Forever Pirates -- Alixander Morse
Our second Forever Pirate feature for track and field comes courtesy of decathlete Alixander Morse, who attended Orange Coast College from 2016-18. Morse played soccer and competed in track and field during his Pirate athletic career.
In the simplest words, being a part of the OCC family changed my life.
It was spring of 2016, and I had just ended my 5-year pursuit of a professional career in soccer. I had thought about going back to school and my little brother was going to Orange Coast College and was competing on the rowing team. So, I asked him if he could show me around campus to see if I could see myself going there. While my brother was in class, I walked around the campus and found myself at the track and soccer fields. Soccer was practicing and coincidentally the track team as well. I saw the level and quality of the training sessions for soccer and immediately wanted to find out if I was eligible to compete. I could see myself going here and being a college athlete but had to figure out a path to do so. It just so happened to be that the head soccer coach was the also the AD at the time, Kevin Smith, and so we immediately hit it off and went to work to see if I was eligible to compete.
Soon after, I found out I was eligible for soccer and for track & field. I competed for one season for the men's soccer team and received Defensive Player of the Year as well as 2nd team All-Orange Empire Conference. I mention the soccer portion of my OCC career here because it was on this team, I met my best friend, Brandon Hartzog.
Backing up to before that soccer season; I didn't live in Costa Mesa, but once I figured out that OCC was where I wanted to be, I knew I had to make it happen. So, I went to the administration office to see if I qualified for any programs the school had to offer. It was here I found the start of my OCC family. I joined EOPS, Guardian Scholars, Equity, and was also eligible for financial aid. I found a group of individuals in each of these programs that changed my life. From Guardian Scholars it was the great Gabriella, the unstoppable Tina, the ever-smiling Christina, and the tenacious Chris. From EOPS it was the lovely Shannon. From Equity, it was the awesome Ms. Norman. These amazing people, came to several of my sporting events to support me, made sure I was utilizing all my resources, from the food pantry to the tutor center. They were my OCC family support team and they made my transition back to college as a 25-year-old, feel seamless.
I had some major struggles starting back into school and one of them was not having a place to live in Costa Mesa. All of the struggles I went through that first semester was worth it in my eyes because I knew OCC was where I wanted to be, and it could usher me into the next chapter of my life. This brings me to the start soccer season, I just met Brandon in tryouts and we both made the team. He found out I slept in my car a few times during the semester and he made an open-ended offer to stay with him while I figure out a place to live in Costa Mesa. He let me stay there the whole season and we really bonded as teammates and best friends.
After soccer came the track and field season of 2017. This is where I rediscovered my love of running. Interim Coach Ian Jennings sparked that love for running again. I hurdled in HS and so naturally I gravitated back to hurdling. However, I couldn't have imagined discovering, and falling in love with, being a decathlete while at OCC. Coach Jennings, had so much on his plate as interim head coach, yet he made me feel like I had his complete attention and focus in bringing out the confidence I had in soccer and to bring it to the track.
This first season back was seven years after the last time I ran and yet, with the training and support from my family, my OCC family, and friends, I was able to become conference champion in the decathlon, 1st in 400 hurdles, 2nd in the 110 hurdles, and 2nd in the 4x400 relay. Coach Jennings was the head coach, but I had a solid group of coaches who helped me become the athlete I could be. Coach Smith helped me in more ways then one in field events and learning to laugh and stay loose. Coach Moreno helped me master my hurdles and work ethic on the track. Coach Ochoa and Coach Siddons helped me with mental preparedness for the 1,500 race in the decathlon, as well as playing cards to relax the mind during long days at the track.
My second season was met with a new head coach, Jennifer Williams, and she brought some new energy to the team but also brought the full support for her athletes as well. My second season, I followed up with a 2nd place in the OEC conference for the decathlon, but I went on to get 10th at the CCCAA State Meet and 4th in Southern California. I was the recipient of the OEC Fair Play Award. It was during this season that I utilized the network, skill-set, and guidance of Coach Williams. I asked her to help me get to the next level of college athletics because of the confidence I gained while being an OCC Pirate. She said she would help me get wherever it was possible, and she did just that. It wasn't an easy task as I was then a 27-year-old athlete, but because I was motivated and put the work in day in and day out, she went to bat for me. By July of 2018, I had signed a near-full scholarship to Lewis-Clark State College in northern Idaho. It was there I completed my dream of competing at a four-year university on scholarship. It was there I met my now fiancée and met some of the most amazing people I call family now.
I can sit here today writing this, because of the belief of my family and friends and the overwhelming support that came from so many of the professionals at OCC. I wear my OCC gear proudly wherever I go because of the immense impact OCC had on my life. Coast helped give me a second wind and gave me a focus to succeed that I'm not sure I would have found otherwise. I chose to share some of my struggles in this article because OCC changed my life in such a way, that I'm still feeling the ripples of their dedication to my success. To anyone on the fence to go to OCC, know that there is an unparalleled support system ready to work with you if you choose to put the work in.
Thank you so much to everyone who had an impact on my life there. I will forever be a Pirate.
