Vince D’Adamo: What did you enjoy most about competing in athletics throughout your life?
Eric Ewig: I love sports; especially football. I loved the contact. I enjoyed the strategy. I thrived on the competition. There is something extremely gratifying about challenging yourself and performing better. I even loved the grind of practice. Despite that, it is the relationships that matter most. The intensity of the athletic experience forms bonds that last. After the event fades, the teammates, coaches, and friends I shared the experience with in high school and college become more important.
D’Adamo: What have you been doing since graduating from high school?
Ewig: I own and operate Eric Ewig Physical Therapy. I treat patients, negotiate with insurance companies, interpret Medicare law changes, and manage employees, along with numerous other tasks associated with a running a small business. I enjoy that the work is constantly evolving. It is a privilege to participate in healthcare. After almost 20 years, I still enjoy the problem solving. And everyday I get to help people feel better. It is especially gratifying when a friend or classmate trusts me to treat their family member.
I am also the father of four amazing children. They make me a little crazy with their constantly changing wants and needs, but their love of life and unbridled enthusiasm fills me with happiness. Whether coaching their soccer team, volunteering for the PTA, or shuttling them to activities, I try to remember that they are both the greatest challenge, and the greatest joy, in life.
D’Adamo: What was your favorite class at Justin-Siena High?
Ewig: Two classes stand out. Creative Writing and Physics. I always enjoyed expressing myself, verbally and in written form, so creative writing was perfect for me. We had a great teacher, Ms. Spohn, who gave me the freedom to choose topics of interest, but also pushed me to improve. I also enjoyed the problem solving and precision of physics. I love to be creative, but it is satisfying to derive an exact and correct answer. Especially when that answer allows you to accurately launch a water balloon across campus!
D’Adamo: What was your favorite athletic moment at Justin-Siena High?
Ewig: My favorite athletic moment at JSHS was our final football game at Vanden. Our football experience at Justin-Siena was imperfect, I think we had a new coach every year. Our senior year was disappointing - losses piled up and I broke my hand and missed half the season - but our final game we rallied from behind to beat Vanden on a late field goal. I made a fourth down tackle in the backfield that helped the comeback. I think Michael Petersen scored two touchdowns and kicked two field goals.
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?
Ewig: I hope I have grown personally. I certainly try to keep evolving. Athletics taught me the value of hard work, perseverance. How to use failure as a starting point, not an end. Athletics started my interest in exercise, kinesiology and human performance which culminated in my physical therapy education and career. I still exercise every morning, a vestige of the "breakfast club" that accompanied football at Pomona College.
D’Adamo: Within your family, who have been the most influential people?
Ewig: My parents were extremely influential. My father had a large community presence. He was the director of ALDEA, one of Napa's largest non-profit agencies. He modeled the importance of hard work and leadership. My mother was, and still is, an important role model. She juggled her own professional career with running the family. She was a multi-tasker who balanced everyone's needs. She was also an avid reader and modeled the importance of intellectual curiosity.
D’Adamo: Name a historical figure, dead or alive, in or out of sports you would most like to meet.
Ewig: Honestly it is difficult to choose one. Given a choice, I would prefer to spend a little more time with my father. He died almost 10 years ago. It would be great if he had a chance to see one of my children's soccer games or attend a birthday party.
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