2012 thoughts - small town athletes

So, here we are at 2012 - getting ready to gear up for a new season and looking forward to some great results and opportunities to promote great products!
I recently returned from visiting my hometown in Illinois. I am from a very, very small town and although the amenities are few, the feeling of community is still strong. I always take the opportunity to catch up with neighbors and friends and check in with my high school track/cross country coaches as well.
It's always funny to run on the old routes I used while training and developing as a runner; they all seemed sooo long and so hard when I ran them 20 years ago! Now they are easy jogs to and between the small coal mining towns that are each a few miles apart from one another.
It's always easy for me to look back and think "wow, if I only had a lap pool growing up, I'd be a better swimmer now", or "if we only had an all-weather track surface to run on, I'd be a faster runner", or "if I even knew the difference between a road bike and a mountain bike, I'd probably be a faster cyclist". And, those statements may be true. But, what I am reminded of time and time again is that where I came from made me the person and the athlete I am today. I am the runner I am because my past track coach in junior high made me run the mile in a track meet where we needed someone to fill in (thanks, Mr. Rutherford) and I clearly wasn't being productive trying to be a 400m runner and long jumper!
This early success in the mile moved me toward running the mile and 2-mile in high school. To these events I thank Mr. Jack Burns, Mr. Joel Blevins, and Andy Easton (Jr. & Sr.). I'm not sure how much any of them knew about distance running, but they offered their advice, time and effort to help me along. We didn't have a cross country team in high school, so we created one. I WAS the cross country team for at least a year and Mr. Burns would drive me around to meets all over the state, in his own car, on his own time, just so I could race. All of these coaches dealt with me participating in other sports during the year too; basketball, soccer, softball - and never once accused me of not being true to running. These coaches and supporters were as close to me as family; that's the joy of being from a small town. When I go to visit, I walk in the back door of people's houses. I frequently don't have to knock and I can walk to just about anyone's house within a few minutes. These same people come together to help each other when we need it with no thought of ever being repaid for their time or effort. That is why I'm happy about where I grew up, because I do the same things now even though I live in a much bigger city.
Oh sure, I look back at our old track, weight room and workout facilities and chuckle. My high school finally got an all-weather track a few years ago and moved the weight room to a new and bigger spot - but they still use the same pieces of equipment I used almost 20 years ago! They still don't have a lap pool, a probably never will. I can tell no one rides a road bike around town because the cars literally pull waaay off the road and wait for you to pass by on your bike; they don't know how to drive with cyclists on the road and don't even try it!

Do I think that where I grew up and the lack of these amenities hinders my athletic ability now? I'll let the timeclock be the judge of that.

Do I think that where I grew up made me a better person and taught me that friends, family and community can take me to places I could never go on my own - both in life and in athletics? Absolutely.

Here's to all of us who grew up (or are currently growing up) in small towns!

And, a big thanks to all those who have supported me though the years to get me where I am today, both in life and athletics. Your support and dedication not only to me, but to all the other young athletes that make their way through our schools cannot be measured and is appreciated beyond words.