Fishing The North 40, Football & Leadership with Tony Lipani

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When John Pelin was hired as athletic director for the Spencerport Central School District, he hit the ground running.  Never mind the amount of experience Pelin had at the time failed to extend much beyond the then 32-year old's degree in administration.   "I had head coaching experience," Pelin said of his time in Sussex County, New Jersey. "I feel very fortunate that Spencerport took a chance on someone who had a lack of experience and gave me the support to be able do the job for 30 years." Pelin's time as Spencerport's athletic director is winding down. The finish line for Pelin, who grew up in Fairport, is at the end of June, after a career in education sprawling 40 years. If Pelin, 62, still has a resume, it looks a bit different now. “He’s been a mentor for ADs all across the state, myself included," Hilton athletic director Mike Giruzzi said. "When John speaks, people, they typically listen." Leaving a large and long legacy Others might also model a thing or two in their athletic programs after ideas, approaches and accomplishments at Spencerport. The school district's Spencerport Student-Athletes Care program is 28 years old. The athletic teams are required to volunteer their time in the community or put together a charity project that could aid their neighbors. The program was recognized on a national level back in 1994.  “I’m an old-school traditionalist,' Pelin said. "I really feel that you play for your community, you play for your school, you play for your school colors, you play for your classmates and we have values that we want to uphold our coaches and student-athletes to. “Over the 30 years, we shouldn’t have to stray too far from those expectations and values.” High school athletes in Spencerport are familiar with the letters P-R-I-D-E, put together standing for Proud Rangers Inspire a Drug-free Environment. "We’ve visited other places to see what works with them and how we can fit into ours," Pelin said. "We take a look at student programs, whether it be our chemical-free programs, our participation programs, our varsity club programs, we’re always trying to find ways to improve. "We focused more on relationships and student development, and got away a little bit from the Xs and Os. It’s tough to do, because the public sees the win-loss record, but I think there is a lot that goes into it. It’s still, as corny as it may sound, about the relationships and the lifelong kinds of memories." And there has been movement of Xs and Os to Monroe County league, Section V (54) and state (17 individual and team combined) titles. The first girls lacrosse program among the west side schools in the league was at Spencerport. "He’s had his hands on really impressive improvements of the Spencerport facilities," Greece Olympia assistant athletic director Ferdi Auriuso said. "That is the mark he is going to leave behind. "He not only was able to get the facilities to the level that they are, but get a winning culture beyond wrestling. Spencerport girls soccer is a two-time state champion. That’s impressive and not an accident. They take a tremendous amount of pride in having top-notch facilities, top-notch coaches. It’s only getting better." Pelin was a physical education teacher who also coached the Lenape Valley (N.J.) Regional High School's varsity boys basketball and soccer and the freshman baseball teams when he took a look at a position in Spencerport. "I was kind of looking for a larger school, with an eye on basketball," Pelin said. "They communicated back that they had a basketball opening, but did not have a physical education job. The only job they had open was director of physical education and athletics, but you couldn’t coach.  "I wasn’t really ready to give up phys ed teaching and coaching, but I said what the heck for the experience. If I get an interview, I get to come home and visit my parents. I got an interview." "The superintendent at the time, Joe Clement, wanted some significant changes made in the direction of the athletic program," Pelin said. "So that was one way that allowed me to move forward, but I also feel that there is nothing better than public school high school athletics." Pelin said the school's athletic program was able to grow in different ways because there were "a lot of great people who supported us and helped move us in the right direction." "That made it easy to stay as well,” Pelin said. Greg Kincaid, vice-president of the Spencerport school district board, was the first person Pelin hired at Spencerport 30 years ago. "Very similar to the way he is now," Kincaid said. "Very professional, energetic. Task-oriented, all about what’s best for kids. Extremely organized. Any time you had a question about anything, he had an answer. "When he came in, the former AD left a set of keys and a note that said good luck. John has done incredible things at Spencerport. When he got there, the structure was very limited. He is one of the people and things you think of when you say Rangers. His work effort is second to none."  JAMESJ@Gannett.com                 More Stories   Jessica Pegula photos from the Australian OpenSPORTS         Jessica Pegula, daughter of Bills owners, on fire at Australian OpenSPORTS         The Glazer family, Tampa Bay Buccaneers owners, have roots in RochesterSPORTS              

