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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 23, 2016)
A14 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM FROM PAGE A1 • SPORTS WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2016 ‘BEYOND A DREAM’ Hermiston grad named strength coach for Los Angeles Angels By ERIC SINGER Staff Writer STAFF PHOTO BY E.J. HARRIS Stanfield’s Justin Keeney picks off a pass in front of Kennedy’s Skyler Bison in the Tigers’ 32-13 win against the Trojans on Saturday in Hillsboro. TIGERS: continued from Page A1 In 1957, the Stanfield Tigers went 10-0, as part of a 26-game winning streak that wouldn’t end until the first game of 1958. To read more about Stanfield win over Ken- nedy in the semifinals and the Heppner-Regis semifinal, see Sports page A9. If you can’t make it to Saturday’s game at Ken- nison Field, follow @ HHeraldsports on Twitter for live updates from the title game. When Lee Fiocchi grad- uated from Hermiston High in 1997, he wasn’t thinking much about a possible ca- reer path. All Fiocchi wanted to do was play football. He did not have a dream job such as be- coming a doctor or a teacher or a television broadcaster, he just wanted to play col- lege football and then earn his way into the NFL. But during the summer before his senior football season at Eastern Illinois Universi- ty, Fiocchi and a teammate spent some time in Florida to train at a private facility and it was during that time that the proverbial light bulb went off for him. “I recognized that I en- joyed the physical prepa- rations and that really kind of opened my eyes to this sports performance niche,” Fiocchi said in a phone in- terview. “When I realized my degree path would al- low me to work within the field that kind of switched MEAL: my mindset a little bit, post football and to what I want- ed to do.” Now, 19 years after moving away from Herm- iston, Fiocchi has earned what just may be his dream job. Starting January 1, 2017, Fiocchi will be the head strength and condi- tioning coach for Major League Baseball’s Los An- geles Angels of Anaheim. There he will be in charge of overseeing all of the de- velopment of the speed, strength, and reactional movement capabilities for the big league club. “People work their whole careers in their field and nev- er get this type of opportu- nity, so I guess it’s kind of beyond a dream, honestly,” Fiocchi said. “It was just more of a natural progres- sion of just trying to learn and grow and improve my- self and being the owner of a private business facilitating athletes of all ranges has re- ally been more than anything I could have hoped for. But I’m excited to get started.” Fiocchi grabbed the at- tention of the Angels organi- zation, predominately Gen- eral Manager Billy Eppler, with not only his successful overall resume but the work put in at Dynamic Sports Training — the sports per- formance company Fiocchi CONTRIBUTED PHOTO COURTESY OF LEE FIOCCHI Hermiston High School graduate Lee Fiocchi has landed his dream job as the head strength and conditioning coach for the MLB’s Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. founded and has operated in Houston since 2008. “They got my contact and felt like I could be a potential fit so they reached out to me to see if I was in- terested,” Fiocchi said. And he was. After Fiocchi’s football playing days finished, he first dabbled in coaching as a graduate assistant for two years at Eastern Illinois where he also assisted with the team’s strength and conditioning coach. But once it was time for Fiocchi to complete an internship in order to graduate he fo- cused on the classwork and shortly after began his in- ternship at a private facility near Chicago. The internship turned out to be Fiocchi’s first big ca- reer break, as just five weeks into his tenure one of the strength coaches had to step COMMUNITY THANKSGIVING CELEBRATION continued from Page A1 when the weather is bad — likely due to people not wanting to travel on icy or snow-covered roads, she said. The first of two hol- iday season Communi- ty Fellowship Dinners is Thanksgiving Day from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Herm- iston Senior Center. The free meal features turkey and all the fixings, includ- ing a variety of pies. In ad- dition to the on-site meal, delivery service and to-go meals can be packaged for pick-up for those unable to attend the dinner. Due to health issues, the meal’s longtime coor- dinator, Laurie Ball-Kiser, will assume a limited role during this year’s meal. Ball-Kiser first volun- teered at the Thanksgiving meal in 1990 and coordi- nated the Christmas dinner In its eighth year, the Boardman community will host a free Thanksgiving meal. The event begins with a short praise service at 1:30 p.m. at the Boardman Senior Center, 100 Tatone St. The free dinner is served from 2-4 p.m. For more information, call Jane Akers at 541-481-5511, Teresa Parsons at 503-724-8823 or the Boardman Chamber of Commerce at 541-481-3014. On Thanksgiving, call 541-481-3257. FILE PHOTO Families enjoy a free Thanksgiving meal during the 2015 Community Fellowship Dinner at the Hermiston Senior Center. that same year. “She has laid sol- id groundwork over the years, so that if something happens to her volunteers can step in and do what we needs to be done to en- sure the dinner continues,” Stolz said. Ball-Kiser will lead ORDER YOUR HOLIDAY CENTERPIECES EARLY! Flowers • Candles • Jewelry Plants • Balloons & More! Put a smile on the heart with the power of flowers. HWY 395, HERMISTON 541-567-4305 Mon-Sat 8am-6pm • Sun 12pm-5am www.cottagefl owersonline.com 2016 Christmas Spirit Award Do you know someone who exemplifies the spirit of Christmas by giving of themselves to others all year? The Good Shepherd Community Health Foundation invites you to nominate that person for our twenty-first annual “Christmas Spirit Award.” Nominations may be made by calling the Foundation at 667-3419 to receive a nomination form, or online at gshealth.org/foundation. Please send completed nomination forms by December 9, 2016 to Good Shepherd Community Health Foundation, 610 NW 11 th St, Hermiston, OR 97838. Nominations may also be submitted via email to ccozad@gshealth.org. the longtime tradition of a short devotional and prayer during the morn- ing preparation time, Stolz said. The message is sim- ple, she said. “We get together and make a circle — probably 50 to 100 people strong,” Stolz said. “We say a little prayer that lives would be touched.” Owner of Chuckwagon Cafe, Stolz got involved early on when organizers inquired about use of heat- ing equipment to keep the food warm in the serving line. She has remained ac- tive with the effort because she believes in its mission — to provide a nice meal and to ensure people have an opportunity to spend the holiday with others. How- ever, Stolz is quick to point out that she doesn’t pre- pare the meal — although her crew at Chuckwagon does make a large bucket of gravy. Stolz coordinates the hot line — a job, she said, that really takes care of itself. People work their shift and then pass on a few tips along with their apron to their replacement. Volunteers are the back- bone of the operation, down and Fiocchi was hired on and elevated into a posi- tion of authority as an intern. “At that facility I worked with a professional soccer player, professional hockey player, and a professional football player along with the primary athletes that were prep level,” he said. “So that was some pretty good exposure.” Fiocchi completed his internship and graduated from Eastern Illinois in 2004 and soon was looking elsewhere to continue his career. He was still focused on working with football players, and had a special interest in training college athletes as they prepared for the grueling process of the NFL Combine. He started looking around at facilities in the southern states and soon got a job in Houston doing just what he wanted. Stolz said. In addition to the people that help during the meal or prep party, she said the meal wouldn’t be possible without the gener- ous support of many area businesses and churches. “They are taking the Thanksgiving spirit to an- other level in giving back,” she said. Everyone is invited to help with the set-up par- ty Wednesday from 1-4 p.m. at the senior center. Also, volunteer shifts — everything from meal preparation and serving to greeting and meal de- livery — are available Thursday between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. For a ride or meal de- livery service, call 541- 567-3013 through Wednes- day. On Thanksgiving Day, call the senior center at 541-567-3582.
