I remember four years ago. I was just a senior in a Pennsylvania high school. It was a brisk October day and the trees were changing color. I walked a few miles to my train station and took the line into West Trenton. From there I walked another few miles to The College of New Jersey, a school I hardly knew even existed.
The campus was bustling and I of course was lost. Eventually, I made my way around, looking at the dorms and the school buildings. From there I left out the back entrance and took a journey over to that college in Lawrenceville.
Everything blurred together that day and I didn’t really remember anything much about it here in Ewing. Then I started getting calls from the track coach. But I have to admit it was still a tough decision, since I applied to fifteen different schools.
But then I got my SAT scores up a little more one Saturday morning. And thanks to the wonderful academic scholarships, my choice was narrowed to two schools. The other college’s track coach didn’t even return my phone call, so my decision to come here was made.
I have a few memories from being a Statistics major. I met some wonderful people, both students and professors. The same can be said for my time spent in the Business Building. And all the academics were great. It prepared me for a job and sharpened my intellect.
But if there is one thing I am most proud of, it is my role on the Track and Field team. Everyday for four years, I had afternoon practices and weekend meets. With a season that starts at the end of August and goes almost until June, it requires dedication.
And let’s be honest, I’ve put more concentration into my running than into my studies. That’s the difficult part of being a scholar-athlete. Sometimes we’re forced to juggle schedules just for a chance to compete at the highest level.
I’ve heard other athletes in baseball, swimming, and other sports share my sentiments. We get nothing special in return for our efforts. None of us here at the college are on athletic scholarships. We don’t get special housing or to schedule our classes any earlier. And actually, for the last four semester in order to graduate, I had to take evening classes that conflicted at times with practice.
The funny thing is that I didn’t want any special treatment. Running because I love it is a good enough reason. While on the team, I’ve seen dozens of members become All-Americans. And last year, I witnessed, a teammate win the national championship in the 5000 meters run. We’ve also finished as high as fifth at NCAA Nationals as a team.
Year after year, our team competes against Division I teams and we often beat them. For four straight years we’ve beaten Rider in indoor duel meets. Names like St. Joe’s, Delaware, Temple, and Lehigh don’t really intimidate us because we beat those colleges on a regular basis.
At other meets such as ICAAAA and Penn Relays, we compete side by side with the nation’s best. These meets feature the best Division I teams in the nation, like Georgetown or L.S.U, but somehow I don’t think many students at our school are aware of this.
And at other times we are racing against people who will most likely become Olympians and have already qualified for the Olympic Trials. At one meet in Princeton, I ran against a former Olympic gold medalist in the 400 meter hurdles, Derrick Adkins. He was only two lanes outside of me. And even though he beat me, it was only by a little bit.
None of this could be possible without Coach Dolan and the other various coaches that have been a part of this team over the last few years. They not only taught us event technique, to compete hard and run fast, but from the very beginning in the recruitment process, Coach Dolan also shared with us the importance of taking pride in both the college, the team and ourselves.
So this my chance to thank him and all my teammates who have been through the grinding track season for the last 48 months, where everyday was a great day for track and field.
And just remember, when everyone is out drinking and partying during Senior Week, I will be training and competing, trying to represent my college to the best of my ability.
Quiet Lions on three. One. Two. Three. Lions.
Return Home to Stranger Magazine
Return to Opinions
Copyright 2004, Kevin Semanick