Farewell to Schanz

Things will be getting a bit quieter around practice in the coming months. Oh sure, it’s quiet now because the semester has ended and everyone is on their way home. But come January, when the men’s distance team reconvenes, we will be without one of our most loyal (if not vocal) team members in Will Schanz.

In a kind of Shaker Switcheroo, Schanz is going to be studying abroad in Barcelona; meanwhile, his old Shaker teammate and Marist long sprinter Chris Vanzetta will be returning from his study abroad exile in Russia. While we will gladly welcome back Vanzetta, Schanz’s absence will leave a void in the program.

Schanz provides a constant monologue for the team. He may be the only runner I’ve ever coached who literally never shuts up. He talks and he talks and he talks. He talks during workouts. He talks during races. Watching Schanz run a 10km on the track is like a miniseries – wild mood swings and scenes all unfolding over the 30-plus minutes and 25 laps.

I’ll admit that Schanz can get under our collective skin. He can be unnerving to debate; he always has an opinion. When I do not agree with him, he is relentless in his counter-arguments. What’s frustrating is that the dude is almost often correct! This makes it even more frustrating.

But now, Schanz is hopping over that big pond and looking to expand his horizons. We wish him well. But we also know that, these days, the world has shrunk. With Facebook (not me!), email, blogs and of course Skype, Schanz may be a continent away, but he’ll always be with us.