Mike Polsinelli was born with
Cerebral Palsy and has been wheelchair bound since he can remember. While this 26-year old Niskayuna High School
graduate has never been able to compete on the playing fields with his peers,
he has not let his disability keep him from participating in the thing he loves
most…sports.
“My love, my passion for sports is
why I do what I do,” said Polsinelli, who has been the scorebook keeper for
the women and men's soccer teams as well as the softball team at Union College
the past two years. “Sports have always
been a big part of my life and since I can't be out running around, this is the
best way for me to be involved.”
A 1997 graduate of Niskayuna High,
Polsinelli earned his undergraduate degree in business administration and his
master's in human resources from American International College in Springfield,
Massachusetts. While he is not sure
what he wants to do with his degrees at the moment, he is looking forward to
the upcoming softball season.
“I have a ton of fun with softball
because of the coaches, Pete (head coach Pete Brown) and Brian (assistant coach
Brian Speck). I like being around them
and they have been great to me.”
Speck, who is also the head coach
for Union's nationally ranked women's soccer program, met Polsinelli while he
was the varsity girl's soccer coach at Niskayuna.
“I knew Mike wanted to be our
manager when he moved from the middle school into the high school, but it was
right at that time that I left Niskayuna to come to Union. He was never able to manage for me but I
always spoke to him when I went back to watch Niskayuna play. He always said
that he wanted to manage my team. He
joined our Union team two years ago and the relationship
between Mike and the players has been mutually beneficial. Everyone really loves having him
around. He is part of the program. Mike's mom has had the team over for dinner
and she often supplies cookies after the games. Mike loves sports, and the reality is that this is as close as
Mike can get to being part of a team.”
Polsinelli's attention to detail not
only benefits the soccer and softball teams, it is a great help to George
Cuttita, Union's sports information director.
“With all the teams playing at the same time it is
impossible to get to every game,” Cuttita explained. “Knowing that Mike is keeping the book lets me put my attention
elsewhere because I know that he will do a great job. I can always tell when Mike wasn't able to attend a game because
information that he always provides is missing. Just like a coach needs good players in order for the team to be
successful, I need to have a good person like Mike doing the statistics so that
I can give accurate reports to the media.”
But beyond his interest in sports,
his knowledge of the game, and his attention to detail, Polsinelli's gentle
nature and positive attitude have been an example to everyone who comes in
contact with him.
“He is my assistant coach and my conscience,” explained
Speck. “If I am questioning a decision
I made I can always look at Mike and I will always be able to tell what he
thinks. I can also ask him and he will
give me an honest answer. Mike's
greatest attribute is his loyalty to me and to the program. Having Mike around helps keep everything in
perspective,” continued Speck. “Right
when you think that perhaps you have it bad…………”
“I have never seen him without a
smile or a kind word,” said Cuttita. “I
come in every morning and no matter what I'm carrying, I put it down just to
shake Mike's hand. I admire his
courage, his determination and his positive outlook.”
Polsinelli, who goes on the road
with the teams, really enjoys being with Union's student-athletes. “I love the college environment,” he
says. “Being around Union, the students,
the coaches, the sports are a big part of my life.”
