Blue Devil Alumni Spotlight: Scott Erdmann '02 (Las Vegas Raiders)

 

2002 Leominster High graduate Scott Erdmann has never been afraid of

change.  Erdmann is currently the Senior Director of Corporate Partnerships

Sales with the Las Vegas Raiders. But that journey to Vegas included a childhood

in the Pioneer Plastics City, an escape to the beach for college, and a long drive to

Texas.   

In 1993, Erdmann moved to Leominster from Arizona and attended Fall Brook.  Erdmann said the move presented challenges for a young kid, but his outgoing nature and love of sports allowed him to fit in before long.  

“Once you hit recess and you can play sports, you get picked up on the teams at school, I think that was the first thing I remember is making friends through sports,” Erdmann said.  

Erdmann then moved up the hill and attended Samoset where he played basketball and flag football before moving on to Leominster High in 1998.  Erdmann played football his first two years as a Blue Devil, but it was basketball, a sport in which Erdmann played all four years of high school, where he found his true calling under coaches Jim Beauregard and Steve Dubzinski.  

“I had the ability to play for Dubz and his stomping foot and we had a really good group of guys that played on that team,” Erdmann said.  

Erdmann said looking back at it, those days were great preparation for life after high school.  

“You look back on it and you try to pick up on things that may have been chess pieces that you moved back then or people that influenced you and obviously Dubz was one of those people that you don’t realize how much of impact that he as just in terms of caring for people,” Erdmann said.  

Erdmann said Dubzinski was the role model he and his teammates needed.  

“I am sure he has a couple of stories but there was one day when I didn’t have a physical and we were getting ready to go play and we went to go get a physical,” Erdmann said.  “He had to rush me there and get it done right before the start of the game.  He is just one of those guys who would help anybody out and he treats everyone with respect and he’s got compassion.  A lot of those things that you have no clue as 14, 15, 16-year-old, 17-year-old kid, of how those pieces will later affect you down the road.”  

Erdmann said that support network went beyond athletics, and it was very much needed.  

“I was immature,” Erdmann said.  “Where I am at now is completely different then my mindset of when I was in high school.  When I look back at it, we had a lot of really good teachers around us.  I look back at that, I was very naive at the time because you don’t realize those things.  Those are the critical things that you look for, the teachers that actually care about students and I wasn’t the golden child.”  

“I was a little bit of a class clown, joking around,” Erdmann added.  “I got my work done.  But I know I wasn’t the easiest student to have in class.  But you had teachers that cared, and people around you that cared, and that’s probably one of the most critical things that I look back on, just having good people around you.  People that have compassion.”

After high school, went south to Boca Raton, where he attended Lynn University and majored in Business Marketing.   

“I honestly just wanted to get out of cold weather,” Erdmann said.  “I went down there and visited the school and I was sold.  We were five minutes from the beach.  I don’t have to walk across campus in sweatpants and a sweatshirt so I was immediately sold.”  

Erdmann had some offers to play basketball up north, but enjoyed his first year at Lynn spending lots of time at the beach.  

“I wasn’t that serious about it at the time,” Erdmann said regarding basketball.  “I opted for the beach and enjoying the first year.”

An ankle injury prevented Erdmann from attempting to walk-on during his sophomore year, effectively ending his basketball career.   

After graduating from college, Erdmann took a job with the Florida Panthers as a Premium Seating Account Executive.  Erdmann got that job after attending a career fair. 

“I wore the guy out at the career fair to get me in front of the guy who was hiring,” Erdmann said.  

Erdmann said once offered the job, it was an easy decision.  

“I thought about it for less than 10 seconds and then said I was 100% in,” Erdmann said. “Selling hockey in South Florida, you have no idea what you are for, but I’m in.”  

After a stop at Florida Atlantic University, where Erdmann was the Senior Director of Premium Seating/Assistant Athletic Director, Erdmann got an opportunity to work in the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys.  

“It’s a small, small community,” Erdmann said.  “Everybody knows everybody.  My old VP at the Panthers was good friends with the VP with the Cowboys, and I stayed in touch with our VP at the Panthers.  I took a couple steps back title-wise but I had a couple friends that went through the Cowboys organization and it was a first class organization.”

