When Carl Normandin moved his family from Syracuse to his wife’s hometown of Norwood in the mid 1990s he assumed a position at Salmon River Central which he considered a dream task.
“I was educating physical education, coaching a couple sports and doing sports administrative work,” said Normandin. “I was very joyful and I never ever thought I would depart it.”
But Part 10’s to start with Coordinator of Athletics, Jim Michaelson, retired in 2000 and Normandin was urged by pals and associates to utilize for the career.
“I by no means even considered about the position so I didn’t implement until finally the ultimate day that purposes ended up remaining taken. I received an job interview and I got the job.”
Normandin’s final decision proved to be a constructive existence-switching choice and in sporting phrases a serious video game-changer for Area 10 athletics and athletes.
In his 21-calendar year tenure as the Section 10 Athletic Coordinator-Government Director, Normandin, a Richmond Va. indigenous who went to high in Sharon Springs and faculty at SUNY Cortland, gained a network of have faith in. A community like his bosses the superintendents of the Portion 10 schools, the athletic directors of these faculties, the coaches, officials and assignors of officers who provide the athletes of the portion and administrators of area colleges where Area 10 championships and regional occasions are staged.
Normandin guided the different concentrations of Section 10 athletics into the computer and cell mobile phone age, into the social media period and through the two hectic seasons subsequent the shutdown of sports by the COVID-19 pandemic. In his last months, he understood the back again to normalcy drop and wintertime seasons. Athletes liked the typical time, Section 10 playoffs and condition event expertise and in the last game titles of the Segment 10 basketball tournaments the state-wide mask mandate in high university athletics was rescinded.
Normandin also taught the coaching certification programs and was an enthusiastic mentor for athletic directors on the workings of the portion and state-vast athletics.
“I am most happy of moving Segment 10 forward in phrases of technology and the way the segment operated like a loved ones,” claimed Normandin. “And we were being joyful to host three key championships in the smallest section of the state. Two in cross place and one in monitor-and-field. I believe we set Portion 10 on the map.”
He was also really lively at the point out amount, serving and chairing quite a few committees. He successfully interchanged with the leadership of the New York State Community Higher Faculty Athletic Affiliation and was inducted into the NYSPHAA Hall of Fame in 2020.
“Carl did a wonderful offer for New York Point out higher college sports,” stated NYSPHAA Director of Interaction and Promoting Chris Watson, “We all loved working with Carl. He will be missed,”
Normandin passed the helm of the Portion 10 Business to previous Potsdam High Faculty Athletic Director and Dean of College students Mark Wilson past 7 days prior to he his spouse, Susan, started their move to Florida on Sunday.
“I assume the changeover will be sleek. Mark and I experienced a possibility to operate with each other by means of the final two months,” reported Normandin. “Mark will do a fantastic job. Like me he is all about providing the athletes the finest expertise probable.”
Wilson, who enjoyed a stellar athletic job at Parishville-Hopkinton, shares that air of quiet self esteem.
“I could not talk to for a greater man or woman to adhere to. Carl left a blue print for me to abide by to keep items heading smoothly,” claims Wilson. “And his leadership all through the COVID pandemic when there was no blue print was remarkable. I am truly thrilled about the potential. Carl attained a fantastic offer and I got a opportunity to operate intently with him which is pretty significant to me.”
Tom Luckie of Ogdensburg who is the assignor of officials for boys and girls basketball for varsity, junior varsity and modified amounts labored with Normandin all over the days and evenings, seven days a 7 days for the duration of the two seasons pursuing the COVID shutdown in March of 2020. A time period when they listened to enter from college directors, coaches, wellbeing departments, county legislators and the athletes by themselves.
“During COVID, factors were shifting every day and Carl had some tricky conclusions to make. He designed them and he caught with them,” said Luckie. “Games were being continuously currently being postponed and re-scheduled at a time when we were being dealing with a significant lack of officers which is heading on all over the place. We just went day by day. We prioritized the video games and acquired all the games coated as ideal we could. Carl was great to function with he was patient and he was usually supportive. He was generally on phone and he was often all about the athletes.”
Like a excellent athletic overall performance, Normandin known as it a staff hard work.
“First of all I really don’t run Portion 10. I do the job for the superintendents of faculties. In all the things we do, I just try to do my research and arrive up with a strategy,” mentioned Normandin. “In the first year of COVID we were privileged to get every single activity some kind of a year other than for indoor keep track of-and-subject simply because the university services ended up all shut. I felt terrible about that but there practically nothing we could do.”
