SPEAKER_00 0:04

We're listening to the A With Media Podcast, where we break down hot topics in athletic administration. And let's go into leadership. Now, you're your host, Dr. Matthews and Don Baker.

SPEAKER_03 0:17

Today we head north and sit down with current Instropole A president and the Director of Athletics at Stafford High School in Stafford Springs, Connecticut, CMAA Damien Frasanelli. Damien has a great story of leadership that began in the private sector and has now led him to being a pivotal part of not only the interscholastic athletic leadership in the state of Connecticut, but the nation through his involvement with the Innectropolet. Let's settle in and get to know Mr. Damien Frasanelli.

SPEAKER_02 0:52

Damien, or may I say, Mr. President, we're glad to have you join joining Don and me for this episode, hanging with the AD. So thanks for taking time out of your fall schedule to join us today.

SPEAKER_01 1:03

Well, thank you very much for asking. Uh it's a pleasure to be on here with you and Don. I look forward to the experience.

SPEAKER_02 1:09

Now, for our listeners, Mr. Damien Franzanelli is the athletic director and assistant principal at Stafford High School in Stafford, Connecticut. Damien has served in this role for 18 years now, taking the AD role at Stafford in 2005. Damien is also very active with the Connecticut Association of Athletic Directors, where he has served as president along with many other positions. One interesting position being a member of the Board of Control, that sounds very powerful, but we can talk about that in a few minutes, I guess. He has a depth of experience with strategic planning, serving on the committee twice in the state of Connecticut and on the fourth NIAA Strategic Plan Committee. Lastly, and I think I should mention this with a little minor detail that Damien is currently serving as the NIAA board president. But I'll stop right there, let Damien tell us a little bit more about his journey through athletics. We'd like to call it the back of the baseball card. So, Damien, tell us what the back of Damian Frasanelli's baseball card will look like.

SPEAKER_01 2:10

Well, that you gave a lot of information, so I'll try not to be redundant on that. So I started my career actually in the private sector and then did some work and then went back to school phys ed in health. Um, and while I was doing that, I started coaching a lot more. So I added assistant football coach, basketball coach, head baseball coach, and then this position came around. I I attended Southern Connecticut State University, where my wife is uh currently a field hockey coach and SWA, and I will talk about that more because she's impressive. And then uh when this job came along back in 05, when I applied, it was full-time athletic director and town recreation director. So it's a school uh population in town, about 12,000, about 2,000 in the school system. So somebody had the great idea to work with the town to get someone to work both. It made sense, as my superintendent says, for everyone except for me. You you made one phone call and you would find out youth football, high school football, whatever it was, uh lifeguarding, volleyball, you call one guy, you'll know what field's available and where you can go. Um, so I uh graduated here from Stafford High back in '86. Uh so back here doing the job that uh you know I watched someone do. His name is Mark Dunn. He still coaches for me now. He's in his 51st year of coaching. Wonderful man. Um, back then I would always say uh I'm not even the best AD in my building because he was here first, did it for 17 years. But as you can tell, uh I like it here in Stafford. It's a special place for me. Uh, I'm just trying to make it better for the kids here, give them a little strength behind their step and show them the way going forward to be positive and productive.

SPEAKER_03 4:05

Good stuff. Now, Damien, as the leader of roughly 15,000 athletic leaders across the country and around the world, how do you work to stay on top of trends within the industry and more importantly, seek to understand the wants and needs of those that you are serving? Being an AD can be a very misunderstood position. I you know, I think we've all at some point gotten the question what is it, what do you do? And it being misunderstood at times, you know, what is your vision relating to highlighting just exactly what we do on a daily basis and make sure that those that you are put in charge of have what they need to do the job?

