ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Whether it's teaching himself to play the piano and guitar and performing around the Miami, Florida area or turning a dream into a youth sports broadcasting company, Jaime Rivera always has a fresh idea dancing in his head.
Rivera, a 1981 graduate of Roberts Wesleyan College, starred in men's soccer during his time at Roberts and held the career record with 48 goals scored until it was eclipsed by
Dylan Ruiz last fall.
Rivera, who grew up in a family of 16 children on Lincoln Street in Rochester, had not been back to campus since the Voller Athletic Center opened in 1986 but returned to Roberts three times this fall to watch Ruiz chase history.
The President and Founder of the
YSN Sports Broadcasting Academy was on the sidelines for the Redhawks' match against Lancaster Bible College on Nov. 17 and shared an emotional embrace with Ruiz shortly after the forward scored his second goal of the game to become Roberts' all-time goal-scoring leader.
Rivera, who graduated from Rochester's Franklin High School in 1977, took some time to share his story of overcoming long odds to chase his goals. The interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
What makes you a 'mad scientist'?
"I have this mind that never shuts down and it is a creative mind. I have a lot of ideas constantly. A lot of ideas don't stick. Over all these years I have had plenty of opportunities to try things and you win some and you lose some. … Even now I wake up every single day thinking, what's next? … I am blessed. I always tell me that God has blessed me much, more than I ever deserved because I am 62 and in fairly good health. I've often said that I am already rich because I have my health."
What are your first recollections of being exposed to the game of soccer?
"I remember that one day I was looking out of a second-floor window where we were living and I saw these two kids, they were twins (Pino and Claudio Bartolini), and they were kicking a soccer ball. … As I looked out the window I was fascinated because I had never seen a ball like that before. They were kicking it at each other and they were smashing it with their heads and their chests and I'm thinking, 'that's nuts.' They seemed to like it and I was so fascinated with it and I went out there and introduced myself. They didn't know any Spanish or English and I didn't know any Italian, but our feet did all of the talking. Today soccer is known as the beautiful game and they taught me the beautiful game. Over the years I have always given those two credit for turning me on to the beautiful game of soccer."
College was not a sure thing for you. How did you end up landing at Roberts?
"There was a youth ministry in Rochester with Campus Life and Roberts would have some students that would come into the city of Rochester and volunteer. I remember that there was a student who went to Roberts at the time and she went to the men's soccer coach and said to the coach and said 'hey, there's this kid in youth group and he plays soccer and supposedly is pretty good.' … So, Coach (Jack) Fraser came out and saw a game and he liked what he saw, but I wasn't thinking college because I was not put in any kind of track to go to college, especially a small, private school like Roberts. I knew that I had to do something, I had no skills where I could go out there on my own. So, I decided that I was going to try to go to school."
What was the admissions process like for you?
"It really is the beginning of an incredible story. I met with David Morrow, who was the director of admissions at the time, and I was there by myself. The interview seemed like nobody else in the office wanted to tell me, 'Dude, we can't accept this application,' so they probably pawned it off on him to meet with me. I remember him getting the file and he leans back in his chair and he's going 'hmmm, hmm.'
"Obviously, I didn't have a way with words at 17 like I do at 62, but I remember the message vividly. In the interview, I remember saying to him, 'Mr. Morrow, I am ready to fly, I just need wings, give me a pair of wings and I will be one of those that you will not regret.' Five minutes later he closed the file and shakes my hand and says 'congratulations.' And I knew early on that this was a one-shot opportunity, and I was going to give it my best shot. Four years later, two weeks before graduation, I am running on my way to Pearce and I see David Morrow coming out of Smith Science Center. I stop him and say, 'Hey, Mr. Morrow, thank you and here are your wings back, I've got my own because of the chance you took with me.' It was a brief encounter, I am glad that I had that moment and you could see a tear running down his cheek and it was like I took him back to a moment that he recalled." Â
What are your memories of playing soccer at Roberts?
"I remember playing against big, big schools with huge enrollments. I remember that we only had about 600 students … and we were playing schools with thousands and tens of thousands of students. … We even beat some Division I teams back then. It was crazy."
How would you describe your style as a player?
"My roommatte (Kirt Schutt) gave me a nickname, he called me 'Gato,' which in Spanish means 'Cat.' So, I guess that I was known for being quick and fast."
Why was it important for you to be there to see Dylan Ruiz break your record?
"I had the record for 41 years and whoever thought that it would last that long? The guy that had it before me, Naim Tannous, he had it for 13 years before me and I remember thinking, 'man, that's a long time.' I got to thinking over the years that it's long enough and that I just can't wait for a kid to come along and break it and just be there so I can pass the mantle and challenge him to start a tradition. Records are made to be broken and let's start a tradition, that when anyone that breaks your record that you are going to do what I did and clear your schedule and be there to pass the tradition on."
Where did the idea for the YSN Sports Broadcasting Academy come from?
"I was just watching ESPN one day and started thinking that there are probably parents and kids out there who love sports but know that they are not going to make it to the pro level or college level. There are all kinds of careers around the football field and basketball court, so why not create something locally to give them a jump start before they go to college and not only get that training but create some contacts and develop a phenomenal network before their freshman year. I thought that there was a gap and over the years it seemed like I found a niche and it just keeps on growing."
How did you start playing the piano?
"I wasn't a music student, but I just loved being on a campus where there was so much musical influence and those juices were always flowing in me. I remember that there was a piano that was in Garlock and I would just wait until after all of the kids cleared out of Garlock at night and I would just wait around at night and play that piano, even some times when I should have been studying. Surprisingly, I was able to pick it up pretty good and now I have played over the years and people think that I know what I am doing."Â
How would you like to be involved with Roberts in the future?
"I want to be an ambassador for Roberts in Florida. There are a significant number of alumni in South Florida, the Miami and Fort Lauderdale areas where I live, and I want to do something and mobilize and maybe plan for an event. I want to be a resource for the college from a distance and impact it moving forward. I want to be a champion in the area and at the same time, I want to keep my eyes for some talented kids who have some skills in sports and pass their names along to the athletic department. … I want to have a continued impact on my alma mater."
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