Cross-country running developed and fostered friendships with people who encouraged, challenged, and supported you or who just wanted to run,
have fun and chat like close friends
Cross-country running has been part of Almaguin’s athletic calendar since the early days. For the 1967-68 season, the South River-Sundridge Secondary School fielded only boys teams. However afterwards, its cross-country teams and that of its successor, Almaguin Highlands Secondary School, included both boys and girls teams.
In the high school sport of cross-country, boys and girls run in separate races according to their age classification (Midget, Junior and Senior). Each race covers different distances – during the early years, from 2.5 miles for Midget and Junior Girls to 4 miles for Senior Boys. The courses for the race are run on uneven and difficult surfaces that range from dirt and grass to mud and asphalt to gravel and everything in-between. Tape or ribbon on the trees and chalk, paint, or cones on the ground mark the trails to keep runners “on course”.
Like track and field, cross-country running is both an individual and a team sport. Boys or girls race individually, earning points for their team based on their finishing position. However, it is the finishing positions of only the top four runners of a team that count towards the cross-country team’s total score. For example, if the Senior Girls team’s top four runners came in 2nd, 8th, 12th and 28th in their race, then their total team score would be 50 points. In each cross-country race, it is the school with the lowest team score that is declared the winner. So, the remaining members of the team have the important job of displacing the scorers on opposing teams.
Unlike track and field, an unlimited number of runners can be entered in each race. That could explain why the Almaguin coaches - who may have been the Vice-Principal or your Phys Ed, Art, History, Math, Science or Special Education teacher – tried to entice you to come out to run cross-country. They could legitimately assure students that, “you will never get cut from the team”. Cross-country offered student athletes the same opportunities as any other team sport – to train, travel and compete as a team - but without the “soul sucking” fear that you might be substituted off the court or field at any moment because of a bad performance. It was the one sport in which the coaches stressed that you did not have to be the best on the team.
Most of those who chose the cross-country team over, or in addition to, a Fall team sport (such as soccer, wrestling, basketball, or volleyball), had a love and passion for running. Some former team members - many of whom still to this day “go for a daily run” or would if injuries did not prevent them from doing so - provided the following reasons why they went out for Almaguin’s cross-country team:
In the high school sport of cross-country, boys and girls run in separate races according to their age classification (Midget, Junior and Senior). Each race covers different distances – during the early years, from 2.5 miles for Midget and Junior Girls to 4 miles for Senior Boys. The courses for the race are run on uneven and difficult surfaces that range from dirt and grass to mud and asphalt to gravel and everything in-between. Tape or ribbon on the trees and chalk, paint, or cones on the ground mark the trails to keep runners “on course”.
Like track and field, cross-country running is both an individual and a team sport. Boys or girls race individually, earning points for their team based on their finishing position. However, it is the finishing positions of only the top four runners of a team that count towards the cross-country team’s total score. For example, if the Senior Girls team’s top four runners came in 2nd, 8th, 12th and 28th in their race, then their total team score would be 50 points. In each cross-country race, it is the school with the lowest team score that is declared the winner. So, the remaining members of the team have the important job of displacing the scorers on opposing teams.
Unlike track and field, an unlimited number of runners can be entered in each race. That could explain why the Almaguin coaches - who may have been the Vice-Principal or your Phys Ed, Art, History, Math, Science or Special Education teacher – tried to entice you to come out to run cross-country. They could legitimately assure students that, “you will never get cut from the team”. Cross-country offered student athletes the same opportunities as any other team sport – to train, travel and compete as a team - but without the “soul sucking” fear that you might be substituted off the court or field at any moment because of a bad performance. It was the one sport in which the coaches stressed that you did not have to be the best on the team.
Most of those who chose the cross-country team over, or in addition to, a Fall team sport (such as soccer, wrestling, basketball, or volleyball), had a love and passion for running. Some former team members - many of whom still to this day “go for a daily run” or would if injuries did not prevent them from doing so - provided the following reasons why they went out for Almaguin’s cross-country team:
- Stress management: running provided a way to manage teenage pressures (e.g., grades; bullies; what next after high school; etc.)