SPEAKER_01 4:42

So one one of our goals on the board is to educate boards of education, superintendents, and principals as to what we do. Some just don't know, right? I mean, it's the old line, yeah, we've got a guy or a girl doing the job, so just go see them. They don't know really how it all gets done. So we continuously try to send them uh documentation uh of what we do. The book that the NIAA puts out uh describing all that uh is is a help. Um, but trying to stay up on top of the trends, we rely on our committees a lot uh to to bring back information to the board. Each of our committees of the anti AAA has a couple of liaisons and they communicate those messages back. Uh, we also have some call it the white paper uh committee and it's it's um resolutions, and and they have a position statement on many different things that we have. It was sports betting, it was DEIB and so on. So uh we get information from the membership as well, uh, because at the end of the day, we're we're a board that represents them. So if we're not reaching out to them, we're not going to section meetings um and listening in, then we're missing out. And the board, the the four officers on the board uh get to go to two section meetings uh during the course of yearly just the spring and the summer. So myself, I got to go to section seven and eight this past year, and it was fantastic. Phil Risen and I stayed extra during the section eight uh conference out in uh in Oregon, and it was wonderful. And we took our blazers off and we sat and we talked to the membership, had a great time. Tim Sam, Hoodie, all those guys out there really bonded with them, asked them questions. What can we do for you? Um, so I think part of it is listening to answer your question specifically. That's key, and letting people know that you are there for them.

SPEAKER_02 6:46

Yeah, that's good. Really good. Uh, always always good to get reminded to listen to the membership, listen to our coaches, listen to our communities uh uh that that way. So, Damian, I was recently listening to John Gordon's podcast where he talked with former Navy SEAL Nick Hayes. Nick described the infamous Hell Week this way. At the beginning of the week, I had hopes, dreams, and aspirations. At the end of the week, I had commitment and a purpose. I had a team. That was his quote. We mentioned you've been A.D. for over 18 years or so there. Using this quote from Nick Hayes, how would you describe Damian Frasanelli as a leader in 2005 versus Damian Frasinelli as he sits here 18 years later and has reached the pinnacle of your career as the 2023 president of the NIAA board?

SPEAKER_01 7:37

Well, that's a that's a very good one. And I'll tell you, when when I came in, you know, you have a bit of an idea that your ideas are going to fix this or solve that. And you know, I quickly found out that's not exactly how it's gonna work. Now, I didn't I didn't put my foot down and and say, this is my way, here we're gonna go. I came in thinking one thing, but listening as well. Uh, and I'll go back to my old coach, uh, Mr. Dunn, who I just mentioned. And he said, Damien, after every decision you're thinking about, you say, Is this in the best interest of these kids? And then you go from there. And honestly, I'll say that if you will, a knock on what I do, I only care about the kids. I really do. I understand the parents' involvement is is fantastic, but occasionally they want to buy a smoke machine or an alternative camo uniform, you know, names here or there. Well, let's just let's get into the weight room, let's dedicate ourselves to our studies, let's let's do community service, let's do that stuff, let's build character and stick to that and not worry so much if we've got some flags flying or or something else dressing up the gym or a DJ at the basketball games. Like, well, let's let's concentrate on the name on the front and the school that you represent, and each other, you know, your brothers and sisters next to you. Let's concentrate on that first. So I, you know, I would say, Josh, uh, to answer that, I came in with an idea, but I quickly learned listening and just focusing on the kids and being consistent doing that will get you there.

SPEAKER_03 9:22

That's good. Really good. Now, let's you touched on this a little bit right there. Let's talk about transition for a minute. You're in a situation where you're taking over for a predecessor. I'm sure that you want to leave your mark on things, but at the same time, respect what was done before you took the reins. John Maxwell teaches about what he calls a leadership landmines, and one of those deals with what I would like to call a forcible change. You know, you you come in and he tells the story of a painting that he hated. It was in the lobby of a church that he worked at. He had to walk by it every single day. He said it was the worst painting that he'd ever seen. And he had it taken down. And the next Sunday rolls around and it turns turns out that that uh that painting was painted by the grandmother of a very prominent family in the church. And so they walked by it and they just lost it because they loved that painting. And he summed that story up by saying that you never tear down a fence until you find out why it was put up. Can you maybe talk about the importance of understanding the why behind things before we press play on our own visions?

