Thursday, March 29, 2018

Time out with Ron Duvall (2001 Justin-Siena High graduate)

Vince D’Adamo: What did you enjoy most about competing in athletics throughout
your life?
Ron Duvall: I didn’t know it when I was competing, looking back, the part I most enjoyed
was the mental and physical preparation. I believe it is this part of athletic competition that
has allowed me to be successful in life.
D’Adamo: What have you been doing since graduating from high school?
Duvall: A couple of years after graduation, I moved to Anchorage, Alaska.  I received a
Bachelor’s Degree in Management Information Systems from the University of Alaska
Anchorage and have since received a Master’s Degree in Information Security from Boston
University.  I now live in Sitka, Alaska with my wife and two children, where I work as the
IT Director for the City of Sitka. I am also the Captain of Sitka Mountain Rescue, which
conducts wilderness search and rescue operations in the region. My family and I enjoy
getting out as much as we can; fishing, hunting, camping, and exploring.
D’Adamo: What was your favorite class at Justin-Siena High?
Duvall: Mr. Chapman’s Chemistry Class, there is something more soothing than a well
balance chemical equations.
D’Adamo: What was your favorite athletic moment at Justin-Siena High?
Duvall: Can I say my three favorite? This is fun, I really have not thought back to this time
in my life in a really long time. 1. Winning Baseball Sections my junior year, we were
expected to win and we did so in dominant fashion. 2. Winning Football Sections my senior
year. We were not expected to win, but we did so in dominate fashion anyway. 3. Breaking
a 4-5 year drought of losing our Homecoming Game my senior year.
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?
Duvall: I have to say, this is the hardest question for me in this deck. I would like to think
that I have grown significantly since High School, I know I have matured for sure. Looking
back at high school and the athletics I participated in during that time and after, I was really
focused on the little things. I was focused on my own little world; how many times did I get
a base hit, how many times did I strike out, how many tackles or catches, and even who will
go to prom with me. To a certain extent that has not changed much, except the focus is now
on my family and providing for them. However, I do feel that I have gained the ability to
see big picture and have a better understanding how a single person affects the environment
they are in.  While I may not have known it then, the preparation for each and every game
was practice in preparing for real life. I take some of the same preparation principles from
Coach Rossi and Coach Cotruvo and apply them to my everyday life.
D’Adamo: Within your family, who have been the most influential people?
Duvall: Growing up, most definitely my Dad. He was the person I always wanted to grow up
to be. While I still look up to him and appreciate his influence on my kiddos, my wife is now
the most influential person in my life.  She is my best friend and my own personal motivator.
D’Adamo: Name a historical figure, dead or alive, in or out of sports you would most
like to meet.
Duvall: Vin Scully. He has witnessed so many moments in sports that an evening with him
would be a dream come true.

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