LW East Athletic Director Adds Title of 'Author' to Resume

On a late September day 10 years ago, the tradition started.

Not with huge fanfare, but rather a rippling at the net.

The first athletic event ever played at Lincoln-Way East High School was a tennis match. East faced off against Lincoln-Way Central, a district rival from just down the road, on Sept. 23, 2000. The Griffins did not have their own nickname yet — but did have plenty of spirit.

They won the match. And, soon afterward, East began to establish itself as a beast to be reckoned with on almost every playing field.

In the 10 years to elapse since that humble beginning, East has won nine trophies in state competition, including three state championships.

The first state trophy — and first state title — was brought home by the Griffins' softball team in 2002. By winning, they became the first team in IHSA history ever to win a softball title with 11 losses.

And they pulled off the feat despite playing with a roster that was made up only of freshmen, sophomores and juniors. East, when it opened, did not have seniors in its building.

Leading the charge for the Griffins then, as now, was Athletic Director Dave Brost, who recently decided to write a book about the softball team's historic achievement.

"Sometimes if you don't write things down, you risk them being lost, so I decided I had to put pen to paper," Brost said. "I wrote the book to honor the team, the parents and family, the coaches, and the Lincoln-Way community as a whole."

His efforts included sending out a questionnaire to all 21 members of the 2002 team. He received 14 responses. (You'll have to read the book to find out how he used them, but three of them now can be found in the halls of Lincoln-Way East as they have returned as staff members).

The former coach, Aimee Lonigro, is now at Lincoln-Way North, coaching softball and serving as assistant athletic director.

Brost's book, We Can Do This, was written with the help of a ghost writer, Connie McGwire-Beckwith, and Brost's daughter, Kathie Fiorillo, helped edit. But the book was otherwise completely self-published. He used a local printer and a local graphic artist to put the book together and design the cover.

Brost said 15 of the 21 original softball Griffins reside in the greater Chicago area.

"I was not surprised at all," Firoello said about her father's decision to write the book. "My dad is the kind of person who sets goals, and achieves them — no matter how hard, far-fetched, or long it takes."

Fiorillo has a degree in elementary education with a focus on language arts and a master's in educational administration.  

Brost asked her to edit the book.

"It was all done over Starbucks coffee," she said. "I'm an easy sell."

Fiorillo said her favorite part of the book starts on Page 78: What Can We Learn From This?

"These are the lessons that my siblings and I have been fortunate enough to grow up with our entire lives," she said. "The thought of having others read this section and finding that kind of encouragement and motivation for themselves is what I love about this book." 

Brost served as a wrestling official for 30 years. He also has been a teacher, coach and athletic director. He plans to retire at the end of the 2013 school year.

His book is available for purchase at Lincoln-Way East High School for $14, or you may contact Brost directly at hawkbrost@hotmail.com. He will be signing the book Sept. 22 at Empire Books Inc., 625 N. LaGrange Rd. in Frankfort, 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.