SPEAKER_01 10:29

For sure. And and I'm you know, I'm big on never forget where you came from, right? And I and I said this at a uh actually, it was the uh national executive director's council meeting over the summer. Someone has worn this uniform before I put it on myself, and you want the kids to think about that. So literally, sometimes we go through and we have a study session, if you will. I'll bring out old yearbooks from years ago so they see, because you know, teenagers nowadays sometimes are focused on right on the right now and not what came. So we talk about you know the lineage of how this all went and the idea uh when someone says, Ah, let's change school colors, let's change the school mascot, and you know, I'll ask them why, and they say, Well, we need fresh ideas, and and we go back to the history and say, All right, let's talk about when the school started, let's talk about these old coaches who were here who were you know in the hall of fame or whatnot. But understand that you're carrying this torch that someone else has lit for you, right? And you have to do it proudly because the way I explain it, I say, if your grandfather was here and he played with that uniform, how proud would he be to come watch you today wearing that uniform? If you disrespect that for some reason, how sad will he be to say, why would you go ahead and desecrate the school name or the school mascot or embarrassing community? You know, let's champion what we've got, let's go forward trying to build our reputations to be positive instead of tainting them a little bit. So it's always good to again I I just put it in a quote this morning. It's a great quote from Melanie Beattie. Gratitude makes sense of our past, builds trust for today, and creates a vision for the future. And that is being happy, thankful, gracious for what you have and how you can build forward.

SPEAKER_02 12:28

That's good stuff right there. I love the I love the part of holding them accountable and and asking them about the their predecessors, their family members. That's that's really cool on the legacy that uh is left there at Stafford. That's cool. So Damien, let's get this may not be as interesting as what you just shared. I think that that last question is right up your alley, but I think you also have some experience and can help us with strategic planning. I think that's something we don't talk about a lot, but it's is valuable to a to a department, an organization. So you served on the Ford Strategic Plan Committee for the NIAA. Uh you've also served uh strategic planning in Connecticut. I think this a strategic plan is a key vehicle to an organization's direction and vision. But many times the act of creating a strategic plan is simply putting the goals for the year on paper, right? And that's really as far as it's just goals for that one year, and that's the end of the story. So I want to I want to beat this around a little bit, if you don't mind. First question is can you talk about the purpose of an athletic department having a strategic plan?

SPEAKER_01 13:38

So the strategic plan is like you said, in part it's goals, but it's also wishes, right? You can put something down on a five-year plan to say, you know, we want an additional athletic turf field or additional lights, or we need to expand, you know, whatever it might be, the weight room, right? Those different things. And currently, you know, you don't have budget money for that today. You may you may need improvements in some other fashion, depending on on what you have. So it's not only knowing what you have and trying to enhance it, but you really have to think forward to the wish list, if you will. Uh, whether it's uh broadcasting live games, and again, uh I'm all I'm from a small school district, so some of these things that you may have already, you know, other schools, everybody's different. So um but the other piece about the strategic plan is you need some fresh eyes. It's not just someone who's been in your department for a long time, and you just have those folks on your strategic plan committee. You need some veterans who have seen where we've been and what where we're living now, but some fresh ideas with a and I always say student athletes, young parents to say, Oh, hey, the way the way of the future looks like this. So I think we could do X, Y, and Z with athletics or with the Pep Band, or you know, whatever it might be. Um, you know, the pregame shows, if you will. So when you're putting together your strategic plan, I'd say a couple of parents have their input, some administrators, some veteran coaches, right? Maybe some that have retired, some current, but certainly some students, because again, you kind of want to know about technology, you want to know the newest stuff. You just go to your go to your seniors and juniors, and they'll help you. But once you establish what those goals and or parts are to your strategic plan, well, you got to try to stick to them and be legit in trying to assess whether they're going to help your department or not.

SPEAKER_02 15:47

That's good. I was gonna ask who should be involved. You kind of answer that for us. Perfect. How would you go about creating one? So getting into weeds, how would somebody go about creating one? How much time would you expect that to take if you've never done a strategic plan for your athletic department?

