One of the unique things about Don that I’ve always marveled at is the way he has shown such a long-lasting appreciation for he experienced and learned while a member of the St. Bernard Cross Country program.
In most cases, student-athletes in high school, graduate, move on to college or some other aspect of life, and slowly but surely, their experiences become distance memories in the recesses of their minds. Rarely, do we ever see athletes find ways of showing their indebtedness and gratitude towards their former coaches more than thirty-three years after they left high school. Such is not the case with Don Sikorski.
Routinely, he has organized reunions, sometimes on a twice-yearly basis, for past runners who have competed for St. Bernard High School. The one stipulation? These social get-togethers must ALWAYS include their former high school coach, Doug Sharples.
As with many runners as well as other athletes, their experiences in the sport and their interactions with their coaches have left indelible marks in their lives. For Don, it is very evident that he feels that Coach Sharples has had a tremendous …show more content…
Bernard. The sport of Track & Field in high school is a different animal when compared to cross country. Functionally, more emphasis is placed on team scoring, accumulating points for the team, and running multiple events on a regular basis. Individual efforts, in an attempt to secure PR’s, are rare and limited to a few Invitationals during the season. Even at the State Championships, doubling or even tripling in events is not uncommon. The end result for Don and many other runners at that level is the acquisition of personal bests is usually delayed until college, where individuality is more of the norm. Nonetheless, his high school PR’s included the mile (4:33) and the 5000 meters