OT: RIP Warren Witherell (Olde Coach) | Page 2 | The Boneyard

OT: RIP Warren Witherell (Olde Coach)

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Currently on vacation and have been withiut internet for a few days. Hard to sign on to find this sad news RIP
 
Sad to hear. I exchanged a couple of messages with him about something a few years ago and found his comments intelligent and well thought out. Been around a very long time, and one of the most accomplished BYers I'm sure. Rest in Peace.
 
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JS-
<<His last post was... asking what time the UConn game would be. A true Husky fan to the end.>>

Beyond the end, my friend.
We all trust you'll have the best seat in the house throughout Eternity.
 
So sad. What an interesting man.

After I started posting LINKS on the BY Warren PM'ed me out of the blue and wanted to know my 'connection' with UConn and my general background. It turned out we shared the same alma mater (Wesleyan) and later we exchanged many emails reminiscing about coaches we had known and played for there.

I never had the pleasure to meet him but I will surely miss him and our special correspondence. His bio is quite amazing. RIP.
 
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I've been away from the computer for a few days and this news surely and sadly caught my eye.
I first met Warren when he came down from the north to watch a 13 year old Michelle Wie compete
in the USGA Jr. girls in Fairfield....I think. He was an avid golfer...and was a pro for a while when he was old enough
to try to play on the Senior Tour. In truth he was an all-round athlete...and an all-round coach for that matter....with expertise in many sports.

When he would come down for an occasional UConn game, we would meet for lunch...and discuss how our wisdom would turn Geno into a pretty good coach...
if only he would listen. I had the opportunity to visit him one summer at his family's summer home on Lake George...an island home for that matter...just gorgeous.
He was one of a kind and we were lucky to have his presence on the board.

RIP Warren and may God bless his family at this time.

BTW: His signature on the board was initially 'Old Coach'. At one point I was typing his name and by error spelled it
Olde Coach. I was about to correct the error but in looking at the new spelling it just seemed appropriate...kind of olde school...elegant and stylish.
So I left it...and he gave me the OK to use it and he adopted the new spelling for his own posts.
 
So sad to hear this news. Never met him, but always loved reading what he had to say here. It sounds like he touched many, many lives. Thoughts and prayers for his family and friends.
 
I am very saddened to hear the news.

We became acquainted a few years ago, when I realized that this was the guy who popularized turning on your edges when you ski.
He sent and autographed his two books on the subject and gave me numerous tips in our many calls.
Finally (and I'm so glad I did), I made a pilgrimage down from our place in St J down to Middlebury where he had a lovely house, full of momentous of his illustrious career.

He was most proud of the fact that he was one of only three inducted into two Hall of Fames…Skiing and Water-skiing
and of course his founding (almost by accident) of the Burke Mt. Academy.
The other two are Jimmy Brown; football and Lacrosse and Babe Didrikson Zaharias (Golf and Track)
We had a lovely lunch, a terrific visit and I surely expected to see him this season.

I know he was ill, but never thought that it was that serious, that nothing could keep this guy down.

Rest comfortably champ.

MSF
 
Yet another prolific BY poster gone. Only knew OC from his many interesting posts here on the Boneyard. I did become aware of his lofty status as headmaster of a school and a trainer of skiers. After reading his obit and the many other articles folks have posted I only now realized what a significant life he led. We were fortunate that he became an UConn fan and a denizen of the BY.
Rest in peace.
 
A true loss to the many communities that he touched over the years. I loved reading his posts. You could just tell that this was someone who really knew what he was talking about. Someone you could easily respect.
 
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CL82 said:
Warren a great guy and a fantastic addition to the board. As an example, he had great observations regarding the possible cause of ACL injury and the optimal way to shoot a free throw. The latter arose from his curiosity as to why some free throw shooters were more successful than others. He watched a number of good, and less good, shooters until he worked out an optimization strategy. He a had a great mind.

My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends. He will be missed.
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As a LV fan, I don't post here too much (I guess for obvious reasons), but I do remember reading Olde Coach's posts about footwear and their association with ACL injuries...posts I agreed with wholeheartedly. I am saddened to read about his passing and give my condolences to his family and the BY family.
 
bekcat said:
As a LV fan, I don't post here too much (I guess for obvious reasons), but I do remember reading Olde Coach's posts about footwear and their association with ACL injuries...posts I agreed with wholeheartedly. I am saddened to read about his passing and give my condolences to his family and the BY family.
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Nice post. Whether we prefer orange or blue, we are all part of one family.
 
Wow... Sorry to hear the sad news. He was a great contributor with a lot of knowledge. R.I.P. Olde Coach - you will be missed.
 
bekcat said:
As a LV fan, I don't post here too much (I guess for obvious reasons), but I do remember reading Olde Coach's posts about footwear and their association with ACL injuries...posts I agreed with wholeheartedly. I am saddened to read about his passing and give my condolences to his family and the BY family.
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I think that when it comes to appreciating Warren's gifts and how he represented the best humanity can offer, there's no LV fan, no UConn fan - there's just fan in the best sense of the word.
 
cabbie191 said:
I think that when it comes to appreciating Warren's gifts and how he represented the best humanity can offer, there's no LV fan, no UConn fan - there's just fan in the best sense of the word.
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I toured Nike's campus a couple or three years ago during which I got to speak with the bigwigs in their basketball department. I asked a question directly based on that post I referred to about what Nike was planning to do in R&D with footwear to help girl's and women's basketball players. Didn't get an answer I liked (and didn't really expect one), but after the Q&A got a little one on one time with the head of that department. Olde Coach's post was what motivated me to research this issue (I had suspected that footwear may be a big cause along with other factors and one that could be fixed so easily) and I never forgot.

I had no idea his sphere of influence was so vast and wide. I've been kicking myself for not engaging more with him about women's basketball. I feel I would have learned oh-so-much from him. A silly rivalry kept me from doing it, and I don't intend on letting that rivalry keep me from engaging in the future.

I appreciate the opportunity to express my little memory of him and the kindness I've been shown.
 
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