Inside The Play Call With Orange Arrow

Ohio native and standout swimmer, Mike Pichette, talks about growing up a swimmer, his injury, finding structure through Orange Arrow, and preparing for life after graduation.

Coming to you from Pittsburgh, PA, former teammates, Lousaka Polite and Shawn Robinson, reminisce about their days at the University of Pittsburgh, the Lou chant, and their lasting connection through LL Cool J and the brotherhood of sports. More than just former athletes, they also delve into the crucial importance of managing goals and expectations, the need to develop character off of the field, and Lousaka’s early, and continued, commitment to the Orange Arrow mission.

Let’s take a journey to outside of Philly, talk football, family and cheesesteaks then head to Pittsburgh and play DJ with Matt Galambos in this episode.

From inside his South Florida home, Duane Starks dives into how he determined at a young age that the environment he was growing up in was not going to define who he was. Starks combined his athleticism with hard work and perseverance at the University of Miami and became a first round NFL draft pick of the Baltimore Ravens and later a Super Bowl Champion. Through it all, Starks continues to demonstrate that he is still so much more than an athlete.

Our next guest, Torrie Cox, puts his best foot forward describing his personal experiences in his transition from Miami to Pittsburgh and back to South Florida. Torrie demonstrates exactly what tradition means by taking you through his favorite view of the city to how his talent led him to the NFL.

“Ra, Ra, Ra,” features arguably one of the top interns that has come through the doors of Orange Arrow. Rafael Araujo-Lopes aka RaRa, a current collegiate student-athlete, shares a piece of his journey, the impact he has made through Orange Arrow and how college athletes benefit.

“Another Vantage Point,” offers another insight on the team that keeps Orange Arrow moving forward, told through the eyes of Tamica and Ron!

Episode 5: "Dr. Alvarez" was first introduced to Orange Arrow while at the University of Pittsburgh's Center for Urban Education. His research is about understanding how best to support educators in building instructional practices that center race and justice. We take a journey from his early years in Texas to his new position at Rowan University in NJ as an Assistant Professor of Urban Education.

Episode 4: “Bottom's Up” is a laid back interview of the Bottoms brothers. Champ and Charles are student-athletes in the Orange Arrow Players Association. Listen in as they discuss the impact of Orange Arrow on their lives and how the organization helps empower other student-athletes to reach their full potential.

Episode 3: “Giving Credit” features Allen and Karlos, two of our most recent interns, as we highlight the important role interns play within Orange Arrow and serve up freestyles and weird eating habits.

Episode 1, "God's Plan" takes you on a journey of the development of the nonprofit Orange Arrow through the eyes of its founder Shawn Robinson, starting with a city that draws 10,000 people for each high school football game to understanding why an NFL dream was not realized.