“I packed everything up and moved to Texas,” Erdmann said.  “I didn’t know anybody.”

After starting out in the familiar ticket sales area, Erdmann moved over to the sponsorship side with the Cowboys.    

“I had no experience with that but I think my work ethic and success that I had in ticket and suite sales but it showed I was able to connect with people and able to get meetings with people because that’s the hardest thing is getting time on someone’s calendar where they are going to spend it with you,” Erdmann said.  

Erdmann worked with the Cowboys from 2011 to this past March, when he and his wife Jenna moved to Henderson, NV when Erdmann accepted the position with the Raiders.  They are expecting their first child, a girl, soon.   

Erdmann said his advice for the others would include the same things that have helped him to get where he is today.  

“The things I lean on are, be kind to people, treat people with respect,” Erdmann said.  “It doesn’t matter where you come from, it doesn’t matter what your background is.  If you are willing to outwork somebody, you will make it and you can get where you want to get.”

Erdmann also said who you surround yourself with is critical.  

“You’re going to be a kid, you’re going to make mistakes, but don’t do anything that’s going to be detrimental,” Erdmann said.  “Hang around the right people.  The six people you hang around with are going to people you start to become.  If you don’t like those people, that’s a situation you need to change and it’s a lot harder to when you are in high school.  Those are hard decisions to make then because you want to fit in.”  

Blue Devil Alumni Spotlight: Courtney Bassett '06 (Actor, Singer, Songwriter)

Courtney Bassett has accomplished a lot since graduating from Leominster High School in 2006.  The New York City-based actor, singer and songwriter left the halls of LHS to go on and study at Point Park Conservatory in Pittsburgh, where she earned her BFA in Theatre Arts. 

 

From there, she launched her career where she has performed live on "Good Morning America", "The Today Show", and the "71st Annual Tony Awards."  

 

Bassett also created an original role in a new Broadway musical, Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, and later took over for the supporting role of Princess Mary.

Bassett as Princess Mary backstage at "Natasha, Pierre, & the Great Comet of 1812" at the Imperial Theatre on Broadway

 

Recently, Bassett has been busy writing, recording, and releasing her debut album for her pop/folk band, Starbird and the Phoenix.

 

Bassett also has played the role of a doctor for an episode of NBC'S "Manifest" and sang the "Somewhere" solo at Lincoln Center for the New York City Ballet's "West Side Story Suite."

 

Bassett has built her career from a foundation firmly rooted in North Central Massachusetts.  

 

“I took dance lessons at Heidi Hogan's School of Dance from the time I was four-year-old,” Bassett said.  “Those classes were Ballet, Tap, Jazz, and Pointe.  Pointe started when I was 12.”

 

Bassett credits two teachers who helped really “discover” her unique talents at an early age, allowing Bassett to truly move forward to where she is today.  

 

“I was a part of the Samoset chorus starting in 5th grade,” Bassett said.  “One day I was singing along with everyone, and Mrs. Sawtelle, the Chorus teacher, picked my voice out of the group and took me and my Mom aside after the rehearsal.  “She said ‘you've got to get this girl into voice lessons, she has talent,’ and so I did.  Thank goodness for her extraordinary ear, plucking me out of the group and pointing me in the right direction! It just takes a good teacher.”

 

Bassett did start taking those voice lessons at a music center in Sterling and she hasn’t stopped since.  Bassett said voice lessons continue to be important for her to hone her vocal technique and to keep it in shape.  

 

The second teacher Bassett credits is Mr. Bob Landry.  

 

“In 6th grade, I decided to sing acapella for my music class,” Bassett said.  “Mr. Bob Landry was the new music teacher.  He heard me, and two other girls in the class who were very talented, and we formed a little singing group which we later named Candy Kiss Kids because my Mom would always give us little Hershey kisses before our rehearsals.”  