Monthly bill Reed commenced working carefully with Normandin through the school year when he became Section 10 Boys Soccer Chairman 15 a long time in the past.
“Carl truly assisted me get started off. He is so organized and he has the perfect temperament for the career,” reported Reed who currently coaches boys soccer and ladies basketball at Colton-Pierrepont Central University.
“We worked a ton jointly and grew to become great pals. You could often get to him and always inspired me and the other chairman to supply our concepts.”
St. Lawrence Central Boys Basketball Coach and Athletic Joey Reome also appreciated Normandin’s accessibility and willingness to share information and trouble resolving.
“Carl is the classiest individual I’ve come across in 30 yrs of coaching in Part 10. Have to have something, Carl would get it. Require to speak, Carl would pick up the cellphone, 24-7. I know speaking as an Advert and a coach, he will be considerably skipped by all of us in Part 10”, stated Mentor Reome.
Heading into retirement, Normandin is maintaining his choices open up following he enjoys a some downtime with his spouse in their new house in Port St. Lucie, Fla.
“There may possibly some specialist solutions in the potential but I want to invest some downtime with my spouse and have family appear take a look at. I will undoubtedly overlook the people I labored with” stated Normandin, who is a previous USCA Countrywide Marathon Canoe/Kayak Champion, a member of the US Entire world Marathon Canoeing Workforce, and a NYCRA and USCA Canoeist of the Yr honoree.
“I am really wanting ahead to spending a lot of time on the water. Canoeing, kayaking, paddleboarding. Something on the water. Our oldest son Matt is a teacher in Rochester and our youngest Patrick will work as lineman for a energy firm in Florida. So we will be producing some trips back again north,” he said.
Several Part 10 Athletic Administrators who have labored with Normandin for various yrs supplied their reviews
Dave Steele (Heuvelton): I at the time heard that “Great Guys are connected with Great Actions” This statement I really feel ideal describes Carl Normandin, for he is a man or woman that is fully commited to excellence and it displays in every thing he does from our sectional conferences, management in the section to placing on sectional and regional functions,” stated Steele.
“Carl has finished a lot of memorable factors and there is no way to capture all of them, but his title was synonymous with the segment he represented . He designed a strong bond between coaches, officers, workers , Athletic Directors and athletes as nicely as all people throughout NYS and he will be remembered and skipped by all.”
Erika Backus (Lisbon): “Carl’s management and steerage for our Portion, Point out, and Athletes never went unnoticed. Serving as the Section 10 Government Director he offered wonderful insight and direction to all of us about scenarios we were being faced with. His leadership will be drastically skipped,” reported Ms. Backus.
Gavin Regan (Massena): “It was extra critical to Carl that I was productive and the university student athletes at Massena had the opportunity to be thriving than any accolades he may well get.”
Tony Bjork (OFA): Carl Normandin is a multifaceted, well regarded and hugely helpful leader who has performed a pivotal purpose in shaping the tradition of public substantial school interscholastic athletics, not only Portion 10, but in New York Condition. He has been committed to building collaborative groups, created around a prevalent vision to transfer points forward and carrying out strategic designs. As the nexus, he timely and proficiently communicated with all stakeholders and was accessible to lend an ear, be a “sounding-board” and offer sage guidance supporting and guiding other individuals to be prosperous in their roles on the “team”. He has cultivated and preserved exceptional rapport with folks in Upstate New York as effectively as all over the Condition those people relationships are the cornerstone to our success as a Section. Carl recognized that his position Executive Director demanded far more time and energy than the ordinary “9 to 5” position. And he willingly, tirelessly, endlessly and without the need of hesitation, devoted himself to the time commitment necessary to produce and foster a climate of excellence, not only in the boundaries of our Area, but through the Condition. His unrelenting difficult work, devotion, and determination have a must have and integral components in the number of appearances gained, and triumphs celebrated, by Area 10 at the Point out degree of level of competition. Carl was constantly remarkably-instrumental in making certain that our firm ran efficiently in particular apparent in excess of the earlier few several years, in the course of the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic. Carl’s enthusiasm and tenacity to make a variation in the lives of all the associates of our Portion has built an everlasting affect on the North Place. He has served our collective communities incredibly properly with his skills, concentrate, generate, and integrity. This revered pillar of modern society has solid a legacy, he has set the tone for the continued expansion and long run achievements of Portion 10 Athletics.
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