- Improved athleticism: running built cardio and muscle endurance primarily for other sports and specialized training helped all track runners improve their strength, power and running form
- For a sense of community: whether a shared interest with those who were of the same gender or love of competition, running developed and fostered friendships with some excellent runners who encouraged, challenged, and supported you or who just wanted to run, have fun and chat like close friends
Muskoka-Parry Sound Champions
Junior Boys: 1977-78
Georgian Bay Champions
Junior Boys: 1977-78
Almaguin fielded teams that had strong finishes at the MPS Championships in the early years.
But only the 1977-78 Junior Boys team can claim to have won both the
MPS and GBSSA Cross-Country Championships in the same year.
But only the 1977-78 Junior Boys team can claim to have won both the
MPS and GBSSA Cross-Country Championships in the same year.
Pictured above at the start line of the Junior Boys race at the 1977-78 MPS Championships: Mike Salovaara, Richard Bateman, Brian May, Ken Costello, Mike Kerr, Brant Diermeier, Mark Odrowski, Ken Young (back shown only). Coach Ken Beswitherick is watching his team in the background.
,After capturing the MPS Cross-Country title, Almaguin went on to further their excellence by taking the GBSSA title. This was a first for AHSS. Pictured above with the Georgia Bay Plaque: front row from left: Ken Costello, Brant Diermeier, Richard Bateman, Mark Odrowski, Dan Vician. Back row, left to right: Steve Anderson, Bob Arnell, Mike Kerr, Ken Young, Mike Solovaara, Allan Ranger. Centre rear: Coach Ken Beswitherick (aka Mr. B)
Participation figured prominently in this team's unprecedented success. The team numbered 13 in total and, according to former coach, Mr. B., each one of them had the talent to win a race on any given day.
The first championship race of the season was the MPS Cross-Country Championships. The team diligently prepared for the event, going so far as to host an invitational meet to identify any weaknesses in their training and to assess the competition. Even though Almaguin handily won the invitational meet, there were no guarantees that the win would translate into the same result at the MPS Championships. However, the top four finishers for the Almaguin team at the MPS Championships - Richard Batemen, Brian May, Brant Diermeier and Mark Odrowski – demonstrated why the Junior Boys team won the first MPS Cross-Country Championship title for Almaguin.
Preparation for the GBSSA Championships (fast starts, pace work, hill training, etc.) also paid off. Within a field of 180 runners, it was reported that all members of Almaguin’s Junior Boys team finished the course in respectable positions. This contributed to the 20-point margin between them and their closest competition, the team from Huron Heights Secondary School. The win automatically qualified the top six finishers - Richard Bateman, Brant Diermeier, Mark Odrowski, Ken Young, Allan Ranger and Dan Vician - to compete at the Ontario Federation of Secondary Athletic Association (OFSAA) Cross-Country Championships
The 1977-78 OFSAA Cross-Country Championships were held at Samuel de Champlain Park (SCP) in Mattawa. Coming off their win of the GBSSA Championships, members of the team, understandably, had very high hopes of a good finish. However, Mr. B recognized that the course was tougher than any other the boys had ever covered. The SCP course was well-known for its challenging terrain with demanding steep climbs. And Mother Nature did her part to make the course even more difficult to traverse after flooding the course with a steady week’s worth of rain. While he remembers that certain members of Almaguin’s team were disappointed with their individual performances that day, Mr. B believes that given the strength of the competition – he adds that they were competing against the very best from across Ontario - they all did very well. If anything, they can take pride in the fact that, to date, no other Almaguin Cross-Country team has been able to match the success of the 1977-78 Junior Boys team.
Former cross-country team members acknowledged that their success would not have been possible without great coaching. They felt that coaches like Bill Atkinson, Ken and Marg Beswitherick, Bob Bisbee, Peter Camani, and Murray Hale were not only kindred spirits and role models, but their mentors. They credit their coaches for employing training techniques to leverage their individual strengths and weaknesses.
By logging in many miles with them along the trails across the highway from the school, the coaches also found a way to gain the trust and respect of their student athletes. This in turn made the student athletes comfortable enough to share their life, mental and physical challenges as well as their hopes and dreams with their coaches. Witnessing a completely different side of their student athletes from what they presented in the classrooms and hallways of Almaguin was said to have been an added benefit of being their running partners and coaches.
While it was the 13-member team that was awarded the GBSSA Championship plaque, it was the performances of the team’s top four finishers - Richard Bateman, Brant Diermeier, Mark Odrowski and Ken Young - that earned them GBSSA medallions and qualified their Almaguin team to compete at its first ever – and only, to date - OFSAA Cross-Country Championships.