 

“I went on to learn a ton from Mr. Landry musically,” Bassett added.  “I began early music theory and guitar lessons with him, recorded at his studio, and really developed my musical ear singing in our little group.  To this day, I credit him for teaching me how to really use a microphone, and for my comfortability and joy in the recording studio.  To me, the recording studio feels like home.”

 

Bassett also said she was thrown into Community Theatre at an early age, mainly because her big brother and sister were already doing it, and she didn’t want to miss out on the fun.

 

“I performed at New Players Theatre Guild in Fitchburg, Central Mass Repertory Theatre in Leominster, and Theatre at the Mount in Gardner,” Bassett said.   “I caught the contagious theatre bug early.”  

 

At LHS, Bassett’s first show was called “Barbie Get Real,” a one act drama which was an entry into the Massachusetts High School Drama Guild festival.  

 

From that point on, Bassett performed in the MHSDG each year until she graduated.  

 

“Drama teacher Andrea Mastroianni was a pivotal guiding force in my acting/theatrical development from the time of that first show onward,” Bassett said.  “I got to play a leading role as a freshman with "Barbie Get Real," and from then on I really discovered how much I loved the craft of acting, and creating shows with an ensemble of artists.” 

 

Bassett even has compiled a "Greatest Hits of LHS Theater,” which includes:

 

-MHSDG'S “Omnipotence and the Wheelbarrow Man”

-Interclass Plays every year, especially “The League of of Semi Superheroes”

-Musicals "42nd Street" and "Guys and Dolls"

-FAME Academy 

 

Bassett said her high school career helped lay a foundation for a vocation in the arts by introducing her to rigor involved in attaining success.  That rigor included evening rehearsals and shows after a full day of school starting at 7am.  Bassett said it also taught her about competitiveness.  

“We all wanted to be on that stage,” Bassett said.  “Those of us who loved theater, as emotion-filled teenagers, loved it hard.  We were intense and passionate and the true joy of collaboration and gratification that are constants in this career.”  

 

“Not all of it was easy, and I think that experiencing frustration, and rising to challenges at this young age moved me toward understanding the complexities of being a performer,” Bassett added.   

 

Bassett said being part of the Massachusetts High School Drama Guild Festival every year was vital to her growth as an artist and as a young person.  

 

“The festival provided goal orientation, structure, community, direction, and my first tastes of true professionalism and artistic excellence,” Bassett said.  “Ms. M never let us get away with not living up to our potential as a cast and company.”  

 

Bassett said her time with the MHSDG allowed her to perform for Boston area theatre professionals who were serving as judges for the festival.  That too proved to be quite valuable.  

 

“They provided written feedback at the end of each round, along with handing out awards,” Bassett said.  “I still remember a note I once received to really listen in each and every moment on stage.” 

 

Bassett also really loved literature and writing at LHS, and besides theatre, her favorite classes were A.P. English and A.P. Literature.  She said she really enjoyed A.P. Lit with Mr. Smith.  

 

“I was exposed to such literary brilliance in that class, which has stuck with me since,” Bassett said.  “The ones that I'll never forget are Shakespeare, Elizabeth Bishop, Charlotte Perkins Gillman, and Hemingway.”  

 

“There was also a civil rights and Black literature history unit in junior year A.P. English,” Bassett added.  “We studied Richard Wright's "Native Son," along with the works of James Baldwin, and it was incredible and imperative.”

 

Bassett said even the cafeteria provides a fond memory for her.   

 

“The chocolate chip cookies in the cafeteria were pretty awesome.”  “I'm still nostalgic for those.”

 

Bassett said her favorite work of her professional career to date has been "Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812," which was a transcendent and thrilling piece of art that ran on a commercial Broadway stage for a year.

Watch Bassett's "Great Comet" Tony performance here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0Fg2_W8Q44

 

“That's rare,” Bassett said.  “And I got to be a part of the show's heart and eclecticism from the out of town tryout run at the American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge onward.  It changed my life and I'll never forget it.”  

 

“The musical score was deeply nuanced and wide-ranging,” Bassett added.  “I got to sing everything from Blues/Soul to experimental opera in one night.  That kind of flexibility vocally is my ‘jam’ you could say.”

