Vince D’Adamo: What did you enjoy most about competing in athletics throughout your life?
Justin Aspegren: The competition itself was the most enjoyable part of sports. There is nothing more fun than preparing, turning the scoreboard on, and seeing who is the best team on that particular day.
D’Adamo: What have you been doing since graduating from high school?
Aspegren: After Justin-Siena I went to UC Santa Barbara solely as a student. After my freshman year, I spoke with the UCSB head baseball coach who advised me to dual-enroll - take a full class load at both UCSB and Santa Barbara City College in the spring so that I could play baseball at the community college level. I played for two years at SBCC and then played for two years at UCSB. As soon as my playing career was over I began coaching at SBCC where I just finished my eighth year. I also spent two summers working in the Cape Cod Baseball League, two summers in the Valley Baseball League, and two summers in the California Collegiate League. Earlier this month, I accepted a Division I pitching coach position in North Carolina so I'll be leaving California here shortly for a brand new adventure on the east coast. On a personal note, I got married in 2013 and this past April, my wife and I had a daughter, Madeline James.
D’Adamo: What was your favorite class at Justin-Siena High?
Aspegren: Believe it or not, it would have been any math class I took. The only reason I would say that is because math was always my strongest subject and I didn't have to work hard at all. No reading, no studying, all numbers. Don't tell Mrs. DiGiacomo (smiling).
D’Adamo: What was your favorite athletic moment at Justin-Siena High?
Aspegren: Without a doubt my favorite athletic moment was winning CIF in baseball in 2000. We went 25-1, won the SCAL championship, and capped off all the work with a dogpile. It doesn't get much better than that.
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?
Aspegren: I can honestly say that just about everything I do can be traced to a lesson learned through athletics. As a player and now as a coach, the mentors that I've had in sports are pretty much responsible for every facet of my daily life. Playing under Coach Tom Bonfigli (former Justin-Siena boys basketball coach) and Coach Allen Rossi (former Braves baseball head coach of two stints) at Justin-Siena was an unbelievable experience and luckily for me it was just the start. It was so influential that I had to stay in the game. I had zero intention of coaching after I finished my degree at UCSB but now I can't imagine doing anything else.
D’Adamo: Within your family, who have been the most influential people?
Aspegren: If I had to single one person out it would have to be my twin brother, Travis. We did just about everything together growing up so I always had somebody to compete against and to work with. Whether we were shooting free throws in the side yard or playing catch in the street, I always had a partner. It's pretty hard to beat that situation.
D’Adamo: Name a historical figure, dead or alive, in or out of sports you would most like to meet.
Aspegren: George Carlin, hands down. Can you imagine sitting at Thanksgiving dinner with that guy?
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