Charlie's Corner: Charlie Manaseri

Introducing: Charlie Manaseri

Hello, sports fans and Red Wings faithful!

It seems that the moment I was born, I knew what I wanted my career to be. Okay, so perhaps not quite the very moment, but I did at a very young age. Hello, I’m Charlie Manaseri, and I’m the author of “Charlie’s Corner,” that I’m sure many of you have read.

In many ways, my background and upbringing were quite normal and, in some ways, were not. Perhaps first, I should say that I was born with a disability called Spina Bifida, and as a result, I use a wheelchair to get around. For the first three years of my life, I lived in foster care in Fairfax, Virginia, until I was adopted and began my life in New York. My parents had, before adopting me, already adopted a girl who would become my older sister Andrea. Staying on the subject of siblings a bit, I also have a younger sister, Mia, who was also adopted years later.

Whereas probably most kids completed their school experience in one district, my father’s employment opportunities afforded me the chance to experience others. I started and spent most of my grade school years in the South Seneca School District of Ovid, NY. In Junior High, we changed districts, and I attended Romulus, which was actually just one town over. It all changed for me in high school, though, when as a family, we relocated ourselves to the Rochester area, where I graduated from Wheatland-Chili Junior/Senior High School.

I was a very average student, mostly obtaining B’s with A’s, and sometimes C’s sprinkled in every now and then. I often say to people that without some significant help I wouldn’t have graduated, but I indeed did, and it’s one of my proudest moments so far. After this, we moved again, and it is then I feel I became a Geneva resident for life. Due to my difficulties in learning while in school and my average grades, I didn’t take the path that most might take and attend a four-year school right away. Rather, I enrolled in Finger Lakes Community College and majored in Communications. After graduation from there, I finally felt ready to transfer to a bigger college. I chose to go to SUNY Brockport, where I also majored in Communications with a specialty in Broadcasting.

Let us now circle back to my childhood and almost immediately knowing what I wanted to do in my life. Growing up, I gravitated a lot toward sports, football, and baseball, specifically. Like most of the interviewees I’ve talked to, my dad was a huge influence when it came to this. He taught me what he knew about football, and we then and still do share a love for the Buffalo Bills. As a kid, some of my favorite memories were watching the game every Sunday with him and the rest of my family. I could also always count on him to take me outside on the weekends and throw the baseball around. They weren’t all that funny then, but I have memories of myself pitching to him and almost knocking him off his feet with my velocity. These memories have shaped me into the man I am today and have deepened my love for sports.

Fast forward to today, I am volunteering and working under a fantastic organization doing something I love. I’ve gotten to meet and get to know so many interesting athletes that will be representing our Red Wings from all over the country. There are so many people I have to thank for this opportunity including; Owner Bob Ohmann, and coaches Dan and Tim Munn. I’d also like to thank you, the fans, for not only reading these interviews but for coming out to the ballpark to support our team. Until next time, I’ll see you all out at the ballpark in a few days. Go Red Wings!