 

“The entirety of the Imperial Theatre was transformed into a Russian Supper Club-it was magical, and huge, and for one song sequence, I had to speed run up two flights of stairs while singing and dancing,” Bassett added.  “It was the ultimate challenge, one that lit up my spirit every night, eight times a week, even if it did tire me out!”   

 

Bassett just released an album entitled “Starfire” with her pop/folk band, Starbird and the Phoenix, and they are promoting the album now.  

Courtney and her Starbird and the Phoenix bandmate, Andrew Swackhamer 

Photo by Andy Nordin

Link to listen to and watch Starbird & the Phoenix, Courtney's pop/folk band: https://linktr.ee/StarbirdPhoenix

Bassett describes her band as “driven by stratospheric harmonies and ukulele extroversion, Starbird and the Phoenix flaunts powerful rock/pop vocals, and infectious, belt-along melodies aimed straight at the heart."  

 

In the future, Bassett said she is looking to get involved in more film and television projects.  

 

“That's where my passion is leading me right now, and what's actually happening while Broadway is shut down,” Bassett said.  

 

Bassett will also be releasing some singles for her solo indie folk project, "Egan Whim," this summer. 

 

As for someone looking to pursue a career in the theatre/entertainment industry, Bassett said to never stop evolving your craft, whatever it may be.  

 

“Do all that you can to become the best possible version of yourself in your art,” Bassett said.  “Strive for excellence, and be consistent about it.  Get so excited by your creativity that it becomes a habit.  You'll need this practice to keep going even when you don't feel like it.  Or when your industry is shut down due to a worldwide pandemic!”  

 

Bassett also said self-love should come first.  

 

“Taking care of your mental health and spiritual well-being is key to surviving in this career/workforce,” Bassett said.  “If you work on loving yourself no matter what, it will be easier to accept and stay strong in the face of rejection/criticism.”  

 

“It may be trite, but, as Lady Gaga says:  ‘There could be 100 people in the room and 99 of them don't believe in you, but one person does... (and that one person can mean everything to you and your success).’  Go where it's warm.  Seek out the people whose faces light up when they see you walking into a room.” 

 

Bassett also said being a good team player is vital.  

 

“Again, be the best version of you, by focusing on what you're giving in a creative process, rather than what you're getting from it,” Bassett said.  “This will make the process of creating a show,or whatever your art may be, more satisfying for you and the people around you.  People want to work with people who are kind, gracious, and giving.  Be that person!” 

For more on Courtney Bassett, go to: https://www.courtneybassett.com/

 

 

 

Blue Devil Alumni Spotlight: Keith Beauregard '01 (Los Angeles Dodgers)

For 2001 Leominster High graduate Keith Beauregard, it’s been quite the baseball journey.  Beauregard now lives in Buckeye, Arizona, with his wife Monica and two daughters, Demi (4) and Teddi (2).  Beauregard is currently working as the Assistant Minor League Field Coordinator for the Los Angeles Dodgers.  During the previous two baseball seasons, Beauregard was a minor league hitting instructor in the Dodgers’ farm system.  Before that, he was an assistant baseball coach at Santa Clara University for five seasons, and two seasons at UMass Lowell.  

As a player, Beauregard had a stellar four-year career at St. Anselm College where his name is all over the record book, including holding the all-time program marks in triples and hit-by-pitches.  He also played three years of professional baseball in the Can-Am League with the Worcester Tornadoes.

Beauregard has seen a lot during his journey, but it all started in Leominster. 

“The best,” Beauregard said, recalling his days in Leominster and at Leominster High School.  “My closest friends are guys that I went to high school with and we are still talking about stuff we would do in the hallway in the D Wing or in the A wing.  I remember taking fly balls in the parking lot when it was 13 degrees out, or going out with guys afterwards down in the Searstown area, going to McDonalds, and then after McDonalds we’d go to Wendy’s, and then hit up for the triple threat to Burger King.  We spent so much time together and we built strong relationships and they last to this day.”

With the Dodgers, Beauregard works at the team’s Arizona League site.    