Bonus Episode: A solo cast outlining the task of getting our New York State Public schools ready for our students, faculty & staff.  We all want to go back! A public request to Governor Cuomo; from Anthony Lipani 28 year educator. Please give us the time we need to open with fidelity. 

Finding your True North Podcast proudly announces our next Guest Mr. Donald Hagreen. This amazing Physical Education Teacher from Greece Athena High School in Rochester, N.Y & Varsity Head Football Coach / Mentor, has positively impacted the lives of thousands. Former students, players, young coaches & friends including me. It was an honor to interview my old coach who shaped my life & the lives of thousands!

ROB WECHSLER - Blue Star Innovation Partners Managing Director Rob Wechsler, Founder and CEO of Blue Star Innovation Partners, is a serial entrepreneur with a track record that includes 4 exits totaling more than $1.5B in proceeds of his own companies, a successful IPO and running the largest payments business in the world, Chase Merchant Services.  Most recently Rob was the founder and CEO of Blue Star Sports, the largest and preeminent provider of sports technology globally.  In less than a year, Rob completed 20 acquisitions and returned over 3 times to all shareholders in a transaction valued in excess of $300 Million.  Prior to Blue Star Sports, Rob founded, built and exited 2 payments businesses - Century Payment Advisors and Century Payments to Bain Capital and Worldpay.  In order to develop his skills, Rob began his career practicing law for Morgan, Lewis & Bockius before starting his first company, Link2Gov.  After exiting Link2Gov, Rob was EVP, Global Sales for Convergent Group through its IPO and subsequent sale to Schlumberger and then he was recruited to run the payments business for JP Morgan Chase.  Rob is an avid investor and works with several Private Equity funds as an advisor. 

60 Day Family Fitness Accountability Challenge Monday - April 20th - Saturday - June 20th, 2020 To all our friends, colleagues & families out there who are starting to feel the stress of isolation and a bit heavier like we are, Cheryl & I would like to invite you to our 60 Day Family Fitness Accountability Challenge.  Let it be known all Saturday’s are days off for the next 8 weeks. Here is the simple plan & challenge:  60 Days to Summer!  April 20th-June 20th.  Eat Clean and drink plenty of Water daily. Work Out Schedule 7:30 – 8:15 A.M. Two Mile walk/run with you and or your family 4:00 – 5:15 P.M. Exercise Choice.  Hike, Bike, Walk, Run Coupled with Body Weight Isometric training. This is the exact program I put myself on after my Health Scare & I lost 40lbs in two months.  I’m sad to report that I gained about 20 back in three years and about 10 more over the past 6 weeks.  If you are interested in joining this challenge, please friend me in the Map My Walk App so we can encourage each other.  Here is what the Map My Walk App by Under Armor looks like.

Over this past weekend, I had the pleasure & opportunity to Interview former Greece Athena Middle School Classmate & old friend Kathy Graupman. As many of know, Kathy has been instrumental in leading our local schools through this unprecedented pandemic. Her authentic leadership style and down to earth approach to public education is what makes Kathy an incredible educational leader. Working tirelessly is what Kathy and all of her fellow Rochester area Superintendents have been doing well before this pandemic became a reality for us in the Rochester Community.  .

As a physical educator & administrator for 27 years, heart attack survivor & father for 18 years, these past couple of weeks have been surreal. My wife Cheryl is also an educator and while we are enjoying this time reconnecting with our family, we are both feeling fear. It is ok to be scared. Trust me when I tell you that fear leads you to doing what is essential. Who are we supposed to be right now? We all have students who need us. However, those who need us more are the people who we love and love us. If you find yourself locked within the confines of your property you are not alone.  Now is time to Overcome Adversity!

