The Knightly News

Greg Olsson is one of those natural-born leaders—the kind of individual who, without really knowing why, will step up and say the unpopular things because he knows that doing so will eventually lead his teammates down the right path and bring as much success to the team as possible. “Greg is not only a goal scoring machine but gets the job done in every zone,” senior hockey player Anuj Thakkelapally said. “No matter how intimidated or pessimistic we are, we can always depend on him.”

As a captain in football, hockey, and lacrosse, senior Greg Olsson has a tremendous amount of responsibility—and, to manage it, enthusiasm and persistence. “I try to do all I can for our team,” Olsson said. “I just wanna help the team out the best I can, do as much as possible.”
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And many of his teammates are adamant that he does a fantastic job of it. “He’s a good athlete, a good leader and a great guy,” senior Jon Pearson said. Senior football captain Kevin Murphy shared this sentiment. “Greg is a great all-around athlete; every sport he plays he seems to play the toughest positions and excels in all of them. He’s also the epitome of a team player and captain,” Murphy said.

But leading his team and scoring goals are not the end to what Olsson does on a regular basis. During football season, he sneaks in some travel hockey on the side, making it to every football practice and most hockey practices in the same season. He also volunteers for the “Little Laxers” program, run by Lighting Lacrosse, where he helps teach first and second graders how to play lacrosse. “It’s fun because, you know, little kids are always crazy and they love running around,” Olsson said.

Something has to be said for confidence, a necessary motivator when one is involved in so much and has to perform at the level Olsson does. “It’s not only his individual talent that helps carry the team; it’s his overall good spirit and encouragement in the locker room that helps the team go out on the ice and try their best every shift,” sophomore hockey player Adam Lohr-Pearson said. Moreover, to be confident when others are not inspires confidence where it is lacking. For example, Olsson said, “I believe, I’ve seen it pay off in some of the other kids on the team, especially hockey, I’ve realized their confidence has grown.”

Most would see such incessant physical exertion and activity as taxing and overwhelming, but Olsson isn’t really affected in such a way. He sees it differently. “I don’t know, I just—I love sports,” Olsson said. “I love having fun. It’s all fun for me.”