Richard Bateman was Almaguin’s top performer on the 1977-78 Championship team. He was comfortable racing from the front of the pack - he was the first to cross the finish line at Almaguin’s invitational cross-country meet in the Fall 1977 and he led the field for most of the race at the GBSSA Championships until “he was beaten at the line by one stride”. Mr. B says that what set Richard apart from his fellow teammates and competitors was his ability to push through the pain his body started to experience around the first mile mark of a race. A lost shoe in a mud hole approximately 50 feet from the finish line of the OFSAA Championship course did not distract him from finishing strong either!
The first championship race of the season was the MPS Cross-Country Championships. The team diligently prepared for the event, going so far as to host an invitational meet to identify any weaknesses in their training and to assess the competition. Even though Almaguin handily won the invitational meet, there were no guarantees that the win would translate into the same result at the MPS Championships. However, the top four finishers for the Almaguin team at the MPS Championships - Richard Batemen, Brian May, Brant Diermeier and Mark Odrowski – demonstrated why the Junior Boys team won the first MPS Cross-Country Championship title for Almaguin.
Preparation for the GBSSA Championships (fast starts, pace work, hill training, etc.) also paid off. Within a field of 180 runners, it was reported that all members of Almaguin’s Junior Boys team finished the course in respectable positions. This contributed to the 20-point margin between them and their closest competition, the team from Huron Heights Secondary School. The win automatically qualified the top six finishers - Richard Bateman, Brant Diermeier, Mark Odrowski, Ken Young, Allan Ranger and Dan Vician - to compete at the Ontario Federation of Secondary Athletic Association (OFSAA) Cross-Country Championships
The 1977-78 OFSAA Cross-Country Championships were held at Samuel de Champlain Park (SCP) in Mattawa. Coming off their win of the GBSSA Championships, members of the team, understandably, had very high hopes of a good finish. However, Mr. B recognized that the course was tougher than any other the boys had ever covered. The SCP course was well-known for its challenging terrain with demanding steep climbs. And Mother Nature did her part to make the course even more difficult to traverse after flooding the course with a steady week’s worth of rain. While he remembers that certain members of Almaguin’s team were disappointed with their individual performances that day, Mr. B believes that given the strength of the competition – he adds that they were competing against the very best from across Ontario - they all did very well. If anything, they can take pride in the fact that, to date, no other Almaguin Cross-Country team has been able to match the success of the 1977-78 Junior Boys team.
Former cross-country team members acknowledged that their success would not have been possible without great coaching. They felt that coaches like Bill Atkinson, Ken and Marg Beswitherick, Bob Bisbee, Peter Camani, and Murray Hale were not only kindred spirits and role models, but their mentors. They credit their coaches for employing training techniques to leverage their individual strengths and weaknesses.
By logging in many miles with them along the trails across the highway from the school, the coaches also found a way to gain the trust and respect of their student athletes. This in turn made the student athletes comfortable enough to share their life, mental and physical challenges as well as their hopes and dreams with their coaches. Witnessing a completely different side of their student athletes from what they presented in the classrooms and hallways of Almaguin was said to have been an added benefit of being their running partners and coaches.
While it was the 13-member team that was awarded the GBSSA Championship plaque, it was the performances of the team’s top four finishers - Richard Bateman, Brant Diermeier, Mark Odrowski and Ken Young - that earned them GBSSA medallions and qualified their Almaguin team to compete at its first ever – and only, to date - OFSAA Cross-Country Championships.
Richard Bateman was Almaguin’s top performer on the 1977-78 Championship team. He was comfortable racing from the front of the pack - he was the first to cross the finish line at Almaguin’s invitational cross-country meet in the Fall 1977 and he led the field for most of the race at the GBSSA Championships until “he was beaten at the line by one stride”. Mr. B says that what set Richard apart from his fellow teammates and competitors was his ability to push through the pain his body started to experience around the first mile mark of a race. A lost shoe in a mud hole approximately 50 feet from the finish line of the OFSAA Championship course did not distract him from finishing strong either!
