"hey, I can do this!" part one

Recently I asked members to share meaningful moments in their track and field journeys. They’ve come up with terrific stories – enough for several blog posts! Here’s the first; I’ll publish others in the coming weeks.  
Leah Rewolinski
The Villages TLC web wizard
 
 
My “Aha” Moment
In January 2009 I started to run track for the first time in my life. John Topliss was in charge, and he took me under his wing to teach me what he knew. For nine months I never knew he had a face, because I was always looking at his backside when we ran. In October 2009 the student beat the teacher in both the 100 and 200 meters in Gainesville. In 2017 I won at the national level. I had arrived.
--Ray Jancso
 
The Thrill of Helping Others
I recall that John Topliss would have me work with the newbies (back in April 2017) to see what their interest, goals, and abilities were and how the club could help them. I quickly discovered some gals never competed in sports because they never had the opportunity. (Thank God that has changed.) In time, the desire to compete in an event developed, and we promoted that desire within the club and then to the Senior Games. I truly feel that’s when I got one of my greatest thrills and sense of pride, watching each gal get her first medal ever. It brought tears to my eyes and still does. I thank John and the club. They are a great group with positive goals.
--Doug Cronkhite  
 
Running In and Out of Trouble
I remember that I was always fast. When I was in grade school, we lived in an area with lots of wide-open fields and woods. I loved throwing rocks at the older kids and then getting away. Well, I never said I was the smartest kid, but I never got caught.
 
One day when I was 8 or 9, my older sister was babysitting me. For no apparent reason, she wanted to catch me and give me a spanking. I’m sure it would have been completely unjustified. Just as she was about to grab me I reached the top of the basement steps. I took off. When I became airborne, I thought, This was a really bad idea. It seemed like I was flying forever. I finally landed safely on the last step and got away; that seemed to take the air out of my sister’s pursuit. (Maybe she was afraid to follow this idiot into an enclosed space.) In spite of that early jumping success, I was never very good at the long jump.
--Tom Rewolinski
 
Outrunning COPD
After years of running bases playing softball and being told how fast I was, I finally decided to see if I could be competitive. Never having participated in track, I was a little apprehensive, but I signed up to run the 50-meter dash in the Villages Senior Games when I turned 80. Having COPD and shortness of breath, I didn’t think I could do more than 50 meters. I won the gold, and that made me decide to do more. I joined the track club and enjoyed a few years of successful competition and the camaraderie of the group. The pointers and assistance I got from John Topliss were a big help.
--Ed Kenney
 
My Surreal Mile
The car radio played a dreamy ballad, “I’m Not In Love,” one of the hits from that summer of 1975. Late-afternoon humidity gave the passing landscape a misty quality. My nervous anticipation heightened all my senses and made my upcoming track debut feel like a weird daydream. My boyfriend Tom (who’s now my hubby) was driving us both to an open meet at UW-Parkside, where I would compete in the mile.
 
Three other women lined up with me at the start. In the first lap, one of them really took off, and I knew enough not to chase her. But I did pass the other two and gave it all I had. Afterward, Tom said I ran “a smart race.” I was amazed that I’d run a race at all, and survived. We still have a photo of me crossing the finish line as the volunteer timer clicked my blazing speed (6:14.9) on his stopwatch.
 
Fun fact: This volunteer timer was none other than world-class runner Lucian Rosa. The following December, he set a personal best of 2:14:31 at the Fukuoka Marathon in Japan, which was then considered the unofficial world championship. Sadly, political meddling stole his chance to compete in the 1976 Montreal Olympics. You can read more about this amazing athlete: just Google “Lucian Rosa runner” and follow the link to LetsRun.com.
--Leah Rewolinski