Growing Up with the Best Mentors of Play
Burnsville Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony with “Coach” Howard Anderson, 2013
My love for a solid play session goes as far back as I can remember. Like most kids, it started at home with siblings. We did lots of things to create our own play but a couple of my fondest early memories include walks over to a nearby pond where we’d stuff dandelions and rocks in our pockets, wandering through the acres surrounding our home and getting our shoes stuck in the mud and my sisters waking me up suddenly from naps telling me that our house was on fire and then running out of the house to “stop, drop and roll” (this was actually them playing with me being the terrified little sister) but such is life as the youngest.
From there, the play turned into sports and neighborhood fun. Late summer evenings playing kick the can and ghost in the graveyard, seeing a “white towel” hanging from our friends’ flag pole meaning their pool was open for a pool party (YES!) and soccer practices or soccer games nearly every night. Ah, I was living the life and the play was so good.
From there, once in junior high, my commitment to play went a notch up. Sports became a real driving force in my life between competitive soccer and swimming...and still finding time to participate in recreational sports, mainly tennis and basketball. I think that with basketball I was mesmerized by my sister, Amy, and wanted to do anything she did so I followed her around all summer long to basketball camps thinking I’d find my “basketball prowess” someday. It never happened but a girl can dream. And, in 7th grade I also stumbled into running and I can honestly say it changed my life. The full story can be read here, but - in short - my Gym teacher - Mr. Dale Urbain - encouraged us new kids to participate in the annual Cross Country running race at our school. In my group of soccer friends, the natural answer to anything athletically related was always a firm “Yes!” so we all signed up, toed the line on a dusty baseball field and, with two laps of an adventurous route around our school campus and neighboring hockey complex, I came away as the winner...and then I repeated that for the next couple years for a three-peat. It was a huge deal to me because our soccer team was full of girls with amazing talent, with a few who went on to play at the national level, and being the race winner was a real confidence booster to me. Furthermore, the race served as an eye opener to me given Mr. Urbain was a REAL runner...he told story after story about the Boston Marathon where he participated as an annual elite competitor and the stories were like magic to me. When he personally had a plaque made for me to honor my winning streak in the event, I was elated and in sincere awe of his life as someone who was able to play at work. And, beyond Mr. Urbain, I had this same appreciation for all the PhyEd (we called it Gym back then) and was inspired and motivated by all of them...Mr. Urbain, Mr. Goggin, Mr. Fystrom, Coach Boe and Mr. Anderson: they all painted this real scene to me of being passionate towards play and that it was possible to build a life around it.
The bunch of them together….they were my Play Mentors...and they have deeply impacted my life. Of course Mr. Urbain played an immense role in my life through running but, of the group, one of them has had a lasting imprint on me and has truly been a key influence in my life: the great, Howard Anderson.
Like Mr. Urbain, Howard “Coach” Anderson was also a gym teacher at our junior high and, while I didn’t even have him as teacher, his upbeat attitude, enthusiasm towards sports and the amazing swimming program that he had built in Burnsville had me so fond of him as a teacher and so respectful to him as a Coach.
From meeting him in 7th grade, Coach was a real presence throughout my time in junior high and high school. As the head coach of the swim team, I joined as soon as I could as a freshman, swam with the Varsity team and clinged to his positive coaching and messages to our team. And, despite my disposition to seek adventure in some ways (AKA get in trouble), Coach was someone who always saw the best in me while inspiring me to seek adventure in upstanding ways... like performing at my highest level, being a kind person, truly enjoying what I did and being committed to helping those around me. I always felt it was a good idea to channel his approach to life and it has served me through the long haul in my dedication to sports, my career and hopefully my ability to positively ignite enthusiasm in those around me.
He’s been a lifelong teacher of Recess to me and I have much to owe him. A handful of years ago (2017), Coach called me while I was on spring break with my family in Mexico. Despite being on a small island, when I saw his name come up, I, of course, picked up. That’s what you do for lifelong mentors. His call was to let me know that he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Needless to say, the news was numbing, but for Coach, the call still ended with “Having the Best Day Ever, talk soon”...because he really knew and lived that each day is a precious gift. I will save you a long story of what unfolded between then and now but I am full of gratitude to share with you that Coach is still having his BEST DAYS EVER. He’s a pancreatic cancer survivor and each time we talk...Yep, you can believe it’s his best day ever.
A handful of years before that, Coach called to let me know that he wanted to nominate me for our high school hall of fame...for my accomplishments at BHS in sports but really for my work related to World Bicycle Relief. It was a cause I had supported at the Ironman World Championship as a fundraiser in 2007 and then turned it into a career. Upon completion of the World Championship, I suggested that the organization could benefit from starting a grassroots network. Fortunately the founder agreed with me and as I was hired. That was in 2008 and the organization thrived so substantially in those building years - and I was so passionate about seeing the mission flourish - that Coach felt I should receive the honor of being included in the Hall of Fame. Even his call to let me know he was going to nominate me was humbling in itself... let alone the news that followed a few months later that I would indeed be inducted.
Below is an excerpt from my induction speech that I feel needs to be documented here as Advanced Recess gets off the ground. Let it be a testament that all that playing in the backyard, at the park, on the field, next to the pond and playing kick the can...it can truly lead to a life of play. Thank you to all PhyEd teachers, all youth sports coaches, all parents lugging chairs to games and to all people who believe in the wonders and joys of pursuing a life of play. Cheers to all who aspire to Advanced Recess...a truly worthy subject to excel at.
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Thank you for the nice introduction, Coach. I can honestly say that one of the reasons I’m here tonight is due to many of your great talks to the BHS swim team. I can vividly remember you telling us to “read food labels” which is advice I’ve taken literally over the years as well as you frequently stressing that “as great it is to be good athletes, it’s much more important to be good people.” It’s a motto I’ve turned to frequently over the years and I have you to thank for that.
I’ve been taking time lately to think about what has led me on this journey to be here with you all. Aside from Howard Anderson’s great words about how it’s important to be a good person, I keep circling back to one word that set me on my way: “Gym”. I’m not in education nor do I claim to be any sort of expert on what contributing factors or curriculum lay pavement for the success of students but I can say, for me, it was exposure to activity, physical fitness, sports and endurance that had a significant influence on me early in life and are the foundation to my experience in the Burnsville School District. Mr. Goggin, Mr. Fyskstrom, Mr Anderson, Mr. Jeppson, Mr. Urbain and Coach Boe and Coach Gerlach: they were my role models and people I sharply listened to and admired. As much as I loved winning at sports, what I loved most was simply. participating, the thrill of competing, testing the mind and the confidence I gained through it all. I loved each opportunity I had to learn via Gym and Sports but I had no idea, at the time, that these early impressions and experiences would significantly shape my life. Now, I should say that I think science, math and reading are all important, too but I believe that the more chances people have to move, interact - and play together - that’s the stuff that ignites sparks, builds bonds and helps some kids discover their passions. Be it a pool, a gym court, a track, a field: they are such great life classrooms and I’m so deeply appreciative of all they taught me. The ability to play, indeed, is a great gift of life.
