Friday, May 31, 2013

An unexpected gift on a hot day

When last we posted, the heat was on in our house and I was bundled up in sweats. Welcome to Global Something (fill in the blank), where Commencement Day has a wind chill and where less than a week later the heat index is topping triple digits. On Thursday evening, I was out at a steamy Arlington High School for the first day of the Section 1 State Qualifier. The company line is I was out there recruiting. And to be sure, there were several noteworthy non-seniors of which to take note. But the truth of the matter is, these forays to these meets are more about seeing my many alums who are now coaching in Section 1. The surprise of the night was seeing Marist Running Alum Julie Hudak, now coaching at her alma mater of Pearl River. Julie is doing great, and the athletes that she coaches are doing really well. Nicely done!

As the afternoon wore on, I was able to touch base with almost everyone I was looking for -- except one guy. Finally, Marist Running Alum DJ Paulson found me. DJ is coaching at nearby Beacon High School, and doing great work down there. He came bearing a gift: The top team plaque from the 15th and final Scott's Race on Staten Island, where the Marist Alumni Racing Team took top honors. I was saddened to hear that this great race has literally run its course, but also gratified that the Marist Alumni presence was strong there, as usual. These meets provide many rewards for me. On this night, there was even a tangible one. Best of luck to all of our alumni coaches in Day 2 of the state qualifiers -- Section 1 at White Plains, and Section 9 at Middletown, and anywhere else our men and women might be coaching.

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