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<strong>January</strong> <strong>2018</strong> <strong>Medway</strong> & <strong>Millis</strong> Local Town Pages www.localtownpages.com Page 25<br />
Sports<br />
Alex Olmsted Gives His All in Three Sports <strong>and</strong> in Studies<br />
By Christopher Tremblay<br />
With colleges looking much<br />
more closely at a student’s academic<br />
record as well as coaches<br />
looking for that specific athlete<br />
that has excelled in their sport<br />
before offering scholarships, it<br />
is not as likely to find that many<br />
three-sport athletes on the high<br />
school level as it has been in the<br />
past. <strong>Millis</strong>’ Alex Olmsted continues<br />
to give it everything that<br />
he has in three sports for the Mohawks.<br />
Olmsted has played wide receiver<br />
<strong>and</strong> corner back for the<br />
football team, power forward for<br />
the basketball team <strong>and</strong> left field<br />
for the baseball team over the<br />
past 5 years for the Mohawks.<br />
Originally, football was at the<br />
bottom of the list <strong>and</strong> a sport<br />
that Olmsted did not enjoy, but<br />
since he started playing on the<br />
high school level it has risen to<br />
the top. And although football<br />
is now his favorite of the three,<br />
Olmsted feels basketball is where<br />
he best excels.<br />
Growing up in Walpole Olmsted<br />
took to the three sports<br />
in town because his dad (Dale)<br />
was a coach, <strong>and</strong> it gave the two<br />
time to bond while on the playing<br />
fields. With his father being<br />
the head coach of the <strong>Millis</strong> football<br />
team Olmsted first decided<br />
to give football a chance when he<br />
was in elementary school, but it<br />
was not his idea of fun.<br />
“I tried playing football in<br />
the fifth grade, but I was just not<br />
thrilled with the game <strong>and</strong> didn’t<br />
really like it, possibly because I<br />
was much smaller than the others,”<br />
he said. “My dad never<br />
pushed me to play football; he<br />
just explained the game to me<br />
<strong>and</strong> allowed me to make my own<br />
decision <strong>and</strong> was supportive of<br />
whatever I decided to play.”<br />
Despite despising football as a<br />
fifth grader, Olmsted decided to<br />
give it another shot three years<br />
later. Although living in Walpole,<br />
Olmsted decided to attend <strong>Millis</strong><br />
High School as a school choice,<br />
because his father coached there.<br />
“Once I got to <strong>Millis</strong>, I decided<br />
to give football another try,<br />
because my dad was the coach<br />
there,” he said. “The first time<br />
around I was not thrilled, but at<br />
<strong>Millis</strong> it was different. I was not<br />
<strong>Millis</strong> High’s three sport athlete <strong>and</strong> senior Alex Olmsted shows quiet<br />
poise <strong>and</strong> depth as a student <strong>and</strong> athlete.<br />
all that social, but <strong>Millis</strong> was a<br />
small school with a big family,<br />
<strong>and</strong> the football players accepted<br />
me.”<br />
Playing on the football team,<br />
Olmsted got to know all the football<br />
players before school started,<br />
which gave him a bit of an advantage<br />
once September rolled<br />
around. As an eighth grader, he<br />
played on a freshman team that<br />
didn’t win a single game, but the<br />
following year, the same team<br />
went undefeated. After playing<br />
for the junior varsity team as a<br />
sophomore, Olmsted was part of<br />
back-to-back Super Bowl Championships<br />
on the varsity level.<br />
“It’s crazy how we turned<br />
things around so quickly. It only<br />
goes to show that you should<br />
never give up <strong>and</strong> keep on fighting,”<br />
Olmsted said. “The only<br />
thing I regret is not getting the<br />
chance to play for my father (who<br />
had left to take a job with Nichols<br />
College); it was the main reason I<br />
decided to go to <strong>Millis</strong>.”<br />
Although he never got that<br />
chance, Olmsted feels grateful<br />
that he was part of the football<br />
team <strong>and</strong> what they achieved<br />
<strong>and</strong> the brotherhood of friends<br />
he now has.<br />
Unlike football, Olmsted enjoyed<br />
basketball <strong>and</strong> baseball<br />
right from the beginning. While<br />
the two sports have not had the<br />
success that the football team has<br />
achieved over the past few years<br />
he still enjoys playing the sports<br />
with his friends <strong>and</strong> teammates.<br />
As an eighth grader, Olmsted<br />
was still playing basketball in<br />
Walpole for the Metrowest team,<br />
but when he got to high school<br />
he joined the basketball team<br />
there in <strong>Millis</strong>. He played for the<br />
freshman team <strong>and</strong> junior varsity<br />
squad before getting moved<br />
up to the varsity team mid-way<br />
through his junior season. While<br />
he considered himself too small<br />
to originally play football, Olmsted<br />
had a growth spurt in high<br />
school which was definitely to his<br />
advantage on the court.<br />
“Basketball is probably my<br />
best sport, as I have been playing<br />
it the longest, <strong>and</strong> when I grew<br />
(Olmsted is 6’3”), it helped me<br />
with my game,” he said. “Finally<br />
getting the chance to play on a<br />
competitive level was great.”<br />
Last year, the Mohawks went<br />
13-7 <strong>and</strong> advanced to the Division<br />
4 Central Tournament<br />
where they were got as far as the<br />
Quarter Finals. It was here they<br />
were sent home by neighboring<br />
Hopedale. Olmsted is hoping<br />
that once he is cleared to play,<br />
he’ll be able to help the team get<br />
back to the tournament.<br />
“Having broken my collarbone<br />
in the first football playoff<br />
game, I’m hoping that I’ll<br />
be cleared to get back onto the<br />
basketball court soon, “Olmsted<br />
said. “I’m more of a 6th man at<br />
this point, but this year I’m going<br />
to be relied on for more rebounds<br />
<strong>and</strong> put-backs.”<br />
Having won the Super Bowl<br />
in football, <strong>and</strong> basketball looks<br />
to get back to the play-offs once<br />
again, baseball is up in the air.<br />
According to Olmsted, the team<br />
was not that strong last spring<br />
<strong>and</strong> he is unsure of how good<br />
they will be this year, but as a<br />
senior he’s not going to let that<br />
bother him. He’s going to go<br />
out <strong>and</strong> play the sport no matter<br />
what happens.<br />
“I’m not sure how this team is<br />
going to be this upcoming year,<br />
but I just want to go out <strong>and</strong><br />
play,” he said. “I had primarily<br />
played the infield before being<br />
moved to the outfield, but I don’t<br />
care as long as I’m playing.”<br />
As his high school career is<br />
in its final year Olmsted looks to<br />
be having fun playing all three<br />
sports, despite the outcome of<br />
the seasons.<br />
“Alex has been a role player in<br />
all three sports <strong>and</strong> should be a<br />
main factor in both the upcoming<br />
basketball <strong>and</strong> baseball seasons,”<br />
<strong>Millis</strong> Athletic Director<br />
Chuck Grant said. “He’s a quiet<br />
senior that leads by example<br />
by staying active in school <strong>and</strong><br />
earning honor roll grades. He is<br />
a clear example of someone enjoying<br />
every bit of his high school<br />
experience”