Not Just Another Ordinary Guy
It is hard to believe that it has been four years this August since TCC Sports began its student internship program with local high school students. The program has expanded to now included students from all over the state of Virginia in the markets where Gameday Magazine is printed. One of the first students to ever take part in this program was a 14 year old freshman from Heritage High School named Kenny O’Connor. O’Connor took on the task of covering the first ever athletic season for the newest school in Loudoun County.
Fast forward to 2006; Kenny O’Connor is finishing his fourth year on the staff at TCC Sports, and is also a leader on the Heritage Pride Boys lacrosse team, The Pride is having a solid season in the Dulles District on the lacrosse field in 2006 and O’Connor has had a good senior year for the Pride. O’Conner has led the Pride in scoring and assists in several games this season. While his numbers are justification enough for this article, the real justification comes from knowing the type of person Kenny O’Connor is and has become.
In the summer of 2002, O’Connor was just about to enter his freshman year at Heritage. Not knowing much about who his friends were going to be or what his niche would be become, O’Connor decided to take a bold step for a 14 year old. He became the Heritage Pride beat reporter for TCC Sports. Before Gameday Magazine existed, O’Connor chased down the best stories of the first year Pride athletic program, and wrote his weekly feature online at www.tccsports.com. O’Connor also appeared each Friday on The Coaches Corner High School Gameday radio show on AM 1200 WAGE. With aspirations to one day make it onto Sports Center, O’Connor rarely sounded like an amateur, and impressed many with his ability to speak on the air, and to write interesting articles.
Little has changed in the four years since we met Kenny O’Connor. With his final year at Heritage winding down, O’Connor has made many people proud of his accomplishments, including Heritage athletic director Ron Petrella.
“Kenny is a great kid and it has been fun to watch him play so well this season for our lacrosse team. I knew he had what it took to become a leader both in his athletic career, and working with Gameday covering our different sports through the years,” Petrella said.
O’Connor’s work ethic is as good as you’ll find in a high school athlete and student. That trait is one of the first that Heritage head lacrosse coach Jason Burke noticed about O’Connor.
“He is always working hard and hustling. At the end of practice he is dirty, battered, or picking himself up off the ground after diving for a shot or chasing down a ground ball,” Burke Said.
The soft spoken O’Connor has also become a leader for the Pride Lacrosse team this season. Head coach Jason Burke is quick to credit O’Connor for helping to make this year’s team successful.
“Kenny is a quite leader, but when he speaks, the rest of the team listens. He’s earned that respect from his hard work and solid play,” Burke said.
O’Connor is one of the few student athletes who have experienced playing on the field, and also covering the games as a member of the media. While that can be difficult at times, O’Connor has handled it with grace.
Next year, O’Connor will attend Virginia Tech, and will call Blacksburg home for the next four years. Just as we are sure O’Connor will miss walking the halls of Heritage, there will be many people that feel the same way about him.
“We will all miss Kenny’s presence next year when he goes to college. He has always been a pleasant person to be around here at Heritage, we wish him the best next year at Virginia Tech,” Petrella said.
Bruce Bornarth of TCC Sports has watched Kenny O’Connor grow up over the last four years, and he too will miss having him around.
“When you think about it, Kenny O’Connor is one of the originals, one of the guys who helped get Gameday’s high school coverage going in the Loudoun community. He was the first young man to give Heritage Pride athletics a face in the media, and it has been neat to watch him mature into the person he is today. We have all been impressed with him from the first day he stepped foot into our company. I know I speak for the rest of the staff at TCC Sports when I say that we consider him family, and will miss him next year when he goes to college,” Bornarth said.
It isn’t every day you meet a young man like Kenny O’Connor. Those of us who have had the privilege to work with him and get to know him, know this to be true. He is a talented young man who will no doubt make it big in this world.
On behalf of the entire staff at TCC Sports and Gameday Magazine, we would like to thank Kenny O’Connor for the commitment and dedication he has shown to our company, and to Heritage Pride athletics. You will always be a member of our team, and we appreciate all of your hard work.
