If you search for “warrior” on Google, the definition given is, "(especially in former times) a brave or experienced soldier or fighter.”
If you are a part of Warrior Nation, though, you know that the Google definition should look like this:
Warrior - noun - Ms. Mary Nadeau. A kind, whole-hearted person who also has a competitive side. A woman that could put a smile on anyone’s face. A person that can get you pumped up for a game like no other.
Sometimes, I wonder how she does the incredible things she does for not only our athletics, but for our school, too. This made me want to find the source for Ms. Nadeau's Warrior spirit. I recently asked her the question, “how, and why, are you invested in Nokomis Athletics as deeply as you are?¨
Here is her response.
How, and why, are you invested in Nokomis Athletics as deeply as you are?
This might be one of the most interesting questions I’ve been asked about some aspect of my work at Nokomis. I don’t think there’ll be a quick way to talk about the how and why I have invested so much into athletics. The easy answer is: it’s a marriage of two things I really love -- Nokomis and athletics.
I have been connected to athletics in some shape or form my whole life. Like most people who are into sports, it started at home when I was young. My dad loved sports, and I shared that passion with him, along with my six siblings. Being the youngest of seven and from a competitive family, I needed to learn quickly how to bring my game up to speed if I wanted to play with my older brothers and sisters! The neighborhood I grew up in was close-knit with lots of other kids around my age. We played all sorts of known and made-up games that often included some sort of ball--basketball, dodgeball, wiffle ball, football, marbles, kickball, snowballs. If it was round, we were throwing, hitting, kicking, and catching it. My neighbors and I spent many hours, day and night, playing outside on the playground and in backyards.
As I got older, opportunities for organized sports opened up; and thanks to Title IX passing in 1972 (a topic for another day!), I experienced the beginning of the transformation for equity for females in athletics. I took advantage of these opportunities: YMCA basketball, bowling league, rec softball leagues, and junior high basketball and softball teams. In high school, I continued to play basketball and softball and found a new opportunity to add a brand new sport for me: field hockey. When I was in high school, soccer was not offered as a sport--yes, things have changed! Outside of school, I continued to stay active in sports with my siblings and neighborhood friends: skating in the winter, pick-up hockey games, adult softball and soccer leagues, etc.
I’ve always loved watching sports; perhaps it’s a nod to my father who often enjoyed watching games--we’d sometimes watch together and yell at the television. I’m going to date myself, but watching sports on TV back in the late 60’s and through the 70’s was nothing like it is today---no ESPN, no livestream games---no Fantasy leagues...LOL. I have fond memories of watching and talking about Sunday afternoon games, whatever season happened to be playing and of course watching ABC’s Wide World of Sports….they had a great theme song, Fire on High---check it out. I particularly enjoyed this show because in addition to watching and learning mainstream sports, they also featured other other sports and athletes. When ESPN debuted, that was quite a game-changer. The early years of ESPN were great because they were just beginning and often showed a lot of non-traditional sports. I loved watching Australian Rules Football; of all the sports I’ve watched, this seems to have the fewest rules about physical contact---anything goes!
While I remained an active viewer of sports and got crazy over March Madness and loved the early 80’s Celtics v Lakers match-ups and Boston’s Johnny Most calling the games, I stopped playing organized sports when I got to college. I began teaching and started coaching, which seemed to be a good complement to the schedule of an educator that still gave me the sports outlet I loved. I didn’t start my career in education at Nokomis though, my first four years were at Orono HS teaching and coaching. That was a wonderful experience, too...and funny connection, Mrs. Leali went to Orono and I was her softball coach! Throughout my teaching career, I coached many years of field hockey, basketball and softball ranging from the middle school level, freshmen, JV and varsity. So many amazing experiences and great relationships were built; many of my fondest memories have nothing to do with what happened on the field or the court. For anyone who has been on a team, you know you remember all the oddball things that happened, and even if it wasn’t funny in the moment, you’re able to laugh about it later. As I began to professionally shift from teaching to administration, I stepped back from coaching and began helping with game management duties like keeping the clock or scorebook and even did a year’s stint as the Newport Junior High Athletic Director. At this time, Warrior Broadcasting was really hitting its stride and Mr. Brown asked if I could help announce field hockey games because I was the only one who understood the rules. This was the start of a new way I would become involved in sports by commentating on many school athletic contests. While many who listen might say I have no idea what I am talking about, I think I’ve surprised a few people with what I do know about sports, even those I haven’t played. It’s been a blast to be a part of broadcasting--I particularly love it when I am a part of a crew all with our headsets on and a student directing us. It’s also been great to feel like I’m still a part of the game.
Let’s get to the Nokomis part of this story. It’s hard for me to believe how the time, the last 30 years, has flown by. I’ve had many different positions over that time and no matter my role, it’s been a flood of very cool experiences and lasting relationships with students, colleagues, parents, and community members. Early in that first year, I just fell in love with the students and staff of Nokomis. I really admired many of the more experienced colleagues I joined forces with. They were so committed to our students--they inspired me and motivated me to want to be like them, a difference-maker. There was a level of genuineness, fierce loyalty to friends, and compassion for others in the student body that really fired me up. I wanted to be a part of this community. In addition to my classes, the natural fit was for me to start coaching. Because I coached multiple sports over many years, I became a familiar face on the athletic scene. As an administrator, whether assistant principal or principal, my support of athletics is two-pronged. First and foremost, I want to support our student athletes, coaches, and administrators, but whenever there are big events at school, it’s important I am there to help support event management. I’ve seen a lot of Nokomis games.
What I really love about Nokomis athletics, what inspires me, what causes me to be deeply committed is the Warrior athlete….just like what I love about Nokomis JROTC is the Warrior cadet….and the Warrior musician in the Nokomis Warrior Marching Band. The MOST enjoyable part of my job is getting to watch Warriors do what Warriors do. While there’s no denying that I love sports, I truly don’t think of athletics as more important than any other school activity or group. Since we have so many athletic teams and games, the sheer volume of these collective events probably makes it seem like I care about these more, but the truth is: I take great pride in seeing ALL of our students don their uniform, costume, or Warrior swag and proudly step onto the court, classroom, lab, stage, or field to represent our school. As I have aged, I get so sentimental about our student achievements--I often tear up at Tri-County Tech’s National Technical Honor Society Awards night when they announce our student honorees and say, “from Nokomis…” I see how hard our students work and how proud they are to represent our school and our communities--it just doesn’t get any better than that!
Now, does anyone else think they should change the definition of ¨warrior¨ to ¨Mary Nadeau¨? I sure do.
The Warrior community is so thankful to have her.
By the day I graduate, I will hear her famous line "Go Warriors" over 700 times.
There is definitely no principal that could compare to ours!
Comments