SPEAKER_01 16:03

I would say if if I were to start that, let's just say now, right? It's October. Um, I would put something together, and I would say starting beginning of school next year, right? September 1, whatever your time is, uh, we're looking to put together a strategic plan committee that will start meeting in September of next of 24, and we're gonna start looking for it. And then what you can do, even if you wanted to set some criteria, you can put some things out there to the public andor the student body and say, we're gonna put this strategic plan together to better the department and school community, whatnot. What are your uh what's your vision of what that committee could look like? What what would you um what part would you like to play in that? We're looking for committee members to give ideas and fine-tune ideas. So you're gonna get applications, you're gonna get you know people that are um really interested in it, and then you have to weed some of that out, right? Because you're gonna get some information and it'll be let's just say lacrosse person, and all all they listed in their paragraph. Why? Because they want to add XYZ to lacrosse and nothing else. Well, that's great, but you know, right, if it's not for everybody, then it should be for nobody. That's the way it works. It's gotta be for all students, you know, current and coming. So I would take probably you know a couple of months now to fine-tune it and and I would model it after NIAA and or Connecticut, where you have an overall chair or two, some subchairs, and then all the members below that, and split it up a little bit, move it around a little bit, and then you know, come together and decide what points on that you're gonna keep and which you're gonna sort of put aside.

SPEAKER_02 18:01

That's great. That's great. Hey, let's sum it off. Uh you know, put a bow on it right here. What's the value for the leader and the organization to having a well-developed strategic plan?

SPEAKER_01 18:14

Really narrows your focus for your um for your organization. It's something that you can always check back with, something that you can always explain to people. You know, when they're like, What's you know, what's next? You say, Oh, well, right now we've got all these different things. We've got some that are checked off, some that are going to be completed hopefully by 2025, where you have the you have your time frame, right?

SPEAKER_02 18:41

It's kind of like a scorecard for the department, right?

SPEAKER_01 18:43

Absolutely. Yeah, but you also need to have uh does it cost money for that, where that revenue is going to come from, which may actually be in the plan where you're developing your broadcast and sponsorship and so on. Um, but it's something that you know when someone reads about your organization or your department, sure, they can find my philosophy, they can find what sports we offer. But if they want to look and see who we are, what we're thinking, and where we're going, we can show them the strategic plan and say, here are some ideas of where we're gonna go. So when someone's maybe griping about facilities or whatever it might be, we've got plans. We're looking to address those. But here's the template as far as how we can get there.

SPEAKER_03 19:28

Good stuff. Now, I'm a believer in the idea that what got you here won't keep you here, meaning that if you don't grow and build your skill set, you're eventually going to get passed by others who have a growth mindset. And at the same time, I feel that you can't do on your failures either. You've got to find the lesson and the loss and do whatever you need to do to make sure that doesn't happen again. Could you maybe speak to the importance of increasing your capacity and learning from failure in order to be your best self and maybe even talk about a time where you had to learn from a setback that allowed you to find a win later on down the road?

SPEAKER_01 20:04

Yeah. So, you know, I think they say no one has ever learned anything without some level of failure getting there. I mean, that's just the way it is, right? We when we have a loss, we evaluate that, we break it down. Where'd we go wrong? What happened? How did we get there? Uh, and sometimes after when you just move on, right? So, you know, you're always looking to improve. You're right. I mean, continuous education, um, and the NIAA provides uh a ton of that. Um, and in in Connecticut as well, we've got some great people. Um, and I pick their brains on things. And if I'm looking to create some sort of uh let's say activity or uh booster club, whatnot, I'm gonna go to some people that have done that already and ask them on their mistakes. Again, sometimes with a booster club, just for uh for argument's sake, is the concept of one booster club that takes every sponsorship as opposed to soccer's got one, field hockey's got one, and they're just fighting each other in a small town all the time. So the idea of getting someone else's uh idea of failure, because when I came in, there were a couple things here that I thought needed to be improved. Um, and so before taking on that challenge, I researched uh other people and what they have tried, and it was successful. Um, you know, again, I'm not shying away from any mistakes that I've made. Certainly I've made plenty, uh, but you learn from them. And the the sad part is if you don't fix your mistakes, right, then you have faith.

SPEAKER_03 21:48

100%. Totally agree.

SPEAKER_02 21:51

Yeah, that's really good. Damien, let's finish uh with the path, P A T H path. Uh, I think I can share the path uh is part of. Your theme for the NIAA board. You mentioned it a little bit earlier. I don't think that's a secret. I think it's part of who you are and how you lead. So let's share with everyone listening what Path stands for and why that theme is key to your service as an athletic administrator. I think folks will maybe want to adopt this as their core to leadership after hearing this theme, or may I say, this purpose of yours.