Episode 5 Season 2 of the Finding Your North 40 Podcast and Blogcast. Genre....A Section V Football Story. The story of Alan Zemaitis. Spencerport & Penn State Legend. @CoachJimJohnson @PeterMDeWitt @SpencerportCSD @PennStateFBall @RocDevo @BlackButton85

Episode 4 of Season 2 Finding your True North Blog Cast & Podcast “Posts from My Post” Recorded moments ago. Genre Comedy.....Topic Grilling & The Inadvertent egg drop. Staring Cayden & our Dog Bear. Enjoy a laugh!

Episode 2 of Posts from my Post Blogcast!!!Today is National Take Out Day across America! Let’s support our local businesses that are open and supporting us. Please share this video with everyone especially those with a small business so they can promote what they are doing to stay open. Don’t be shy! I’m also declaring today National Percolation Day for Coffee Enthusiasts! Please post below the video to support our businesses!

Blog Cast: Posts from My Post. Monday March 23rd 2020 By Anthony V. Lipani Physical Education Teacher West Irondequoit CSD, Educational Leader, Dad, Husband, Coach & Heart Attack Survivor. Blog Topic:  Now is the time to go on offense and use it to propel us through this most unprecedented moment in public educational history: As a physical educator & administrator for 27 years, heart attack survivor & father for 18 years, these past couple of weeks have been surreal.  However, it is time to go on offense. Speaking from a lens of a coach who lead a team to a state championship I want to take a minute to applaud Governor Andrew Cuomo.  He has been the calming presence in the face of this adversity.  Delivering facts and information with a calming, reassuring, and real voice, No malarkey.  A leader who has shown compassion and thoughtfulness with personal real-life examples in this time of uncertainty. That is what we as teachers do every day.  We rise and find a way each day to walk onto the practice field…. our own classroom) and be there for their students. No matter how they are feeling or what is going on at home.  We rise and walk through the door and lead, teach, encourage, reassure and coach.  This is who we are as New York educators.  We find a way, every day to get it done. 

As a physical educator & administrator for 27 years, heart attack survivor & father for 18 years, these past couple of weeks have been surreal.  My wife Cheryl is also an educator and while we are enjoying this time reconnecting with our family, we are both feeling fear.  It is ok to be scared.  Trust me when I tell you that fear leads you to doing what is essential.  Who are we supposed to be right now? We all have students who need us.  However, those who need us more are the people who we love and love us.  If you find yourself locked within the confines of your property you are not alone. 

A native of Canastota, N.Y., Jeff DiVeronica covered high school sports for the Democrat and Chronicle for nearly 25 years and was honored as the "Sportswriter of the Year" by the Rochester Press-Radio Club in 2014 and 2002. A graduate of St. John Fisher College and member of its Communications/Journalism Hall of Fame, he founded the CNB Show in 2003.  Jeff has been an ambassodor for high school sports as a journalist, leader & fan!

Captain Bill Lortz is the premier smallmouth bass charter captain on the Eastern Basin of Lake Ontario!  Bill has been fishing on Oneida Lake and the 1000 Islands region for over 20 years. He has been tournament bass fishing for the past 16 years on both the local and regional level. I was introduced to guiding by my uncle who ran a successful charter business on Lake Ontario. Through my years of being a first mate on his boat I learned and experienced first hand the value of educating fisherman. Our goal at NY NORTHCOUNTRY BASSIN' is for you to not only catch fish but to learn.  https://www.nynorthcountrybassin.com/about.html Accomplishments 2013 2nd place at Oneida Lake in Bassmaster Weekend Series Divisional Championship 2013 38th place BASS Northern Open on Oneida Lake 2013 3rd place at Henderson Harbor in Bassmaster Weekend Series 2012 5th place at Oneida Lake in Bassmaster Weekend Series Divisional Championship 2011 - 1st place at Lake Erie in Bassmaster Weekend Series 2011 - 5th place in Angler of the Year in Bassmaster Weekend Series 2011 - 20th place finish in BASS Northern Open on Oneida Lake Qualified multiple years for Bassmaster Weekend Series Nationals Three top 10 finishes in northeast Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Three top 20 finishes in BASS Northern Opens Five top 50 finishes in FLW and BASS events 2007 Angler of the Year in ABBA Series 2007 FLW Everstart Series Championship qualifier Friendly Links

