Vince D’Adamo: Whether as a student-athlete at Vintage or as a coach at Vintage, what keeps you coming back to athletics every season?
Mike Odell: I think having been a student-athlete at Vintage and now currently coaching, the camaraderie and the competitiveness whether it is with kids or coaches is what keeps me coming back year after year.
D’Adamo: Though assistant coaches are not the first ones people think of, what do you believe their role is in terms of player development on and off the field?
Odell: I think the assistant coaches jobs are extremely important to fulfill the vision of the head coach. Assistant coaches know their kids the best as they spend the most time with them throughout the week in their individual positions. While at practice they develop a relationship with the kids on a personal level so that off the field the assistant coaches can lead the kids in the most positive ways they can.
D’Adamo: Even if high school is the pinnacle of a youngster's sports career, how much do you believe they grow as adults as a result of competing in athletics?
Odell: For me, one example that comes to my mind in my life is that I have worked at a job for 26 years and have never been late. I really feel that was from playing high school sports. It was always unacceptable to be late to practice and/or games. It has stuck with me into my adult life. The expectations that kids have with sports as youth hopefully leads to being responsible adults, even if it means just showing up to work on time.
D’Adamo: On the football side, you have seen a number of coaches at Vintage come and go, how is it now to be part of the journey with someone you grew up with like Dylan Leach?
Odell: I have been lucky to have coached under some good head coaches but being with Dylan, he is a true Vintage guy. I had the opportunity to play with Dylan in high school and when I first started coaching, he was a great mentor, and now being able to coordinate under him is truly an honor.
D’Adamo: Besides the Xs and Os of coaching, how important is it to relate to youngsters as people?
Odell: I think it is extremely important to be able to relate to the kids. I would hope that the kids in this new generation help to keep me young. I feel like I have a good relationship with kids and hopefully I won't lose touch with them as they move onto their adult lives.
D’Adamo: Within your family, who have been the most influential people?
Odell: I would have to say it would be my mom. She never missed any of my games as a kid and she has not missed very many of the games I coach or the games my kids have played in. She is very supportive of me and my family and she will never not tell you the truth, whether you want to hear it or not.
D’Adamo: Name a historical figure, dead or alive, in or out of sports you would most like to meet.
Odell: I have had a lot of positive people in my life, not necessarily what you would call historical figures, that I would love to sit down and have dinner with all together. They would include Little League coach Mel Araldi, my Babe Ruth coach Stan Herring, my high school Principal Tom Prescott, my high school assistant principal Gary Gerhardt, freshman football coach Bill Leach, football coach Bill Nunes, my basketball coaches Eric Zaidel and Wayne Grapes, and my American Legion baseball coaches Damon Neidlinger and Rich Anderson, and long-time friend/mentor Pete Santora. These people are why this interview is taking place. To me they are historical figures in my world.
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