INTRODUCTION:

As the new school year opened in the Fall of 2006, Harry DeFrank was doing what he had done in each of the last 22 years—preparing to coach another season of girls’ basketball at Trinity High School in the Central Pennsylvania heartland he called home for a lifetime.

Age—Harry had turned 80 the previous January—and the aging process—his health was not always the best—had tempered his mobility considerably and shortened his patience level somewhat. But neither age nor the aging process had diminished one bit his enthusiasm for a sport he loved, nor his commitment to the parade of young people he coached through the years.

“Building Character…Harry’s Way!!” is, in the main, his story.

But it is more than that.


It’s also the story of the young girls, aspiring basketball players all, who came under his wing…If they were committed, as virtually all of them were, to the discipline and hard work of their cause, there was much they could learn under his tutelage.

“…Harry’s Way” is also a story of parents who entrusted their young daughters to the care and counsel of this decent but highly competitive, demanding man and the examples they set for their offspring in the process. Most of these examples were good. Some, regrettably, were not. And this tells that tale, as well.

This also is the story of a high school, Trinity High School in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, which through the 40-plus years of its existence created an educational environment that demanded academic achievement but, in a blend of almost perfect balance, encouraged extra-curricular participation and success in a variety of endeavors.


Above all else, “…Harry’s Way!!” is a story of the value of sport in the 21st century.

There is, as we know all too well, so much wrong in so many ways at virtually every level of contemporary sport. In this environment, it is all too easy to forget that when done the right way by the right people, there is a value to competitive athletics in the lives of our children.

“…Harry’s Way!!” shines a light on the path to the right way by the right people!


…This story teaches us about values…the value of sport as a teacher in life’s lessons; the value of competition; the value of respecting the game and one’s competitive opponents. It teaches about the value of preparation and hard work and a focus on the fundamentals. It teaches about winning and losing and how to handle either with grace and dignity. In short, this story has a plate full of lessons to be learned by athletes and non-athletes alike.

“…Harry’s Way!!” is a tale that should be memorialized for future generations because it documents how, time and again, from one class to another, for almost three decades, doing things the right way still works.

Those of us who watched it unfold know full well that this was much more…much, much more… than a mere fleeting moment in time.

Read on and judge for yourself.




                             Copyright (c) 2008 VPC, L.L.C.