During the North Royalton High School Sports Awards Banquet, induction ceremonies were held for the NR Athletic Hall of Fame class of 2022.
The three new members are Frank Calarco, who graduated in 2010, Nicole Hudek, a 2011 graduate of North Royalton High School, and Christine Siliko Brosky, who graduated in 1982.
Frank was a member of the North Royalton Wrestling team. He placed at the OHSAA State Wrestling meet in 2008 (5th place at 130 pounds) and in 2010 (4th place at 135 pounds).
“It’s pretty cool to be in the Hall of Fame,” said Calarco. “I never really thought about it until recently.”
What did Frank remember most about his time on the wrestling mat at North Royalton? “Blood, sweat and tears. The countless hours of training, training and training. But, it was worth it; all the training was worth it.”
Frank may have been one of the youngest wrestling coaches ever when he took over the Highland wrestling team in the mid 2010s.
Nicole Hudec participated in track, gymnastics and cheerleading during her four years at North Royalton High School. Nicole missed the initial call from the Hall of Fame Committee, giving her the good news. “When I called them back and realized why they were trying to get it touch with me, I said Wow, that’s awesome!”
Nicole didn’t think she was Hall of Fame worthy. “I had a really successful track career at Butler University, but I didn’t really think about how my time at North Royalton really set me up for that. It took me a while to realize that.”
Nicole said her biggest takeaway from being with the Lady Bears was the life lessons that she learned. “As a sophomore, I missed making getting out of district by two inches (in the long jump) and I was devastated. I was sad, but I used it to my advantage, what I needed to do to be successful and I use those tools today.”
As a junior, Nicole made it to the state meet and finished 11th. As a senior, she finished third in the state meet in the long jump.
Christine Siliko Brosky competed in four different sports at North Royalton High School. She was a member of the Volleyball, Tennis, Basketball and Softball teams.
“I didn’t think I was Hall of Fame worthy, but I had an inkling because my brother had nominated me. That was a couple of years ago and it was pre-COVID. Then he passed. So I was surprised, but not really.”
Christine shared a story of playing on the tennis team at North Royalton. At that time, Christine was a member of the Boys Tennis team. “The Boys on the other team laughed when they saw me. But, they stopped laughing when I beat them.”
Does Christine consider herself as a trail blazer? “I liked tennis and playing on the boys’ team was the only avenue that was open to me at that time.”
Congratulations to Frank, Nicole and Christine, the newest members of the North Royalton Athletic Hall of Fame.
By JOE JASTRZEMSKI
Contributing Writer