Section II Alumni: Where Are They Now? Part IV

By Bryan Poole, Guilderland HS, '00

When we are young we often do things because we are told we have to. We do as our parents, teachers, older brothers and sisters say, because it is the right thing to do. As we mature, we are able to make decisions for ourselves. We are able to look at a glass and decide whether or not we feel it is half empty, or half full; we decide whether we are a pessimist or an optimist.

Many of us are optimists when we are younger. It is an easier way to live, and quite frankly optimists always seem to be more happy then pessimists anyway. But with maturity comes the realization that certain things are not as great or as clear as they appear to be and often times there is no other option but to be pessimistic, quite simply because it is the “safest” way to be.

On May 13, 2003, I had the opportunity to do something that may have been lost over the years of my maturity into adulthood. That opportunity was to be an optimist and stand up for a man who had a dramatic and positive influence on my life. Coach John Wagner worked for the Guilderland School District for over thirty years. For thirty years he served each and every student that passed through the doors of Farnsworth Middle School, and for those of us who were fortunate to run high school cross-country, we knew John Wagner as a coach. Unlike some coaches, he was not wrapped up in the will to win, but more driven to ensure that every one of his athletes gave all they had so that the team could be the best it could possibly be.

Coach Wagner’s life has, in essence, been ruined by allegations, which never really “panned out”. He was tried in front of the media before he was ever given a fair chance to explain himself. The school district made a decision regarding his guilt and it was over. Once allegations of anything sexual, dealing with a minor, are brought forth it does not matter who you are, there is no possible way to fully recover. Coach Wagner will not be able to bring forward his gift for teaching ever again because he has already been labeled. Now, a pessimist would look at the allegations against Coach Wagner and decide the worst; he must be guilty. Not being able to bring myself to that horrid conclusion, I established myself as an optimist and did something about it.

What made this easy to do was the fact that over sixty other optimists were standing behind me. Those optimists were current and former runners from the Guilderland High School Cross-Country program. It was a show of support for a man that had a major influence on all of our lives. It showed how powerful his words and actions were to all of us. It showed how important the “Long Red Line” that is Guilderland Cross-Country is to us. It showed the importance of the lessons that we all learn through the trials and tribulations of running distance. It showed that even with maturity it is still possible to embrace the optimism of youth. It is never too late to look on the bright side of things; thank you to John Wagner and the “Long Red Line” that is Guilderland Cross-Country.

John Wagner was placed on administrative leave on April 17th, 2003 when the Superintendent viewed a videotape, allegedly shot by Wagner, focusing on fully-clothed student’s crotches at a school event. Despite these horrendous allegations, more than sixty Guilderland HS XC Alumni and current student-athletes showed support for Wagner at Guilderland’s May 13th School Board meeting. Poole was one of two alumni to speak on behalf of the group. Ironically enough, that same night John submitted his letter of resignation.

Poole’s life has clearly been affected by high school cross-country & John Wagner. His family relocated to the area when he was in middle school. The soft-spoken freshmen was urged by Wagner to join the team. Reluctantly he did, going no faster than 5:37 for the mile. Although not a leader on the course, the coaches often recognized Poole as one of the instructional leaders to the younger runners. As Graduation Coordinator, Poole was responsible for persuading Mayor Rudolph Giuliani to speak at his graduation. Currently a senior at Ithaca College, Poole still carries the spirit of cross-country with him. After losing 63lbs., Poole has since run a 1:21 half-marathon, taken thirty minutes off his 15k and more than a minute off his mile time. Poole’s not alone.

The showing on May 13th was just a fraction of the number of students Wagner affected, serving as an Administrator and Freshmen Boys Coach from 1971-2002. The overwhelming positive impact he had on the lives of Guilderland’s runners and students will always overshadow any alleged act of indiscretion. We would like to congratulate John on what we optimists will always remember as a highly successful career and wish him luck in his retirement!

If you would like to find your inner-optimist, join us for the first annual Guilderland XC Invitational Alumni Race, September 20th, 2003 at Tawasentha Park. Information is now available online at GuilderlandXC.com. This event will feature a team competition! Three runners from the same high school (male or female, any year) will score (fastest combined time). Prizes will also be awarded to the “Top XC Coach” (male and female), “Middle-of-the-Pack” finisher and “Eldest Alumni”. We hope you can join us in this celebration of high school cross-country.

If you’d like to share your story of how high school cross-country has impacted your life, please email Andrew Rickert at ramjet7@yahoo.com.

This article was published in the August issue of the "Pace Setter" magazine.