SPEAKER_01 22:24

Well, I appreciate that. So every year uh the board, the president uh develops a theme and shares it with the board, and it's a theme for the board, but also for the membership across the country. And in coming in, you know, I wasn't really sure. And then there were some I don't know, some people that may not have felt as in touch with the NIAA as myself or Josh or some other members that I know. So I developed this, it's our path together. Literally our because it's us together. It was specific to that. Uh whether it was the uh DEIB committee, uh whether it was the past presidents uh who are thinking, you know, you know, what direction is the board going or DEIB are are they moving fast enough? Uh we want this stuff now. Path broken down versus the P is for purpose. You know, what is our purpose? And I think back all the time, it is to increase knowledge for athletic administrators that helps coaches and kids. That's pretty easy, right? You have to have every day you wake up, what's your purpose? What are you looking for? You're not just gonna go through today half sleeping. You are going towards something, and helping others is a win all day long. Aspiration is the A, and that's we can make tomorrow better than today. Because just what we talked about, Don, we learned from our mistakes, or we learned from yesterday's activities. Mistake or not, we can we can improve upon those as we go forward and believe that you can make that happen with everyone on board. And the key is trust, and I talked about that before. Because the membership needs to trust that this board is making decisions in their best interest at all times. We are not voting things in to help ourselves, that would never happen. This organization is for others, it's servant leadership, and and I'm in and I'm all day long, I and I can commit to that without any effort whatsoever. And the H is humility, and that's just me because it is not about me. And it's funny, I I told a couple of stories, but one during the uh orientation to this position that I am fortunate to sit on now, it said, This is not about you, and I said, Alright, I I've arrived because I know that for sure. I'm the youngest of five older broth uh four older brothers, and we have a younger sister. And if you think I ever raised my hand and say, Me, me, me, that never happened. I had brothers there to say, Nope, you wait your turn, and that's okay. And I'll go a step further. It's more philosophy in-house here. I never buy the number one on a jersey, never. I never want to see that young man or young woman say, Me, me, me, I am number one. Me, I don't know. It's a Stafford across the chest. So we're all in there together, like each of us. I'm sure that's that you know goes against what someone else might think, but that's how we keep it humble here, and you know, it's very important for that. So the humility part to me, um, you know, you can tell in a room when someone's talking about their self or they're only asking you how you're doing, so they can tell you how they're doing. You know, there's no time for that, right? We need to be for others, and we need to make sure that others are put forward first, and it's not about us. And and the NIAA um certainly follows that mantra in the different things that they do.

SPEAKER_02 26:11

Yeah, that's interesting. I coached with a gentleman. We actually had him on the podcast. He didn't buy number one either. That's the first time I heard that, and I love it. I think it's a great philosophy to have. Too bad we can't get other people to buy into it, so that's great. So kind of finish up things, Damien. I think we'd be remiss if we didn't try to tie that together with the president talking about the upcoming NADC conference in December 2023, NADC uh down in Orlando. So, as president, what do you anticipate the members' big takeaway might be from this conference? Or what do you wish for? Uh, just just talk about the conference for a minute.

SPEAKER_01 26:50

So, we're certainly looking forward to the conference. The conference advisory advisory committee meets the third week of January every year. I I was fortunate to serve on that committee, really one of the most fun committees, right? You're putting together where you're going, the gift that they're given, uh, the speakers that are coming. I mean, there's some sort of hands-on changes right there. Um, and again, Becky Moran and Patty in the office putting this uh together. Um but all of the speakers and the LTI courses with the national faculty, the workshops, you we're going to listen to other ADs that are in the business and share ideas. And on the evaluations, every year, the number one reason was to network and gain knowledge. And it was all so that's when Lunch and Learn came in, talking and trading, where we're feeding you and we're putting you with other ADs, and we've got topics for you to talk about because something that may be no big deal here out in Connecticut, somewhere in the Midwest, might be a big deal, and we need to share how to solve that problem or how to address the problem. Um, honestly, it's I hope that the board, so speaking personally, has more time to slow down and talk to everybody. That is my that's my wish for the board. Um the blue blazers, if you will, who I love and I am proud of. We're just like everybody else, we are everybody else, but we have a tight schedule and we go from A to B to C to D, and we're moving because we're going to see someone, which is great. Sometimes folks are in the hallway, hey Josh, hey, you got a second, hey Damien. We don't, but that's too bad. So again, I'm I'm a people guy. I love the everybody who's in a membership. I want to sit and spend more time with you. So when we drop into uh listen to a speaker, you know, we're we're looking to go to uh Trish Whitkin, who's doing a workshop on the female AD. I want to go and see Trish Whitkin and watch her present because later I'm gonna talk to her about it and thank her so much for doing that. And those are the kind of things, right? The big takeaway is always the relationships that you made, the education that you came away with, and the improvements that you have made to yourself and your position, and you're gonna bring stuff home. Now, when I first started going to the national conference, my coaches again would joke with me a little bit, see me in January and say, Alright, what's new? Tell us what the new spin is or what the new program is, and they would look forward to it. Whatever it might be. So you they say, you know, as long as you take away one thing from the conference, you will come home with a lot of different things. It's gonna be uh it's gonna be wonderful. I'm I'm really looking forward to it.

