ODA welcomes athletic director

LAKEWOOD RANCH — Noel Beaulieu has been surrounded by athletics all of his life.

He grew up playing football and hockey and running track in Toronto, Canada, before spending the past 20 years working with several professional and collegiate sports teams. Now, Beaulieu is turning his attention back to what captured his interest originally — high school athletics.

Beaulieu took over as The Out-of-Door Academy’s new athletic director on July 1, replacing former athletic director Jason Peters, who moved back to Memphis, Tenn.

“After (working) with those (different) programs, it makes you appreciate what the high school level does to get athletes ready to play at that level,” Beaulieu said. “It’s important for them to come out of an environment that provides them positive and proper attributes to appreciate what it takes to get to those upper levels.”

Since assuming his new position, Beaulieu has been busy meeting with coaches and administrators in preparation for the upcoming school year while also getting a feel for the school and its new state-of-the-art athletic facilities.

“To see all of this going on I thought, ‘Oh what a great opportunity to walk into an environment that’s so dedicated to having its (students) succeed in so many different areas,’” Beaulieu said. “Hopefully, I’ll be here a long time and can see (ODA) start new traditions and watch those traditions (develop) over time. You don’t get that opportunity very often.”

Beaulieu is also hoping to instill a new S.P.E.E.D. philosophy in his players, which stands for sportsmanship, participation and pride, effort, enthusiasm and discipline.

“It’s a privilege to put on a uniform — I don’t care what level you’re at,” Beaulieu said. “We want our athletes to give the best of their abilities at all times. I expect every student to work hard. With as many opportunities as they have, there’s no excuse for them not to be training hard and working hard to be the best athletes that they can be.”

Beaulieu graduated from the University of Toronto in 1987 with a degree in economics and sociology. But after taking a job in the banking industry, Beaulieu began working with the Toronto Blue Jays and the Toronto Argonauts, with which he helped build the Toronto Skydome. At that point, Beaulieu decided he was ready to be reunited with the sports world full time.

Beaulieu moved to Florida and attended the University of Florida to take classes and tutor athletes. He earned his MBA in 1994, becoming one of the few people in his program to specialize in sports management.

“I knew I was going to be involved in sports no matter what,” Beaulieu said. “Everyone kept telling me, ‘If you’re going to get involved in sports, you need to do it somewhere in the states.’ There was no going back at that point.”

After graduating from UF, Beaulieu joined the new Tampa Bay Rays organization — then known as the Devil Rays.

“It’s a similar level here because it’s basically a new athletic program,” Beaulieu said. “It’s only been around 14 years or so, so be a part of this is pretty special. ODA is poised to make a mark in the Lakewood Ranch community, and we want people to know that there’s an incredible high school and middle school right next door.

“Hopefully the community will embrace us and see what we’re capable of,” he said. “Obviously, we want people to come out and experience football under the lights for the first time and all of the other sports too, and see what a class school can do.”

In addition to his stint working with the Rays, Beaulieu also worked for the San Diego Chargers’ marketing department, as a consultant with Clear Channel Communications Inc. and with the NCAA.

When he’s not busy working with coaches and athletes, Beaulieu enjoys spending time with his wife, Alyssa, and their three children: Alexa, 12, Blake, 10 and James, 8. Beaulieu also enjoys riding his bike through Lakewood Ranch and playing golf and tennis, among other activities.

“As my wife jokingly says, ‘You’ve been an athlete your whole life. You’re good at every sport. You just were not great at one,’” he said.

Contact Jen Blanco at [email protected].