“Once the Arizona League starts in about April, basically April through September, there will be about 60-70 guys in Arizona at our facility and I’m overseeing all that scheduling, the player programming, communication between coaches and the front office, and culture creating,” Beauregard said.   

That’s many miles and many years away from his time playing baseball and basketball at Leominster High, where Beauregard truly hit his athletic stride during his senior year.

“I was always small, even my senior year in high school, but I specifically remember starting to weight train, and my competitiveness increased on the baseball side and the basketball side as well,” Beauregard said.  “If you are expecting to play at the high school level or transitioning to the college side, you’ve got to put the work in.”

Beauregard said he was fortunate to be around great mentors. 

“The impact my Dad, Steve Dubzinski, Ron Mazzaferro and Pete Charpentier had on my development and growth as an athlete and human were invaluable,” Beauregard said.  “Sid Rafuse and Steve Santucci too with Leominster Post 151.  All very different in style, but all guys you’d run through a wall for.  I apply lessons I’ve learned from them daily.”

Beauregard said the players that were older than him had an impact as well.  

“Just being around the guys that were a little older than me and seeing the work that they put in and how they went about their business, whether it be in the cages or on the tee, I just followed their lead,” Beauregard said.  “That was the expectation of the baseball program at LHS.  All the players and coaches showed a ton of support and it was a natural progression with the work that I put in.”

Beauregard said his baseball future changed during his senior year at LHS.  

“My senior year of high school, I started to get some looks on the recruiting side but I didn’t come into my own until college when I started to gain like 15 to 20 pounds and started to understand a little bit more about the swing,” Beauregard said.  “I also started to learn more about proper eating habits and sleeping habits and being able to apply those every day.  That’s when I saw the biggest benefits on the field.”

After his playing days were over, Beauregard tried his hand working in real estate in New York.  

“Maybe I wanted to see what else is out there other than baseball because I had spent so much time around the field and I wanted to explore,” Beauregard said.  “I tried to sell some real estate and I wasn’t very good at it.”

That’s when Beauregard re-connected with his old coach at St. Anselm, Ken Harring, and got into coaching at Harring’s new post at UMass-Lowell.  

“Kind of all I knew was baseball,” Beauregard said of the decision to get back into baseball. 
“All I knew was sports.  That’s what I grew up on.  You have a way of finding your way back to things that are important to you.”  

Looking back at his life and career so far, Beauregard said for current high school students, finding a passion and acting on that passion are important keys to success.  

“Be curious and find out what you are passionate about,” Beauregard said.  “Attack the passion and along the way, try to attach yourself to a winner.  And that comes from building substantive, meaningful relationships with people that matter and being a loyal friend to those people.  For high school kids, learning to build relationships is an important thing.”  

Blue Devil Athlete Spotlight: Ava McDonald (Girls' Basketball)

Junior Ava McDonald is a key contributor on the Blue Devil girls’ basketball team.  The lifelong Leominster resident, who also plays for Blaze AAU, started playing basketball in the first grade when her mom, a former high school basketball player herself, introduced Ava to the sport.  

“I like the competitiveness of the game and how it moves,” Ava said.  “I like the bond of the team and how we communicate and we’re there for our teammates if needed.” 

Ava has also enjoyed playing for Blue Devil coach Rusty Frederick, who Ava credits with helping improve her game.    

“One important thing I’ve learned from my coach is becoming more confident on the court and learning to use my height to my advantage,” Ava said.

Frederick said Ava is always striving to improve.  

“I've coached Ava over the last three seasons,” Frederick said.  “In her first two seasons, she has won most improved player by working hard everyday in practice.  This season she is one of our leaders and captains.  She is the type of leader who leads by example on the basketball court.  She is very excited by getting back in the classroom soon.”

Ava hopes to one day play basketball in college, and has aspirations of earning a scholarship to do so.  She also plans on earning a law degree, sparked by a class she is currently taking at LHS.

“My favorite class has been Street Law which I took this year and my favorite teacher has been Ms.Grimes,” Ava said.

Ava also enjoys watching crime documentaries and listening to crime podcasts.  She also runs track and cross country at LHS.