Brant Diermeier was Richard’s good friend and training partner. Brant recalls that they went out for the cross-country team in the 1975-76 season only to have a reason to stay late at school. But after good finishes in their first training race, they were “hooked” – so much so that for training purposes, they ran the 20 miles from their homes in Powassan to Almaguin! Richard and Brant also loved to sport the newest, wildest-coloured running shoes. You may remember hearing Brant’s “cool Nike LD40 trainers” squeak loudly as he walked on the terrazzo floors.
Brant admits that he used cross-country as training to improve himself for the Spring track season. He specialized in long-distances, specifically; the 1500- and 3000-metres races. Brant says that he found running more satisfying than traditional team sports - he recognized that he alone was responsible for his running result which in turn was his motivation to train or try harder. His coaches and former teammates say that he was “the purest runner” on the cross-country team. Not only was Brant a graceful runner “on the flats”, but it also seemed like he effortlessly floated up and down hills. Perhaps his own hill training regime - which included running up and down Nipissing Ridge Ski Hill while clutching hand weights - taught him how to maintain a steady effort level while navigating through constant changes of footing and elevation.
Brant admits that he used cross-country as training to improve himself for the Spring track season. He specialized in long-distances, specifically; the 1500- and 3000-metres races. Brant says that he found running more satisfying than traditional team sports - he recognized that he alone was responsible for his running result which in turn was his motivation to train or try harder. His coaches and former teammates say that he was “the purest runner” on the cross-country team. Not only was Brant a graceful runner “on the flats”, but it also seemed like he effortlessly floated up and down hills. Perhaps his own hill training regime - which included running up and down Nipissing Ridge Ski Hill while clutching hand weights - taught him how to maintain a steady effort level while navigating through constant changes of footing and elevation.
Mark Odrowski was one of the younger members of the 1977-78 Junior Boys team. He too used cross-country to train for his long-distance track specialty, the 1500-metre event. His best finish in a cross-country race that season was second place at Almaguin’s invitational meet. Mark claims that he had no strategy going into the race - he simply “ran his guts out”. Finishing in 7th place at the GBSSA Championships contributed to the team’s winning point total and “punched his ticket” to the OFSAA Championships.
Ken Young If there was one member of the team who crossed the finish line of every race in what appeared to be pure agony, it was Ken. He felt that finishing a 3.5-mile course in sixth (the Almaguin Invitational) or 19th (GBSSA Championships) place, was quite an achievement considering he specialized in sprint and middle-distance (800-metre) track events. To this day, Ken is not sure how he was persuaded to voluntarily join the cross-country team. Although he concurrently played on the Junior Boys Volleyball team, he likely recognized that running cross-country was a good way for him to prepare for the Spring track season. Ken may have been a reluctant cross-country runner, but come race day, Mr. B says that he gave it his all for the team. Sure, it was reported that at the end of each Championship event Ken swore to his coach and teammates that it would be his last race. But luckily for Almaguin, Ken’s loyalty brought him back to the start line of every race that championship season.
Ken Young If there was one member of the team who crossed the finish line of every race in what appeared to be pure agony, it was Ken. He felt that finishing a 3.5-mile course in sixth (the Almaguin Invitational) or 19th (GBSSA Championships) place, was quite an achievement considering he specialized in sprint and middle-distance (800-metre) track events. To this day, Ken is not sure how he was persuaded to voluntarily join the cross-country team. Although he concurrently played on the Junior Boys Volleyball team, he likely recognized that running cross-country was a good way for him to prepare for the Spring track season. Ken may have been a reluctant cross-country runner, but come race day, Mr. B says that he gave it his all for the team. Sure, it was reported that at the end of each Championship event Ken swore to his coach and teammates that it would be his last race. But luckily for Almaguin, Ken’s loyalty brought him back to the start line of every race that championship season.
Notable Cross-Country Alumni
Marilee Black (1972-1976)
During her four years at Almaguin, Marilee was a cheerleader, “dabbled” in gymnastics and while in Grade 11, played basketball. But she was best known for her stellar long distance running and leadership on the Cross-Country and Track and Field teams. Marilee is self-described as “having great endurance but never as much speed as she would have liked”.
She grew up running, mostly alone, around the streets and trails of Sundridge. Marilee doesn’t really know why she started running, but recalls being very excited when she got to high school to find others who were interested in being on a team and running together. While most of the cross-country runners were boys, there were a few other strong female cross-country and track runners including Tracy Harkness, Mary Lou Kehoe, Jean Anne Lang, Lorraine Scrivens and Julie Smith with whom she developed great friendships while training, travelling, and racing together. They competed at both the MPS and GBSSA levels every year with much success. Their cross-country coach at the time was Peter Camani – an avid runner himself.
