Survivor : South Pacific Cast Member Albert Destrade Speaks To BHSB

Albert Destrade went from local head baseball coach at Plantation High School, to celebrity, on Wednesday night when the first episode of Survivor: South Pacific aired on CBS. Destrade spent this past summer competing for a million dollars on the popular reality show. While he could not reveal whether he won or lost due to contractual obligations with CBS, the network did allow Destrade to conduct an exclusive interview with Broward High School Baseball Senior Editor Anthony Uttariello. Below is a transcript of that interview.

Anthony : How did the opportunity to be a contestant on Survivor come about?

Coach Destrade : Originally I applied for “The Amazing Race” with a really good friend of mine, and the production staff took a liking to myself. They didn’t select me for the Race, but they did encourage me to audition for Survivor. I ended up sending in a video and an application. Low and behold, I ended up on the island.

Anthony : How much did your baseball background play a part in your
conditioning leading up to the competition, and how much additional
training did you add to prepare?

Coach Destrade : Interestingly enough, I didn’t have a tremendous amount of time to prepare. I was fortunate enough to work as a coach, and since I’m active on a daily basis I was in relatively good shape. In the time that I did have, I was able to recall some of my training from my playing days. I went about it the best that I could.

Anthony : Baseball is a game of strategy, and one where intense thinking and
quick decisions need to be made. Did your baseball background help you
at all with creating your strategy for Survivor?

Coach Destrade : Certainly. What initially attracted me to Survivor was the strategy aspect of the competition. Very similarly to baseball, Survivor is a thinking man’s game. In my time playing and as a coach, I consider myself a student of the game. In my preparation for Survivor, I applied that same methodology. I truly feel that upon arriving on the island, I was more strategically prepared than anyone else.

Anthony : Coaches have a high level of communication with their players, even
in the summer when the players are not in school. How difficult was it
to get away from the game and the players this past summer, without
anyone knowing why you were gone?

Coach Destrade : Not being able to communicate with my players or my program was by far one of the toughest things. At Plantation, we are big on preaching responsibility and accountability. It was very tough for me to disappear on my players for that time without being able to tell them where I was going. At the end of the day, I think they understand now why I had to do it.

Anthony : What would you say to your players if they asked you if they should
compete on a show such as Survivor?

Coach Destrade : I would definitely encourage my players, any one of my players, to compete on Survivor. It is a once in a lifetime opportunity. It is the type of opportunity that completely changes your perception on life, and gives you a greater appreciation for all the things that you have. I wouldn’t trade my experience for the world and given the chance, I would return in a heartbeat.

Anthony : Following up on that answer, do you plan on remaining at Plantation and continuing your coaching career, or do you have plans on moving on in the reality television
world?

Coach Destrade : I’m 100% committed to our baseball program at Plantation. I’ve been very fortunate to work with a great staff. I loved having the opportunity to compete in a strategy game for one million dollars like Survivor, but truth be told, I don’t aspire to be a reality TV personality. I’m just a baseball guy.

Anthony : Do you think your experiences on Survivor will help you as a
coach? And, if so, how?

Coach Destrade : I definitely do think the experiences will help me. As a young coach, I think if you are not learning every day you are not improving. Survivor taught me about perseverance, endurance, and overcoming adversity. A lot of the lessons I learned on the show are things I will forever try to instill in my ball players.

Anthony : What was the first thing you did when you returned from the island?

Coach Destrade : I spent time with my family and I ate like I had never eaten before.

Anthony : I know we can’t talk about the competition itself, but how has your life changed since you have been back? The added attention has made you a celebrity among the High School Baseball community in Broward, have your players or fellow coaches been teasing you at all?

Coach Destrade : I try to keep a pretty level head about things. At the end of the day I’m just a baseball guy who got an opportunity to do something pretty extraordinary.

Anthony : My daughter Kayla received an autograph from you a couple of weeks
ago, and you said at the time it was your first autograph. Have you thought about how much that is going to become a normal part of your life once the show airs?

Coach Destrade : It is still taking a moment to sink in. I never really aspired to be a celebrity or famous person. I just always wanted to be around baseball.

Editor’s Note : Destrade grew up in South Florida, playing his high school baseball at Florida Christian School at Miami-Dade County. He played collegiality at Tennessee-Martin. Upon graduating, Destrade was hired as an assistant coach at Lynn University in Boca Raton. Soon after, he accepted the head coaching position at Plantation. Destrade is also is the nephew of former Marlin, and Major League Baseball player Orestes Destrade.

Leave a comment using your facebook account!