SPEAKER_02 29:49

Yeah, I get I'm guilty of that too. I can bring home an idea, and um uh they probably they don't tell me about it, they probably just talk about it behind my back. But yeah, that's always bring home an idea, right? So well, Damien, appreciate your uh knowledge, your experience, uh getting us ready for the conference. This this episode will uh air before the conference, so you're kind of getting us primed up from that, from your seat. We appreciate your leadership. Uh, definitely think everyone would agree that uh humility is right up there at the top of how you lead, and we appreciate that. So, hey, we're gonna finish up with our two-minute drill, get to know Damien a little bit better, have a little fun. Damien likes to have fun. Uh, so we'll let Don kick us off of this two-minute drill.

SPEAKER_03 30:32

Okay, Damien, we're gonna hit you with some rapid fire questions. We want you to just tell us the first thing that comes to your mind, okay?

SPEAKER_01 30:37

All right.

SPEAKER_03 30:38

What was the first job you ever had ever in your life?

SPEAKER_01 30:42

I was washing cars uh for my uncle who owned a car dealership.

SPEAKER_02 30:46

All right. Speaking of cars, don't know if this is the answer, but uh, what is the strangest thing that you're afraid of?

SPEAKER_01 30:54

Strangest thing that I am afraid of? Uh could be clowns. Uh all right, there you go.

SPEAKER_03 31:01

What is the most effective daily habit for any leader to develop?

SPEAKER_01 31:07

Patience and listening and understanding.

SPEAKER_02 31:13

What the best career decision you've ever made?

SPEAKER_01 31:17

When I asked my wife if I should apply for this job that seemed a little out of bounds with the A D and the town recreation, I said that job stakes because nobody ever told flag football how to run things.

SPEAKER_03 31:31

Ah, that's good. All right, let's play a little game of red or green. Okay, so we're gonna say something. You tell us. Uh is it is it a red or a green? Green meaning you're gonna sign off on it? Red? Absolutely no way. Okay. Catch up on steak.

SPEAKER_01 31:46

Uh that's red.

SPEAKER_03 31:48

I agree. Milk at dinner.

SPEAKER_01 31:52

That's green.

SPEAKER_03 31:53

Oh. Brushing your teeth in the shower.

SPEAKER_02 31:57

That's red. Talking on speakerphone in public.

SPEAKER_01 32:03

Uh that's a red and it's white.

SPEAKER_03 32:07

Okay, red or green. Shake Jack.

SPEAKER_01 32:11

Green.

SPEAKER_03 32:14

All right. I was told, I was told to throw that in there. Um what is uh an AD hack that you use? Maybe something that saves you time, but it gets the job done.

SPEAKER_01 32:25

A D hack. Well, I still have old school uh poster board with dry erase for all my games, so when somebody comes in to ask quick schedule buzz coverage and staff, it should check the board first. And I can continue to do what I do, but I still got the dry erase markers on the old school uh planners on the wall.

SPEAKER_02 32:46

All right. Outside of your immediate family, who do you text the most?

SPEAKER_01 32:52

That would be uh some of my some of my coaches? Could be Fred Balsamo, actually. I go with Fred.