Marilee completed her 5-year Honour Diploma at Almaguin in just 4 years. She accomplished this by taking summer courses at Chippewa Secondary School in North Bay while she competed for the track clubs at Chippewa and West Ferris Secondary School. Their track clubs were funded annually by local Legion Clubs. During her high school years, Marilee remembers competing at both indoor and outdoor track meets across the province in places like North Bay, Sudbury and at the Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. As a member of the West Ferris Track Club team in 1975, she participated in the 1500 meters - her signature event - at the Canadian Nationals held at Waterloo, Ontario, where she finished 17th. Marilee particularly loved running on rubberized tracks with banked corners and remembers feeling like she was ‘flying” the first time she ran on such a track.
Her training partner and close friend was Dianne Brooks. Before Dianne’s tragic accident in July 1975, the two often travelled to Sudbury together to train and compete at Laurentian University. Dianne was a hero to Marilee so was very touched that she was chosen as the very first recipient of the Dianne Brooks Award at the 1976 Sports Banquet.
Upon graduation from Almaguin, Marilee studied Physical Education at Western University. However, after completing her first year and realizing that there weren’t going to be enough jobs for all the Phys Ed students, she transferred into Nursing. While at Western, she continued to compete in cross-country running meets as well as in long-distance track events, but she remembers things becoming very serious and very scientific while there. She always did love the opportunity it gave her to continue to travel the province and compete. While attending university, she often acted as the “Rabbit” for many local high school meets as she could “run repeat 200s” all day.
(In the photo above Marilee is pictured with the other members of the Girls' 1973-74 Cross Country team: Front row from left: Tracy Harkness, Mary Lou Kehoe. Back from left: Dianne Brooks, Jean Anne Lang, Julie Smith, Marilee, Betty Rich. Photo by Pete Camani)
During her four years at Almaguin, Marilee was a cheerleader, “dabbled” in gymnastics and while in Grade 11, played basketball. But she was best known for her stellar long distance running and leadership on the Cross-Country and Track and Field teams. Marilee is self-described as “having great endurance but never as much speed as she would have liked”.
She grew up running, mostly alone, around the streets and trails of Sundridge. Marilee doesn’t really know why she started running, but recalls being very excited when she got to high school to find others who were interested in being on a team and running together. While most of the cross-country runners were boys, there were a few other strong female cross-country and track runners including Tracy Harkness, Mary Lou Kehoe, Jean Anne Lang, Lorraine Scrivens and Julie Smith with whom she developed great friendships while training, travelling, and racing together. They competed at both the MPS and GBSSA levels every year with much success. Their cross-country coach at the time was Peter Camani – an avid runner himself.
Marilee completed her 5-year Honour Diploma at Almaguin in just 4 years. She accomplished this by taking summer courses at Chippewa Secondary School in North Bay while she competed for the track clubs at Chippewa and West Ferris Secondary School. Their track clubs were funded annually by local Legion Clubs. During her high school years, Marilee remembers competing at both indoor and outdoor track meets across the province in places like North Bay, Sudbury and at the Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. As a member of the West Ferris Track Club team in 1975, she participated in the 1500 meters - her signature event - at the Canadian Nationals held at Waterloo, Ontario, where she finished 17th. Marilee particularly loved running on rubberized tracks with banked corners and remembers feeling like she was ‘flying” the first time she ran on such a track.
Her training partner and close friend was Dianne Brooks. Before Dianne’s tragic accident in July 1975, the two often travelled to Sudbury together to train and compete at Laurentian University. Dianne was a hero to Marilee so was very touched that she was chosen as the very first recipient of the Dianne Brooks Award at the 1976 Sports Banquet.
Upon graduation from Almaguin, Marilee studied Physical Education at Western University. However, after completing her first year and realizing that there weren’t going to be enough jobs for all the Phys Ed students, she transferred into Nursing. While at Western, she continued to compete in cross-country running meets as well as in long-distance track events, but she remembers things becoming very serious and very scientific while there. She always did love the opportunity it gave her to continue to travel the province and compete. While attending university, she often acted as the “Rabbit” for many local high school meets as she could “run repeat 200s” all day.
