Good Sports

by Budd Glassberg

Reprinted with permission from the Zionsville Times Sentinel on July 26, 2006

The Sun is Setting on a Memorable Series

“The world is a spinning die, and everything turns and changes: man is turned into angel, and angel into man, and the head into the foot, and the foot into the head. Thus all things turn and spin and change, this into that, and that into this, the topmost to the undermost, and the undermost to the topmost. For at the root all is one, and salvation inheres in the change and return of things.” – Martin Buber

In the spring of 1997, Beth Wilborne, Dennis Houchens and I formed the Zionsville Track Club with the intent of bringing an all-comer’s track series to Zionsville. Beth’s daughter, Scotty, was a standout cross-country and track star in the Zionsville schools. Dennis’ three sons were all runners and I was the middle school cross-country coach with two daughters who both were runners. We wanted to create a place where runners could compete on a weekly basis throughout the summer. Our desire was to hold the meets for all ages and charge no admission fee. We began our series in the summer of 1997 with ten scheduled meets held each Wednesday evening that summer. Thirty runners showed up the first night. By the end of the first season nearly 100 people were participating per week. While Dennis, Beth and other volunteers were instrumental in putting on the events, my job was series statistician. Each Thursday, I would spend hours inputting times and names into the database and then updating the website with this information as well as posting pictures my lovely wife, Maureen had taken at the meet. Each week I would also write an article about the meet and submit it with a picture to the Zionsville Times Sentinel.

In our second year, the high school track was resurfaced and the series was postponed until the summer of 1999. That year Beth Wilborne moved away. Coach Andy Sheff began volunteering at the finish line at each of the meets. Peggy Houchens and Maureen started working the registration booth and concession stand. Word had spread about the series. We consistently had more than 100 attending each week. That year the Athletic Annex Running Centre became our sponsor and provided funds for our insurance as well as prizes and ribbons for two nights during the summer. I awarded points based on place and participation in events with the male and female highest point total for the season winning a large gift certificate to the Athletic Annex. The point system was dropped after that year due to some parental interference that one might expect in other organized sports.

The series grew each year, with as many as 200 participants coming each night. The All-Comer’s appealed to both the competitive runner and the casual runner. Perhaps those who enjoyed the series most were the younger children. Running six events each night allowed the children to come to a starting line without getting nervous. Many of those ten-year-olds have used the series to move on to middle school and then high school track and cross-country. It was also a proving ground for high school runners. The series also served as a reunion for those runners in college who came back home for the summer. They once again could run with and against their old chums from high school.

Over time, Dennis and I cut the number of meets per summer from ten to eight to six to allow us more time for vacations. We moved the series from the high school to the middle school track. This year, we stopped recording times and updating the website with the statistics. Dennis’ sons have all graduated and moved on. My daughters did the same. Both of us continue to coach running, but the percentage of Zionsville runners in the meets have fallen while the surrounding communities continue to come in great numbers to the series. This season more than 600 different people attended the meets.

There is nothing more inevitable than change. Years ago, I used to put on a race in memory of my departed wife, Molly. The Molly Glassberg Memorial Cross Country Challenge was held for six years. At the beginning, nearly everyone running in it knew of Molly, and ran as a tribute to her and the money was donated to the Hussy Library to purchase children’s books. By the sixth year, I noticed that most of the runners did not know Molly, and referred to the race as the “Molly Glassberg”. Neither my daughters nor I wanted her remembered as a race. I discontinued the event.

I am a firm believer in having a sunset rule for events. When they no longer meet the reasons that you had for beginning them, you should analyze the cost/benefit of the time you spend on them. The Houchens and Glassbergs are ready to hand this series over to others or simply allow it to end. For anyone interested in keeping the series going, the work involved is not near as much as when we began the series. They almost run themselves. If there is someone or some group of Zionsville residents who have enjoyed having these events available in Zionsville and are willing to take over putting on the series, Dennis and I will put in one more season to show them the ropes and hand it over to them. Anyone interested in keeping it going may call Dennis at 873-5634. Otherwise, it is time for this series to conclude with last Wednesday night’s very successful meet.

I have enjoyed being one of the hosts over the past ten years and will take many great memories both as a worker and a runner from the All-Comer’s. I believe that it has been a unique and wonderful form of family fun. I’d like to thank my partners, Dennis and Peggy Houchens, Andy Sheff, of course Maureen and all the many volunteers who have helped out at the meets over the past ten years.

Budd Glassberg is a resident of Zionsville who is active in the local running community. Visit www.runz.com for reprints of all his columns. You can reach him by email at budd@runz.com.