After 17 years of broadcasting in Rochester, including 9 years as an anchor at 13WHAM, Jennifer Johnson is moving on to a new career. Jennifer will be joining Golisano Children's Hospital, a place she has already devoted considerable time to in the last several years. Jennifer's late daughter Grace was treated there for congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). Through TV coverage and Jennifer's telling of Grace's story, countless people have supported Golisano Children's Hospital.As co-anchor Doug Emblidge said in the video piece accompanying this article: "We watched in awe in the months and years that followed - the resilience, courage and vulnerability shown by this public person."The entire staff of 13WHAM wish Jennifer well as she moves into a role that makes perfect sense for her: director of family & community outreach. This is a story of a deep personal journey. 

"I grew up in the outdoors, on a farm in upstate NY. We never had much money growing up, but my dad made sure we were always "doing" something. Camping, hiking, skiing, golfing, boating .. you name it. We used to camp up on an island in the Adirondacks for weeks at a time. God bless him for taking 3 little girls out on an island with no bathroom lol. We got up at 5am to go fishing every morning with him. We never caught a thing, but that wasn't the point. He didn't give us video games or phones, he gave us things we would take with us the rest of our lives and an appreciation for the world around us and everything we have.

Coach Bobby Bates nominated for Don Shula NFL High School Coach of the Year Award January 10, 2020 2019 DON SHULA NFL HIGH SCHOOL COACH OF THE YEAR AWARD NOMINEES ANNOUNCED The NFL announced the high school football coaches nominated by the 32 NFL teams for the Don Shula NFL High School Coach of the Year Award. These coaches were recognized by their local NFL club for the prestigious award — named after Pro Football Hall of Famer Don Shula, the winningest coach in NFL history — for their character, integrity, leadership, dedication to the community, commitment to player protection and on-field success. “There are so many coaches across the country who do such great work with their student-athletes and I am truly honored to be selected for this prestigious award,” said 2018 Don Shula NFL High School Coach of the Year winner Gabe Infante upon receiving his award. “I am grateful to the NFL and the committee for my consideration.”   All Don Shula Award nominees are invited to attend the 2020 Pro Bowl in Orlando, Fla. and will be recognized during the NFL’s week-long celebration of football. Coaches will have VIP access and accommodations at events including Pro Bowl practices and the Play Football High School Skills Showdown, a chance to interact with members of the football community and attend the Pro Bowl.

Chaumont Hardware & Greg Netto Folks if you are traveling to the North 40 specifically to the Upstate New York Thousands Island region, the St. Lawrence River or the Eastern Basin of Lake Ontario, you must stop into the North 40’s Ice Fishing Headquarters Chaumont Hardware!  Greg & Melissa own and operate this small business hardware store with everything from Augers & Bait to Bobcats and machinery rental.  Don’t forget a full lumber yard and all your plumbing, electrical and masonry needs.   Greg services all Ice augers and carries all your propane and fishing needs including our spotlight baits Custom Jigs & Spins!  Anything for your weekend trip, camp or cottage…. Chaumont Hardware has you covered.  Greg has been an avid outdoorsman and trapper for 30 years in the Jefferson County New York area and will assist you in being successful on the hard water this winter keeping you informed of current Ice conditions on Chaumont Bay.  Follow Chaumont Hardware on Facebook for Ice Reports and where the hot bite is or give them a call at 315-649-2959.