(In the photo above Marilee is pictured with the other members of the Girls' 1973-74 Cross Country team: Front row from left: Tracy Harkness, Mary Lou Kehoe. Back from left: Dianne Brooks, Jean Anne Lang, Julie Smith, Marilee, Betty Rich. Photo by Pete Camani)
Kathy Fong (1976-1981)
Kathy admits that she went out for the cross-country team because she loved running. She still runs to this day.
She had some success in MPS and GBSSA Cross-country meets. For example, she was one of the top four finishers of the Junior Girls team that finished third overall at the 1977-78 MPS Cross-Country Championship meet. Also, while she qualified to compete as a Midget Girl at the 1977-78 GBSSA Championships, a map-reading error by her coaches kept her from reporting to the start line in time for the race.
One of many things that Kathy said she appreciated about her cross-country coach, Mr. B, was his ability to encourage training based on an athlete’s strengths and weaknesses. Kathy recalled a time that he spent with her after a run to work on hill repeats. He told her that power on the hills would give her an advantage by maintaining a steady pace but if she surged as she reached the top of the hill and then maintained that surge for another minute or so once she crested the hill, she would gain a competitive advantage on hilly racecourses. Kathy admitted that it felt good to run that way and that the training technique improved her confidence. She also recognized that, “sometimes in life we have to maintain the surge” to get past an obstacle.
Kathy was also a member of Almaguin’s track team. She credits Mr. Bisbee for reminding her - when she was having reservations about continuing to run track during her senior year - that it is important to have different outlets for stress in your life. He told her that running could provide an outlet for the anxiety she was feeling about getting good grades and the big question all teenagers have, “what am I going to do with my life?”. Kathy recognizes that the same advice rings true today.
For Kathy, running brings her clarity of mind. She says that she has solved many of life’s problems while she is out for a run. There are even times when she is certain that she could solve not only her own, but the problems of her city (Toronto), province and country! How’s that for confidence building in any of life’s circumstances, she asks?
(In the photo above Kathy is pictured with the 1977-78 Junior Girls team members from left: Cathy Rich, Doris Rother (in background), Kathy, Barb Paul.)
Kathy admits that she went out for the cross-country team because she loved running. She still runs to this day.
She had some success in MPS and GBSSA Cross-country meets. For example, she was one of the top four finishers of the Junior Girls team that finished third overall at the 1977-78 MPS Cross-Country Championship meet. Also, while she qualified to compete as a Midget Girl at the 1977-78 GBSSA Championships, a map-reading error by her coaches kept her from reporting to the start line in time for the race.
One of many things that Kathy said she appreciated about her cross-country coach, Mr. B, was his ability to encourage training based on an athlete’s strengths and weaknesses. Kathy recalled a time that he spent with her after a run to work on hill repeats. He told her that power on the hills would give her an advantage by maintaining a steady pace but if she surged as she reached the top of the hill and then maintained that surge for another minute or so once she crested the hill, she would gain a competitive advantage on hilly racecourses. Kathy admitted that it felt good to run that way and that the training technique improved her confidence. She also recognized that, “sometimes in life we have to maintain the surge” to get past an obstacle.
Kathy was also a member of Almaguin’s track team. She credits Mr. Bisbee for reminding her - when she was having reservations about continuing to run track during her senior year - that it is important to have different outlets for stress in your life. He told her that running could provide an outlet for the anxiety she was feeling about getting good grades and the big question all teenagers have, “what am I going to do with my life?”. Kathy recognizes that the same advice rings true today.
For Kathy, running brings her clarity of mind. She says that she has solved many of life’s problems while she is out for a run. There are even times when she is certain that she could solve not only her own, but the problems of her city (Toronto), province and country! How’s that for confidence building in any of life’s circumstances, she asks?
(In the photo above Kathy is pictured with the 1977-78 Junior Girls team members from left: Cathy Rich, Doris Rother (in background), Kathy, Barb Paul.)
Words of advice...
