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Chalecki Staying In The Game

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By EDDIE DANIELS

The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 9, 2008

WESLEY CHAPEL - There are times when Vince Chalecki looks on from the side and has the urge to take the field, search out a ball carrier and put a helmet into his chest.

Only, there's a slight problem. He's no longer a linebacker, participating in the sport he so dearly loves, which is football.

He has crossed over to the other side and is now a coach.

Replacing the adrenaline rush of a solid tackle with that of a good call or game plan can't get the blood flowing the same way, can it?

"No. It's still not at that level, but I still get excited, even when I see someone else make a big hit," Chalecki said. "I'll have flashbacks of stuff I did. If I see a big play, I'll just think of something I did back when I played. I still get that feeling, just not as strong."

That feeling comes from four years as a starting varsity linebacker and a running back at Wesley Chapel High. For each of those years, Chalecki led the county in tackles, was a second-team all-state selection in his final season and was the 2006 Sunshine Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year.

Now he is coaching at what can almost be considered a rival school. Wiregrass Ranch, also located in Wesley Chapel, will enter its third season this fall, having played one junior varsity season in 2006 and its first varsity season in 2007.

You ask Wiregrass coach Ricky Thomas and he'll say his kids are the winners in this situation.

"I think in Vinny's case, it's a very unique situation because a lot of my players either know him or have heard of him and know that he was defensive player of the year and knew he was an outstanding linebacker at Wesley Chapel," Thomas said. "So they really look up to him and they really listen to what he has to say because he's not that far removed from it.

"They know Vinny is not just talking the talk, he's been there and he's done it. He's just a great asset for the kids to know they're not listening to someone who hasn't done it or hasn't played it."

There have been the awkward conversations with former Wesley Chapel teammates or current Wildcats players, but Wesley Chapel coach John Castelamare is happy to see his former star on the sideline.

"He's a football player from his toes to his head," Castelamare said. "He was one of our toughest football players here. I wish he would have continued to play in college, but he had other things on his mind. I can see him being a good football coach. He's kind of quiet, so he'll probably have to open up more on the field.

"I think whatever he presents to any player, he's going to get it across pretty good because he did it himself."

Chalecki does find himself instinctively slipping into a Wesley Chapel football shirt or pair of shorts, and he has to immediately change before heading to practice. That likely will change as the season progresses.

And no, there hasn't been any talk of a change in majors for Chalecki, who is entering his sophomore year at the University of Tampa, where he has a major in criminology and a minor in accounting.

The addition of coaching to his life has provided an opportunity for Chalecki to do two things that are dear to his heart: football and law enforcement.

"My whole family is pretty much involved in law enforcement," Chalecki said. "My dad is a detective and my aunt's a negotiator and my uncle is a patrol officer. I want to eventually get into one of the agencies FBI, CIA, but I have to serve five years in regular law enforcement or some type of law enforcement before I can apply to go to one of the big agencies, so that's what I plan on doing."

It's clear Chalecki isn't the type with a one-track mind.

While some athletes labor solely on the football field, Chalecki did that as well as throwing himself into his schoolwork. So much so that he earned an academic scholarship to attend UT.

"That's why I keep all this stuff on my wall here about the things I accomplished, and one story they did about me was academically," Thomas said. "Vinny talked to the kids about it. They know Vinny was all-conference and defensive player of the year, and he talks to them all the time about, without the grades, it's not going to happen. Regardless of how good you are. He had both, and it was just his decision to walk away from the game."

Additionally, the 20-year-old joined a friend on a two-week mission to Honduras with his church, Northwest Church of Christ in Tampa.

He helped build 30 homes, made visits to the local hospital, a special-needs orphanage and a school for the blind. Needless to say, it was a life-changing event.

"You got to see how people live who aren't fortunate to have everything they want. They live on a day-to-day basis as far as food goes and clothing," he said. "Where we built was up on a mountain, and we stayed down in the city. And every day we would go up to the mountains, you'd see the same people in the same clothes they had the day before, or even three days ago. You can tell these people don't have anything except for the clothes on their back and each other.

"You pretty much appreciate everything you have. That's the main thing. You also appreciate the people around you and what they do for you. You can see just us showing up made them happy. We didn't even give them anything, but just seeing us made them smile."

Reporter Eddie Daniels can be reached at (813) 948-4214 or edaniels@tampatrib.com.

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