Paul Petrich: Walking Warrior!

Paul Petrich: Catania's Own Forest Gump

FOREST GUMP (1994):

"That day, for no particular reason, I decided to go for a little run. So I ran to the end of the road. And when I got there, I thought maybe I'd run to the end of town. And when I got there, I thought maybe I'd just run across Greenbow County. And I figured, since I run this far, maybe I'd just run across the great state of Alabama. And that's what I did. I ran clear across Alabama. For no particular reason I just kept on going. I ran clear to the ocean. And when I got there, I figured, since I'd gone this far, I might as well turn around, just keep on going. When I got to another ocean, I figured, since I'd gone this far, I might as well just turn back, keep right on going."  

Over the past week we have had the privilege of getting to know Catania's new defensive line coach, Paul Petrich.  Paul, at 69 years young, is a retired football coach from Southern California and longtime friend of George Contreras.  Last season Paul visited George here and took in our victory of the Palermo Corsari, and when the position opened up for an additional defensive coach this season, he jumped on the opportunity.  Paul brings a contagious energy to the Catania Defensive, being a veteran of European football.  He has spent numerous seasons on this side of the pond, including stints with the Bergamo Lions (helping lead them to an undefeated season in 2001 and double championship in the Italian Super Bowl and Eurobowl and the following season 2002 in INNSBRUCK, coaching the Tyrolean Raiders (NOW SWARCO RAIDERS) in their first season in Eurobowl competition.

But perhaps his biggest talent is his WALKING.

Click on the map to get a full-sized view of Paul's incredible 22km journey into downtown Catania!

Paul can trace his lineage back to 17th century fisherman in Croatia, and the durability that has been built into his blood from years on the sea lends well to Paul's WALKING SKILLS!  He has ran 15 marathons, annually walks the Catalina marathon, has completed countless 10k's, and works as a hiking guide back in California.  Needless to say, we knew none of this on Friday when Paul told us he was "just going to walk on down into Catania."  We made the 20-minute drive everyday last year and can attest that THIS IS NOT CLOSE!!!

Again, we couldn't believe it, but sure enough around 9:30am, he embarked from Malibu, making his way south along the coast and into downtown.  He stopped at numerous places for photos and food, braved one downpour, and eventually returned to Malibu around 8:30pm.  

PAUL COMPLETED A 22 KM ROUNDTRIP WALK!

He was all smiles upon his successful voyage, minus one coffee stain on his new Mt. Etna lava red sweater!  Needless to say, word of his feat spread quickly through the Elephant community, garnering him instant respect from all the locals!  

Paul enjoys a cannolo in downtown.  Rumors have it that he has turned down potential sponsors such as Nike and Gatorade, instead hoping to sign with Savia's for unlimited Cannoli! 

One side note: Despite his almost preternatural endurance, REALLY PLAYING FOR PIZZA regrets to inform you that Paul may be on the next flight home after a now "equally infamous" blunder at an Elephant practice.  With head coach George Contreras attending his son's wedding in Cancun, Davide gave Paul the honor of breaking the huddle after Wednesday night's Elephant practice.  His excitement got the best of him, and he gathered all the players together for a cheer.  He yelled, "On the count of 3... GO LIONS!"  (Implying Bergamo Lions, his former squad.)  The Elephants were a mix of laughter and outrage... a truly unforgettable moment!  Let's hope he stick around, as he truly is a great guy!  

Forrest Gump: [running] I had run for 3 years, 2 months, 14 days, and 16 hours. 
[he stops and turns around] 
Young Man Running: Quiet, quiet! He's gonna say something! 
Forrest Gump: [pause] I'm pretty tired... I think I'll go home now. 

~ J. Twice