Musing of a High School Father: This Is The End



This is the end, my only friend, the end. The words and title are my tribute to recently deceased member of The Doors, keyboardist Ray Manzarek. We have also come to The End of senior year and the end of high school running for the females in this family. This end is not my friend; in fact, I’d prefer it never ended.
 
I was a big fan of The Doors growing up. During my first ever job interview as a senior in college, I even told the interviewer that my hero was Jim Morrison. He looked at me a bit funny and asked, “Really? Why?” Uh oh, time to think fast. My answer, “Because he was a good role model to young people.” The guy started laughing. Nuts, wrong answer. As the interview wrapped up (shockingly, I didn’t get the job) I thought this was a great time to learn from my blunder, so I asked the interviewer, “So what is a common answer to the question?” He said, “I usually hear answers such as: Abe Lincoln, Jesus, my father, etc.  Ah, yes; I know those dudes. I was armed and dangerous ready for my next interview.
 
So, let’s get back to track; the reason you are actually reading this. Saturday night of the state meet and Sunday were spent enjoying the glory of a 4 x 800 championship, a 2nd place 1,600 and a 5th place 800. On Tuesday, I zipped down to Peoria to be with my father during the hip replacement surgery. I arrived to the hospital at 11 AM as he was getting ready for surgery at noon. My mom and sisters were all there in the pre-op room. To lighten the mood, I read my newly released Risky Business blog to the family. The laughter could be heard throughout the hall. I don’t think the hospital staff was happy with us. 
 
I came back to Wilmette on Wednesday and got home as Debbie and Courtney were returning from the doctor to have her leg looked at. I knew it wasn’t good when I saw the crutches; a femur fracture. No wonder that leg has been hurting for the past month. Have I mentioned that my kids (and wife) are pretty tough? I would have quit if I broke a shoe lace, not to mention a bone in my leg. Our dad and daughter trip to Beaver Creek, CO (with Tom and Jill Hardies of Hinsdale Central) to do the Tough Mudder Adventure Race in mid-June may turn an excuse to visit the Steadman Medical Center instead. Jess is nursing a stress fracture in her shin and Jill is recovering from a stress fracture as well. The summer will start off with lots rest and recovery to prepare for college running. Luckily we have lots of wonderful memories and photos to remind us of the last 4 years.
 
Rewind back to September 5, 2009 to the Red-Devil Hornet Invite. McKenna Kiple (WWS), Courtney, Jessica and Emma Reifel (GBW) went 1-4 in the frosh-soph race to kick-off their great high school careers. Freshman year track ended with Court and Jess both earning medals in the 1,600 and 3,200.

 (Courtney and McKenna in their first races, 9-5-09, Jess and McKenna after their last HS races on 5-18-13)
 
After freshman year, I had a very informal conversation with an ex-college running coach. She was impressed with my daughter’s year, and offered up some recruiting tips (younger runners, take note). 

1) Keep them healthy. 

Sounds easy, but running can take a toll on the body. If you make it through high school injury free, you are a rarity. 

2) They need to consistently perform at a high level and show improvement each year.

Courtney stepped up to the starting line at State meets 10 times during cross country and track. She was an All-State finisher all 10 times. (Courtney missed State track her sophomore year with a leg injury)

Jess toed the line 12 times and walked off with 11 All-State finishes. Freshman year cross country was her only miss being All-State due to a nagging leg injury. Between the two they have 21 All-State awards. I would say that is pretty consistent. (All-State for cross country is top 25; track All-State is top 9)

3) Junior year is when the coaches take notice; hopefully they can perform well. 

4th and 11th at State XC, including the team title and a 4th place team finish at Nike Nationals followed by 4th (Jess) and 6th (Courtney) in the 3,200 with Jess coming back for 7th in the 800 and Courtney taking 2nd in the 1,600. Safe to say that is not too shabby of a junior year. 

Based on recruiting tip #3, I think it is also safe to say that the Perez house will be a popular place for head coaches in early July when Madeline can be officially contacted. 

4) Don’t pick a school based on the coach.

Okay, that one bit us a bit when Coach Rasmussen (U of I) called Court to let her know that he is stepping away from coaching. I’m sure they will find a worthy replacement and she is going to a great school for engineering.

Courtney and Jessica decided pretty early during senior season where they wanted to attend college. Last week, I added the list of the other four schools that Courtney took official visits to. Normally, I would not highlight this. But, as Debbie had both girls with her on a grocery run to Dominick’s, a man recognized the twins from the local papers and asked which one was going to University of Illinois. Courtney said she was and he looked at Jess saying, “Oh, then you must be the smart one.” So, just for the record, Courtney is really smart. I honestly don’t think there is a college she could not have been admitted into. Both girls are going into engineering. Courtney even has her roommate lined up. She will be rooming with fellow runner and engineering student, Audrey Blazek (great runners last name) from Benet Academy.  

Our four year journey seemed to just zip by and I sit here reflecting and, as parents, we loved every minute of it. This is a sport which the participants can compete against each other one minute, and then plan a road trip to go watch the boys state meet the next minute, as my daughters did on the infield after their respective races. These are some of the hardest working kids in the state and their mind-set is very similar. It is no wonder these young ladies get along very well.

  
(L to R: Emily Leonard, Courtney, Emma Reifel, Megan Lemersal, Jill Hardies, Jess, Kelsey Hjorth)

Parents, enjoy these times as we have. As I wrap up my final weekly writing, I will tell you how close I was to never getting this fun opportunity. Todd Grasley (MileSplit) and I decided a blog from a parent’s perspective might be entertaining. I wrote the 1st installment and then broached the subject with my daughters. I got an emphatic, NO! Courtney even refused to read it saying she would never bless it. End of story.
 
A few hours passed and Jess asked if she could read it. I think the two hours of me pouting took its toll on her. She read it and liked it. A few hours later Courtney read my attempt. “Fine, you can do it; but don’t write anything stupid (too late), and we get to edit each edition. Agreed. You should read my 1st edition of the Spring Break blog. Let’s just say I was pushing the envelope.
 
So ladies, thanks for giving me a weekly venue to express my feelings for you and this sport. Let’s hope these next four years are as fun as the past four. And to my 20 dedicated readers, thank you. You can reach me at ackshun35@gmail.com with only positive comments…my ego is very fragile. Oh, and Pete, thanks for the photos.
 

More Coverage