Red Hair

Red Hair

A girl with lovely red hair joined several people at the cross country sign up table but stood behind them, timidly silent as the others added their names to the growing list.  As they finished and moved on, the quiet red head stepped forward.  It was the first day at Kalispell Middle School with over 1000 students, serving grades 6, 7 and 8.  Our sport’s practice began the following day. I was quite impressed with the girl’s initiative.  I couldn’t imagine what it must have felt like, for her, walking into that bustling building, with no friends and then choosing to sign up for a sport she’d never done.

            But she showed up the next day and every one after that.  She was heavier than some of the girls, but not as large as others.  At that age you can have huge disparities in size; Tommy was a sprite of a boy who reminded me of smallish 5^th grade boys I taught and I had physically mature boys who could have easily passed as older high school students.  Because one coach always remains after practice until ‘their’ athletes are gone and the first day was mine, Red and I had a long chat, waiting for her ride.  Through conversation, she shared with me that she had arrived the day before from another state, and was living in a small town, 11 miles away.  She said the place they were renting was ‘not much’ but they had plans to spruce it up.  She was pleasantly chatty one on one but easily disappeared among our 50 plus athletes.

During practice I rode at the end of the pack of kids so they were sandwiched between my co-coach, at the front, and myself.  I wasn’t surprised that our new red head was back with me.  Middle school cross country runners don’t always run, though, especially at the start of the season.  That was something I didn’t really understand when I took the job.  But my co-coach then was Kris, a social studies teacher without a competitive bone in his body.  He ran cross country in high school and was phenomenal with our athletes. 

My years as a 5^th grade teacher gave me some organizational and management skills and I had coached high school runners in Idaho and before that, in Washington state.  However, I always thought middle school was not an easy age group and was difficult to manage.  Year one as coach I hung back and watched how Kris dealt with the team.  Over the first couple years I slowly morphed from a U. of O. track and field hall of famer to what I am today; a middle school coach through and through.

This last season, Red showed up every day and little by little she improved.  By the end of the season she wouldn’t quit running until she was finished; even if I said she could take a break.  She never was one of our fast runners but she finished every race.  One of my reasons for being there is to encourage involvement, continually, because if kids go to high school as a ‘runner’ they’re privy to an instant circle of friends, and the great adults coaching them.  Then they’re not alone in what can be a scary time in life.  A middle school dad once said that staying involved kept kids off the couch and away from meth.  That’s one way to put it.

After three years without Kris I called it quits and I hope those kids in the back aren’t forgotten; the kids who don’t stand out, the kids I pedaled next to as we slowly ascended the final steep hill.  And I hope they all become and stay runners.