Peter M. De Witt is a former K-5 teacher (11 years) and principal (8 years). He runs competency-based workshops and provides keynotes nationally and internationally focusing on school leadership (collaborative cultures and instructional leadership),    Peter is the author of several books which include: Dignity for All: Safeguarding  LGBT Students (Corwin Press. 2012). Instructional Leadership (Soon to be released) School Climate Change (ASCD, co-authored with Sean Slade. 2014) Flipping Leadership Doesn't Mean Reinventing the Wheel (Corwin Press. 2014) Collaborative Leadership: 6 Influences That Matter Most (Corwin Press/Learning Forward). School Climate: Leading With Collective Teacher Efficacy (Corwin Press/ Ontario Principals Council. 2017). Coach It Further: Using the Art      of Coaching to Improve School Leadership (Corwin Press. 2018). Get a free book at this link  http://www.audibletrial.com/fishingthenorth40  Visit Peter at his Web Site petermdewitt.com  

Mr. Ned Dale is the Superintendent of the Elba Central School District.  Collaboration and communication are Ned's primary goals as he learns more about this incredible Elba community, During his career at Spencerport Central Schools, Dale has supported the development of a rich curriculum and aligned assessments while developing three tiers of Response to Intervention in English Language Arts and Math in collaboration with other administrators and stakeholders. Through his leadership, Cosgrove Middle School was designated as a School to Watch based upon the collaboration of the New York State Education Department, New York State Middle School Association and National Forum to Accelerate Middle Level Reform

Mr. Walt Matan Custom Jigs & SpinsBrand Marketing Manager Customjigs.com "In 1988, my dad Poppee and I heard a guy in Pekin, Illinois, had an ice tackle business for sale. Since we were both engineers and fishermen, we thought we’d take a look,” says former owner and current Custom Jigs & Spins lure designer Walt Matan. What they found in William Klingbell’s basement operation was a lot of secret equipment draped with white sheets. “Like his jigs, Klingbell was sharp. He said we’d have to buy the company to see what was underneath!” Walt says what they found under the sheets was “a lot of hard work.”Custom Jigs & Spins is the top ice fishing lure company in North America. We have branched out and acquired the B-Fish-N Tackle and Rippin Lips Catfish Tackle Companies. Our goal is to provide high quality affordable lures and tackle that catches fish! Our goal is to provide high quality affordable lures and tackle that catches fish! MidWest Outdoors Magazine & Television 32 years Outdoor Writer and Television Host Jan 1988 – Present32 years Burr Ridge, IL Outdoor writer specializing in how to open water fishing and ice fishing. Television Host for various episodes on open water fishing and ice fishing. Outdoor writer specializing in how to open water fishing and ice fishing. Television Host for various episodes on open water fishing and ice fishing.    

Interview with Mr. Scott Barker Pittsford Central School District Athletic Director & Section V Football Chairperson, Father, Football Coach. Outdoor person & Leader in New York state for educational based high school athletics.  Interview Questions: Please tell us about yourself, your journey and your current position? Can you tell us about what drives you to do the work that you do? What would you recommend to any young coach getting into coaching? Your support of High School Fishing in New York has been amazing. Can you tell us how Pittsford started fishing and what some of your students have accomplished? What are some of the things you have done to make Section V Football a bigger Brand? What is your biggest accomplishment with your children? Two Division  Lacrosse players at Ohio State Tell us the story of your dogs and your passion for the outdoors Who were your biggest mentors and why? Favorite Song?

After his heart attack, Tony decided to step away from his role as a high school Athletic Director at a very large school taking a significant pay cut to find his True North.  This included spending more time with his family and in the outdoors Football, Fishing & Leadership have always been passions for Tony.  Tony grew up fishing the Thousand Islands Region of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence river with his father and grandfather. Tony was also an assistant high school principal, college and Head High School Football coach for 17 years. Tony will interview inspiring coaches in the sport of football, some of the best professionals in the fishing industry, and business/educational leaders.  Specifically, inspirational people who have found their True North in life and their respective careers!