What I Know for Sure

I know it sounds like a cliché when I say that hard work and determination are the keys to success in this great sport of ours…but I KNOW this to be true. What follows are two stories of former bulldogs that prove this simple point. Their determination and outstanding work ethic helped transform them as runners.

Mike Sadowsky
Mike was a painfully shy ninth grader when I met him in my English class. At the end of his freshman year, he told me he wanted to come out for cross country the following year. During that summer, Mike grew several inches and was literally beset with growing pains…knee pain, leg pain, you name it. At our time trial in August, Mike clocked 29:27 for 5K at Bellevue. As the season progressed, his goal was a simple one….not to be passed by the Top Girl in our duel meets (like today, the girls started 5 minutes AFTER the boys). He finished his sophomore season clocking a PR of 24:36 for 5K.

Mike’s junior year, he moved his way up the ranks of our JV, just missing the opportunity to run in the State Meet. His season PR was a respectable 18:45. At the end of his track season, Mike asked us what he needed to do to be All State. Summer training mixed with weights was the answer. Mike put in the miles EVERY DAY. He showed up for his senior year READY TO RUN.

Mike led the way in workouts and meets. By the end of his senior XC season, Mike was All Conference, All County and FIRST TEAM ALL STATE. From 29:27 to First Team All State in three years! He went on to have a STELLAR career at the University of Delaware clocking 14:52 for 5K and 31:08 for 10K.

Nate Parmenter
Most of you know Nate. For three years, Nate was a good runner. He showed up for practice. He made our Top 7. He complained EVERY day and threw up before most of his meets. At the State Meet, he clocked 19:07 as a freshman; 19:13 as a sophomore; 19:02 as a junior.


The summer after his junior year, Nate turned the corner as a runner. He decided he no longer wanted to be “good.” He wanted to be GREAT (hence the nickname, Nate the Great). Like Mike, Nate ran EVERY DAY that summer. He worked hard in EVERY practice, and not ONCE did he complain. After one race, he took off his spikes to reveal a blood soaked sock. His blisters were so bad that they popped and bled during the race. His response, “It’s no big deal, Flan. I’ll soak them tonight.” I almost passed out. Was this the same Nate who received the “No Whining Award” as a ninth grader?


I think you know how this story ends. Nate went on to break school records at Banning, Bellevue, Winterthur, & Killens. He earned All Conference, All County, and First Team All State Honors clocking a 16:03 at Bellevue State Park. From 19:07 to 16:03.


Mike and Nate….two very similar stories that prove the point: with hard work and determination, there’s no telling where you will go in this sport.

How will your story end?