Joe Battista

  • Battista: Service to Others Is a Mindset, and a Gift

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    Joe Battista

    We just completed our eighth year of Overspeed Hockey camps in Sun Valley, Idaho. That’s 16 weeks of service to over 700 kids predominantly from Idaho but with some coming from Washington, Oregon, Montana, California, Utah, Wyoming and even as far away as Florida, It’s a great camp in a gorgeous area of the country. …

  • Destinations: Dreams and Realities

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    Joe Battista

    I recently became one of the newest members of the Medicare Club. My 87-year-old mother called to wish me happy birthday and said, “My baby is 65!”  No way am I 65, I thought. Old people are 65! I feel like I’m living my best life right now and suddenly it dawned on me that…

  • Battista: There Is Always Hope

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    Joe Battista

    If you follow my columns, you know that I gave up all of my social media, except for LinkedIn, which I have only kept for business purposes. My self-imposed digital detox has been in place since Christmas break of 2020 (You can read about it here). I am a big advocate of “JOMO” – the…

  • For the Pure Joy of It

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    Joe Battista

    I was recently back in Happy Valley for a few days to do a little work at our family townhouse and to facilitate a two-day Pragmatic Passion training program for Dallastown Area School District’s Leadership Team at the newly renovated Nittany Lion Inn. While in town, I had the pleasure of getting to see an…

  • The Lasting Impact of a Coach

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    Joe Battista

    “You coach a person, not a sport.”  — John O’Sullivan School is over or ending just about everywhere, and the multi-billion-dollar summer camp industry is about to begin in earnest.  According to IBISWorld (Industry, Business & Investment Services) the U.S. camp industry, which includes sports and recreational camps, has a direct and indirect economic impact…

  • A Nod to Nonnas

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    Joe Battista

    How many different names do you know for grandmother? I did a quick search on the internet (for this column I used “The Bump”) and it came up with hundreds from all over the world. But here is a small sample for you to feast on: Granny (Grannie), Grammy (Grammie), Gammie, Nan, Gigi, Gan-Gan, Maw-Maw,…

  • The Baseball World Is Going Bananas

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    Joe Battista

    They are billed as “The Greatest Show in Sports.” They were featured recently on CBS’s “60 Minutes.” They have a 10-game broadcast deal with ESPN networks. They have played in sold-out NFL and college football stadiums, and numerous MLB stadiums. They have more social media followers than every MLB franchise…combined.  Say it ain’t so, Joe! Baseball…

  • Springtime Becomes Hockey Time in Happy Valley

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    Joe Battista

    When most Penn Staters think of springtime sports it typically doesn’t include men’s and women’s ice hockey. March Madness? Check. March Matness? Check. Frozen Fours? Uncharted territory. Until 2025! When Matt DiMarsico scored the winning overtime goal against UConn in the NCAA Regional Championship game, I spontaneously leaped to my feet, hugged my wife and…

  • I Am a Magnolia Man

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    Joe Battista

    I am a Magnolia Man. Yes, I am, now. Say what? Well, if you are a fan of Joanna and Chip Gaines’ popular HGTV hit show, “Fixer Upper,” which spawned the Magnolia Channel, then you might know what I’m talking about.  I know my vast following was expecting me to write about the Penn State…

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    Battista: It’s a DOGE Eat DOGE World 

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    Joe Battista

    Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE): Its stated goal is “modernizing federal technology and software to maximize governmental efficiency and productivity”. I’m going to cut right to the chase and provide the solution to the national debt crisis right up front. “What the world needs now is love, sweet love. It’s the only thing that there’s…