The following is advice that some former Almaguin cross-country team members said that they would give to current and future cross-country runners:
- Have fun
- Work on form
- Stretching is just as important as running
- Running doesn’t really get any easier, but it feels better and better every time out
- If you want to improve strength and speed, run hills
- Don’t rely on systemic training, just run wherever you are and whenever you want
- Continue to run as it will provide you with an outlet for your stress and anxiety, at any stage of life
Team Photos
1967-68
lFront row from Left: Don Cobb, Bill Morris, Ross Mitchell, John Hiley, Ronnie Maeck, Morley Schell. Back row from left: Don Dorst (coach), John Pearson, Harold Brooks, Cliff Morrison, Doug Webb, Ray Smith, Glen McFadden, Steve McDonald, Tom Rutledge (Coach).
1968-69
Front row from left: Ricky Rennie, Bill Black, Doug Pearson, Paul Shaw, John Kennedy, David Robertson. Back row from left: Tom Rutledge (Coach), John Pearson, Randy McKay, Robert Brown, Joe Thoma, Brady MacIntosh, Brad Hunt, Ross McBride
Front row from left: Marilyn Dickie, Diane Jeffrey, Dale Johnston, Mary Hill. Back row from left: Linda Price, Marlene Menard, Jackie Parkes, Donna McCabe, June Bartraw, Judy King.
1970-71
Front from left: Barry Rutledge, Jane Van Mierlo, Linda Thompson, Kathy Trinier, Pauline Heinonen, Joan Gallagher, Pat Raaflaub. Middle: Bill Atkinson (Coach), Malcolm Salter, Brian Johnson, Steve Leighton, Chris Lusty, Steve Tennant, John Smith. Back from left: Scott Fraser, Mike Burke, John Hiley, Mike Dickerson, Ron Harvey, Len Morrison, Carl Griffin. Absent: Bev Spencer, George MacKay, Jean Forde, Linda McNally, Dale Jarvis, Melody Zrobin.
1972-73
Front row from left: Bill Pledge, Rae Dobbie, Glen Rickward. Back from left: Bob Bisbee (Coach), Dan Bowman, Tim Decker, Bob Whitehead, Stan Morrison, Ken Morden. Absent: Steve Schamehorn.
1973-74
Front row from left: Betty Rich, Dianne Brooks, Jean Anne Lang, Tracy Harkness, Julie Smith, Mary Lou Kehoe, Marilee Black. Back row from left: Bill Pledge, Stan Morrison, Bob Whitehead, Peter Aultman, Dan Kelly, Gerry Perrault, Lonnie Jenkins, Cletus Gauthier, Jim Storie, Rob Lake, Peter Camani (Coach)
1975-76
From left: Cathy Rich, Brian May, Brad Rutledge, Brian Bell, Ron Driscoll, Rob McLean, Terry Armstrong, Paul Peebles, Richard Bateman, Robert Elliott, Jim Farrell, Brent Deirmiere.
1976-77
Front row from left: Mike Solovaara, John Kuehni, Brad Rutledge. Back row: Peter Camani (Coach), Richard Bateman, Mark Odrowski, Brent Diermier, Mr. Beswitherick.
1977-78
Front row from left: Doris Rother, Barb Paul, Kathy Fong, Cathy Rick. Middle row from left: Rob Bruyns, Ken Costello, Brent Diermeier, Mike Salovaara, Babs Aiyede, Steve Anderson, Dan Vician. Back row from left: Peter Camani (Coach), Mike Kerr, Ken Young, Mark Odrowski, Richard Bateman (MPS Champion), Peter Rauch, Brian May, Ken Beswitherick (Coach).
1978-79
Front from left: Mr. Hale (Coach), Mike Kerr, Marlene Timmerman, Doris Rother, Barb Paul, Afolake Aiyede, Karen Bateman, Paula Nowak, Ken Beswitherick (Coach), Donna Heittolla. Back from left: Peter Nowak, Sylvain Vallee, Steve Hensley, Tom Joron, Dan Vician, Mike Salovarra, Kevin Pinkerton, Brian May, Steve Anderson, Bill Reichstein, Joe Busch. Absent: Mark Odrowski.
1979-80
Front from left: Carol Redmond, Roslyn DiProfio, Rob Leggate, Allen Busch, Joe Busch, Bill Reichstein. Middle row from left: Christine Bartraw, Peter Niemezak, Calvin Cope, Dave Carter, Steve Anderson, Ron Raaflaub. Back row from left: Ken Beswitherick (Coach), Cheryl Odrowski, Mark Odrowski, Mike Salovaara, Marlene Timmerman, Mrs. Beswitherick.