2B
|
Run
MAY 6, 2021 | COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL
from B1
was also recent run of five
years of 25-plus kids on the
team.
And yet, numbers and
statistics tell only part of the
story.
Family
In speaking with many of
those who have been impact-
ed by Settelmeyer over the
years, that one word — fam-
ily — comes up over and over.
Perhaps that’s not surpris-
ing, given that he’s part of a
large family himself, and that
his wife and two sons, Sam
and Teagan, have figured so
prominently in his coaching
and beyond.
Yet, the concept of fam-
ily has, over time, come to
mean something deeper to
the Settelmeyers and, by ex-
tension, Cottage Grove cross
country itself.
“He always made it seem
like a family event,” said Rob
Scoggin, whose children,
Kenshin and Kanna, were
coached by Settelmeyer. “All
of the kids were part of the
family. And he seemed to al-
ways make it fun.”
Jim’s
brother,
Jerry
Settelmeyer, himself a life-
long educator, could often be
found helping out wherever
running or other events were
taking place. He says it’s clear-
ly part of his family’s ethos.
“It’s always been a real
satisfying feeling when you
can see people helping oth-
er people,” Jerry said. “The
Settelmeyers always have par-
ties, and we always celebrate.
And the best part of it is, we
almost always have work par-
ties. We’re celebrating each
other by working together
and actually accomplishing
something.”
Naturally, this approach
lends itself remarkably well
to the work, collaboration
and celebration involved in
running cross country. And
yet, when asked about the
role his own upbringing has
played in his philosophy, Jim
Settelmeyer pauses a while
before responding.
“I grew up one of 10 chil-
dren, mostly in Cottage
Grove,” he says. “Growing up
here, I had lots of interactions
with community in very pos-
itive ways. I saw a lot of really
positive things that sports
could do. I saw the power of
turning kids loose to use their
energy and giving them op-
portunities to use their ener-
gy in positive pursuits.”
Of course, young people,
and people in general, don’t
always use their energy in
positive pursuits. In these
instances, the deeper notion
of family — that we share a
common bond and common
goals and must work together
in common understanding to
achieve them — also comes
into play.
“I know for a fact that he
helped several kids that were
having education issues and
social issues, to get out of
that kind of social life,” Scog-
gin recalls. “And these kids
have now grown up and had
children and are having suc-
cessful families of their own.
Without having Jim there and
Joyce helping, I think they
would have wandered off the
grid.”
Still, Scoggin says that,
despite the closeness of the
Settelmeyer family, Sam and
Teagan were given no special
favors when it came to cross
country.
“There was no favoritism,”
he said. “In fact, I think he
might have even been a little
harder on them.”
For his part, Teagan
Settelmeyer — now in resi-
dency in Chicago to become
certified in emergency medi-
cine — remembers being part
of the action from the mo-
ment his dad became a coach.
“Our whole family was
oriented toward that produc-
tion,” he said. “It was what we
did for fun, what we did year-
round. I can’t imagine grow-
ing up without it; it was such
a big part of our upbringing.
It was always part of the rou-
tine, either jog club or cross
country, which was my favor-
ite part of the year.”
“Being able to work with
both of my sons through
cross country not only gave
me wonderful experiences I
will always cherish, it allowed
me to morph my outlook of
what defines success for ath-
letes on a team,” Settelmeyer
said. “Introducing the ideas
of ‘family adventures’ and
with it ‘family values’ into the
team culture became second
nature.”
School
Of course, legions of Cot-
tage Grove High School stu-
dents also remember Jim
Settelmeyer as their science
teacher. Over a 37-year ca-
reer, he’s had the opportu-
nity to teach more than one
generation, and he says the
job always melded well with
coaching.
“I’d like to think that giving
kids opportunities to learn
how to be a positive problem
solver drove the basis of ev-
erything I did, whether as a
teacher or as a coach,” he said.
“Those learning opportuni-
ties don’t come from telling
somebody every step of the
way how to be successful. Ev-
erybody is unique, and every
situation is unique, but it felt
like a really good fit.”
Of course, in the hierar-
chy of priorities, school does
come before sports.
“I saw lots of wonderful
efforts from kids in working
at school, and at times it was
great to hear that a student
wasn’t going to be at practice
DENTAL Insurance
because something import-
ant came up with family or
school,” he said.
Running
Countless miles have been
logged by CG’s cross country
athletes during Settelmey-
er’s tenure, of course, but it’s
also worth noting the many
adventures that his teams em-
barked upon.
“We got a chance to go to
the redwoods,” he recalls.
“Our teams visited Boise, and
there was the season-ending
Nike regional cross country
meet. Traditionally we went
to Seaside, where we spent
the night in a hotel, which
was a big deal. We always
went to early-season non-tra-
ditional running events, and
almost every meet was some
kind of adventure because we
would invariably stop and do
some kind of not-so-tradi-
tional food.”
Among those who lent
several helping hands were
brother Jerry, assistant Brian
Volmer-Buhl, Leilagh Boyle
and Chris Klein. He also cited
the help of supportive parents
of runners including Monica
and Kevin Yoss and the late
Steve Miller, who continued
to help long after their kids
had graduated. He also point-
ed out that the support of
South Lane School District’s
grounds and maintenance
department was invaluable.
Over time, with some years
more successful than oth-
ers, Settelmeyer continued
to preach the value of run-
ning as a healthful pursuit, a
fantastic way to channel and
release energy and challenge
oneself.
“There are a lot of people
that run around a lot of com-
munities for a reason other
than trying to set a new per-
sonal record,” he said. “It has
to do with general positive
well-being, and it’s wellness
plan that a lot of people could
benefit from. There are some
of my athletes that have be-
come lifelong runners, and
some not so much. Some got
away from it, and now they’re
back. It’s funny to see former
runners come back and not
want to admit that they don’t
run anymore, like they’re go-
ing to get in trouble or some-
thing.”
Of course, if they talk to
their old coach long enough,
he might be able to convince
them to lace up the sneakers
again. And whether or not
they still log lots of miles, he
said he hopes that his ath-
letes have carried the lessons
learned in cross country with
them throughout their lives.
“It is my hope that all ath-
letes left the program with
the knowledge that running
is a positive part of a healthy
lifestyle, that helping others
brings personal reward, and
the feeling of being a part of
a family adventure,” he said.
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