Bagota Buccaneers
Every now and then you run across a storyteller with exceptional skills. Rob Schurich was one of these in the Business Department when I got to Rangeview. His favorite courses were his law classes and a class he did for Intersession. Our intersession was an opportunity for 3 weeks of teachers really teaching their passions. Mine was Robot Wars and electronics. Rob’s was Woodstock. His perspective came from his connection to it. Showing off his tickets and telling stories enraptured the kids. They would sit and listen for hours. He was talented at drawing the entire time and all that happened during those few weeks. Many people don’t know that Landing on the Moon, the Manson killings in Los Angeles, and Woodstock all happened within about 3 weeks. It was a time of great triumphs, pure evil, and a celebration of youth all in less than a single month. I got the chance to take over his Law classes when he retired. I followed his teaching method of stories. I told stories about growing up in Lakewood and all of the characters I grew up with. Rob had Bagota High School in New Jersey. All of our stories are related to legal issues and concepts through our schools and friends. The concept of Promissory Estoppel explains my dating history.
Rob was a renaissance man in many ways. He coached a Cross Country state championship team at Rangeview. He also had a band with fellow staff members called the Rockin’ Raiders. He was kind to staff and students and could make a brighter day just by talking to him. There is one thing I do have a beef with. He got me started and promoted my addiction to golf. He was always encouraging to me and the girl’s golf team he coached. He invited me to a golfing event with other coaches from baseball and football. We went to Mesquite Nevada and stayed for 5 days in June at the end of the month. It was a time when we were all off and the rates at that time of year were very low. I am thinking that the 110-degree heat may have had an impact on costs. We took 2 days and drive to St. George Utah to play some courses. At Coral Canyon on the 6th hole is where I got my one and only hole-in-one. It was a 165-yard par 3 over a desert waste area for most of the carry. The best part of the memory was sharing this with 15 other guys on the trip. If you golf you know what happened at the clubhouse and how much it cost for that round of golf. This is for the golf fanatics, we were playing a skins game and gave people pops based on their handicap. I found the fastest way to lose friends. We were counting up skins for each hole and they got the 6th everybody read their scores and I proudly proclaimed “I got a 1 and I got a pop on the hole.” If you want to know more about Rob look at the Rangeview webpage and look at the sports hall of fame. I have been lucky to have had Rob as a friend and mentor.