring the challenges of everyday life. It builds a foundation for who you become when adulthood arrives. For me, though, I immediately reflect on the people that helped instill these attributes such as hard work, team work, focus, integrity, respect, and the ability to overcome adversity. Coach Tom Bonfigli and coach Tim Malloy were two extremely influential coaches/role models that I believe drove the importance of these qualities and helped shape the man I am today.
D’Adamo: Within your family, who have been the most influential people?
Pedisich: I would have to say that my Dad, Dennis Pedisich, has been the most influential person to me. My Dad is one of the most hardworking people I’ve ever been around. He instilled in me that if I’m going to do something, whether it’s something important or mundane, that I better give max effort at all times and do it right. He never cared whether I scored 20 points, or whether I threw a complete game, or whether I shot 68 or 82. He wanted me to play hard, keep my composure (still working on that), have fun, and respect the game. That is something that I’m going to pass on to my son Hudson and any future children down the road. The results are important…but not nearly as important as the effort and having fun.
D’Adamo: Name a historical figure, dead or alive, in or out of sports you would most like to meet.
Pedisich: I just watched an incredible documentary on the late Joe Roth, the Cal quarterback from the 1970’s who died at 21 years old from cancer in the prime of his college football career, on the verge of being the #1 overall pick in the NFL draft. His whole story was heartbreaking and inspiring all at the same time, and the person he was far exceeded his football abilities. To be the kind of person he was at 21 is absolutely incredible. I would recommend everyone watch his documentary…Don’t Quit, The Joe Roth Story.
And a side note, if you coordinate Travis Aspegren’s wishes to talk music with Carrie Underwood, I’d request to be there too. It’s for science.
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