By Rosemarie Ross
rross@pottsmerc.com

POTTSTOWN — There was no way veteran Pottstown High School boys track and field coach Mary Ann Hill and last year’s assistant cross country coach Mark Agnew could just stand by and watch the Trojans’ cross country program go down the drain this year.

Boys and girls cross country was eliminated from the district budget for 2011-12.

Hill and Agnew teamed up and decided to hold workouts for the Pottstown cross country runners no matter what.

A couple of other volunteers came on board, with former Pottstown cross country standout Leah Drumheller--Scott and Pottstown teacher Jane Thompson joining Hill and Agnew.

“Mark Agnew and I are going to work together and keep the kids involved,” Hill said. “Leah and Jane are also volunteering.”

Now they are keeping their fingers crossed that the runners will show up for that first practice next week.

All high school practices for fall sports officially start on Monday.

“We have about seven kids who are already training,” Hill said. “But nothing has come to fruition yet. We just want to see how it goes.”

The cross country subject came up again at the Committee of the Whole meeting last week.

“The board heard a recommendation from the Co-Curricular Committee that the board would provide transportation for the cross country team so long as there were at least seven participants to be transported,” said John Armato, director of community relations for the Pottstown School District.

“If there is at least seven (runners), then the board will fund transporting students to meets and championships, etc. However, that was at the Committee of the Whole meeting, so, obviously, there was no vote taken on that. That will occur at the next school board meeting.”

That meeting is scheduled for next Thursday, Aug. 18. And until the plan is voted on, the transportation issue is only a recommendation. Even if it gets a “Yes” vote, it will only be for transportation and possibly entry fees for invitationals and districts.

There are no entry fees for Pioneer Athletic Conference dual meets and the PAC-10 championships.

Also, the coaching will still have to be voluntary.

“Mark Agnew and I love the kids, love running, and love track,” Hill said. “And this is what you do to have a successfully team. I see Brett Myers (Pottstown head football coach), he puts in so many hours for these kids, behind the scenes that nobody sees. We don’t do it for the money, that’s for sure.”

Agnew was as an assistant to Ryan Oxenford, who served as Pottstown’s varsity cross country head coach for the past four seasons and is now the principal at Barth Elementary School. And Agnew is going to help train the Pottstown runners no matter what.

“Two reasons,” Agnew said. “The first reason is, I love running and I want to share my passion for running with the next generation of runners.

“The second reason is, we’ve got kids there that want to do this. And I think they felt abandoned, kicked to the curb, and felt that we were walking away from their dreams,” Agnew said. “I want to help keep cross country going at Pottstown High School because there’s kids out there that want to do it. And I feel it is our job as educators and coaches to give the kids an opportunity to do what they are passionate about.”

The Trojans may not have had the numbers of old in recent years, but there was a time when Pottstown cross country was among the area’s best.

“There is a tradition of excellent cross country programs at Pottstown High School,” Agnew said. “We’ve struggled for a while, so the spotlight has come off cross country. But I know there is a ton of runners out there in Pottstown. They just need a chance to try it, and they’ll get hooked just like I got hooked and all the other runners get hooked.”

If the Pottstown School Board does not give and OK for the transportation, those unpaid volunteers will spring for that too.

“I promised the kids, ‘I’ll make sure you’re in shape and you’re going to compete,’” Hill said. “I posted it on Facebook and some people from the community have sent donations to get the ball rolling.”

Brian Schafer, a runner for Pottsgrove High School in the mid-80s, also sent a donation, Armato said.

“According to the letter he sent me, Pottsgrove found itself in somewhat the same type of position (back then),” Armato related. “And through the kindness of other schools, he was able to compete. When he heard about our situation, he wanted to give some financial support to be able to have youngsters compete this year.”

And with the volunteers and community’s help, it looks like they can.

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