A SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP
Thayer Redman is Rio-bound tomorrow (Wednesday).
Mike Hartfield competes Friday and -- if he is among the top 12 -- in the Olympic long jump finals Saturday.
There’s lots ahead but for today’s blog entry we’ll take one last look back -- at the bond between coach and athlete.
Starting with the 2005-06 school year at MHS:
Thayer -- who has now taught and coached track for 22 years -- has an eye for talent and potential.
“You could see he had physical skills,” he said, recalling his impression of Mike Hartfield when the then-sophomore was in Thayer’s PE class. “I encouraged him to come out for track and I give him credit for trying. A lot of kids stick to just what they are good at -- and he was good at basketball.”
That first year, Thayer said there was nothing to indicate that Mike would ever be as good a long jumper as he turned out to be. “But he liked the event, he liked the competition, and he applied himself, he stuck with it.”
Junior year, Mike joined the indoor track team -- and Thayer remembers him practicing in G47 (the small gym downstairs). The run-up was shorter than outside, and instead of landing in a dirt pit he landed on a pile of high jump mats.
“He was easy-going. He liked to have fun -- but you could see him become more and more focused,” Thayer said. “What separated Mike was his commitment, his perseverance, his drive.”
Mike’s high school years were marked by lots of honors (including state and NE long jump titles and All-American status), and Thayer spent a lot of time with Mike -- traveling to elite meets and invitational events.
Thayer’s favorite trip was to Saco, Maine (which is where he went to high school ) for the New Englands. A bunch of MHS students qualified, so they went up by bus and stayed overnight -- working in a visit to Old Orchard Beach, having fun in an arcade.
Those kind of experiences deepened their relationship, and Thayer and Mike kept in touch when he moved along -- first to junior college in Illinois and then to Ohio State. There, Mike broke Jesse Owens’ long jump record and developed into one of the best long jumpers in the country and world.
But Mike never abandoned Manchester, even after his father died and his mom suffered a stroke and moved away.
"He came back when he could," Thayer said. "Usually in the spring when the college season was over but we were still in school."
Thayer said Mike is a natural as a coach -- and would happily and effectively work with the MHS jumpers when he could.
Regarding Mike’s demeanor, Thayer says this:
"As fierce a competitor as he is, Mike has a classic old-school attitude. He's just a true sportsman. No trash-talking. No shoving or pushing on the track. Always wishing his opponent good luck. Things like that."
One year, Mike was back at the same time as Jacob Devalve (who had gone to Liberty) and Keron Stoute (who had gone to Bethune-Cookman). The three had all been great athletes at MHS and were, at that time, doing great in college -- each the captain of his college track team.
They all went to lunch at Woodbridge Pizza (with Thayer's son tagging along) and Thayer found himself marveling at the experience.
"I've always told our athletes that they should surround themselves with people who have similar goals, who are as highly motivated as they are," Thayer said, adding that lunch that day was a powerful demonstration about how motivated, talented people can somehow push each other to great heights.
Thayer said he had the same feeling -- and preached the same message to his student/athletes -- a couple of months ago, when in short order Seth Devalve (now with the NFL Cleveland Browns) and Mike visited MHS.
"When does something like that happen?" Thayer said.
After graduation from Ohio State, Mike had signed a contract with Adidas because he had, as Thayer put it, "podium potential." Mike has been based in Chula Vista, Calif., since but has been traveling the world to track meets.
When Mike was at the Olympic trials earlier this summer, Thayer happened to be on vacation with his family at the beach in Misquamicut. They watched on TV, and Thayer was getting texts from Mike Bendzinski -- another MHS coaching legend who was at the trials in Oregon -- and between those texts and updates on the computer the story unfolded.
And as we all now know, Mike didn't make the cut at first.
“I felt heartache, confusion, sadness,” Thyer said, but that gave way to hope when news of Dendy’s injury broke.
Everything changed at the end of July, though, and Thayer is thrilled to have the chance to support Mike in person.
And what does Mike think of Thayer? Here’s what he posted on Facebook a few weeks ago, under a picture of him posing with his old coach:
“Went from 16 with no life direction to 26 and preparing for my first Olympic Games! I have a lot of love for this guy right here! Coach Redman is the one who took me under his wing back when I didn't even know track was an actual sport! Thankful for the positive people God has strategically placed in my life and Wm Thayer Redman is definitely one of them! #NoPlaceLikeHome”