SPEAKER_02 33:02

Alright. What's the most effective meeting strategy to keep people on task?

SPEAKER_01 33:10

Well, feeding them is key to getting them there and having them buy into the meeting. But there's a I know where you're going with this, dude. I that was the answer I was looking for, but you know, listen, I I have a subtle way of just making sure without saying, Don, stop talking. We're gonna start the meeting. I'll say, Don, you good?

SPEAKER_02 33:31

Subtle. I don't know if it's subtle, but it's you good.

SPEAKER_01 33:34

Once you guys outed me, then I was over. I couldn't get away with that anymore.

SPEAKER_02 33:39

But that's good. That's great. Great. Yep. You good? I've got hey, by the way, I've got one. It's not a fun, but uh I'm on the board.

SPEAKER_03 33:49

Oh man, that's good. Okay, one more. Um, I'm a big sandwich guy. Okay, big fan of a good sandwich. Uh, if you have to have a sandwich, what is it gonna be?

SPEAKER_01 33:59

I my go-to usually is a nice place in town. I get a uh chicken parmesan frying it with peppers, and they got grape sauce down there, it comes hot with mozzarella, man, it is awesome.

SPEAKER_02 34:14

Sounds like we're going to Stafford. All right, let's finish with this today, Damien Frasanella. You've been hanging with the AD. Let's say you can hang out with anyone, who would that be and why?

SPEAKER_01 34:26

If I could hang out with anyone, I'm gonna say I would say anyone, not AD doesn't matter, but so anybody. You know, that's a I hadn't thought about that. First thing that came to mind, honestly, was Lannis Robinson. And I'll tell you Lannis because again, I'm a small school guy and I small district M. And that's who I am, and I'm good with it. But he has the largest, one of the largest districts ever. He's got dozens of ADs under him, plenty of schools. You know, that's got to be an operation. That's gotta be something. I'd love to sit with him, see what he does day to day, see all the different uh schools that he's in charge of. Uh that would I think I'd learn a whole lot from him, and and plus he is a good guy. Uh, I learned a lot from him. Sat with him on the fourth strategic plan. He and I were at the same table with Becky Moran as well. Uh, and I learned a ton. So uh he's been a guy that I've looked to uh for years now, and I'm appreciative of him.

SPEAKER_03 35:29

Good deal. Damien, thank you so very much for the privilege of your time today. I know that you've helped our listeners with your words, so thanks again.

SPEAKER_01 35:35

Thanks, Don. Appreciate it. Josh, thanks for everything. You guys are great. Looking forward to seeing the end product.

SPEAKER_02 35:44

Well, we appreciate Mr. Damien Franzanelli from Stafford, Connecticut joining us today. Damien, as we mentioned in the episode, has uh served as the president of the NIAA board in 2023. It's a uh humongous honor uh to have that position. Damien has carried the torch very humbly, uh, as that is who he is, right? I've had the privilege of getting to know Damien this year, and it's been quite a privilege to do that. So um just want to have Damien on before the 2023 conference, which he's kind of the face of as far as the NIAA goes, uh being the president is kind of his uh swan song there, and I know he's looking forward to a great conference that's been put together by that committee. Uh, but but as a leader, you heard who Damien is. He's about others, he's about the kids, our student athletes. And as an athletic administrator, that is our why, right? Uh we may have uh other things that we're good at, other strengths, but our why, our purpose has to be about our student athletes because that's who we're serving uh through our coaches and through our communities. You know, Damien talked about uh the lineage of knowing your why, knowing your history, uh having goals, having wishes, being able to plan, right? That's huge. Having a long, long-range forecast for the students who are to come. I think Damien is really, really good at that. And it was great to hear his uh wisdom and knowledge on that subject as well. So, Damien, thanks for your leadership. Thanks for joining us. Look forward to seeing Damien lead um in Orlando at the conference uh and just love having his uh friendship now and appreciate him being with us. Now, before you go, we'd love for you to hit uh star rating on your platform there that you're listening from. Love to connect with you on social media. Uh, maybe reach out to Damien, tell him how much you appreciate his uh wisdom and knowledge that he shared with us today. I know he would appreciate that. And as always, thank you for spending your time hanging with EAD.