DeLand in general, and what was the former DeLand Academy in particular, have the reputation—whether deserved or not--of reacting to good news with that kind of old-fashioned, reserve best described with a noun (located in my 1937 edition of Roget’s Thesaurus), being somewhere between aplomb and apoplexy. In other words, keep that new-found fortune under your hat, lest it escape down Woodland Blvd.
Because of my being situated in that “gray area”—living in DeLand, but having arrived from elsewhere—it was suggested that I might be able to put a certain event, pertaining to a particular team of said well-established college (in regards to an outstanding athlete) in better perspective than complete silence....Maybe I’ve been here too long already. What I meant to say was huzzah for Amanda! Huzzah for Stetson! Huzzah for Coach Matuszczak and the Women’s team! (Suitably old-fashioned for the moment, eh?)
Amanda Spring, for those who read only the East Coast papers, is that seriously steady performer who ran (roughly) consistent 20s as an underclassman, 19s as an upper classman, and “broke through” to a lifetime best of 18:44 at the October 31, 2012 3A District 10 Meet, leading Northeast (St. Petersburg) to the Girls’ title with 46 points. That time would rank her as the top Stetson female athlete—past and present—and a bona fide D-1 level runner. (In fact, she would have finished 24th overall in the 2012 Atlantic Sun Conference Championship, held only days before her high school race.) Are we getting excited yet? Ready to launch that “Boss of the Plains” Stetson? When I asked her about her decision, she sure was.
Ralph: “Amanda, when did you sign?”
Amanda: “I officially signed today”—February 6th—“at 10:11 AM, and look forward to talking to you about it!”
Ralph: “Which colleges did you, at first, consider?”
Amanda: “I have always wanted to go to the University of Florida for the veterinary program, but it wasn't going to be a realistic choice, since I really wanted to run in college, but couldn't run the times (there). I talked to (Stetson Head) Coach Joe at the flrunners.com invitational and decided to go check it out. After I visited, Stetson was really the only school I considered. I did talk to others, but none of them stood out to me like Stetson really did.”
Ralph: “What things about Stetson helped you to narrow it down to that university over the others?”
Amanda: “When I visited Stetson, I concluded that it was the best school because it fit most of my needs and wants. First, it is a division 1 school, which is what I wanted. It is a small-sized school, which is what my coaches thought I would do best with. It has a pre-veterinary program, which fit my field of choice, and it had cross country, so I would be able to run. On top of that, the campus is beautiful, and downtown is just a five minute walk away, which is extremely handy and awesome. Aside from it being an expensive school, it is a perfect match.”
Ralph: “Was Stetson's academic reputation paramount to your decision, or was it a combination of factors: the atmosphere of a small college, its campus--pretty nice, isn’t it?--the ‘small town feel’ of DeLand, the coach, and so forth.”
Amanda: “Along with the factors mentioned above, the coach and the team also helped make my decision. I was able to meet some of the team, and they were extremely nice and so helpful when I asked questions about daily campus life, classes, and dorms. Coach Matuszczak was able to show me the athletic facilities and was an enormous help in answering any questions I had about the facilities and such. It was all an exciting and awesome experience!”
Ralph: “Your times were pretty consistent at Northeast: superb in all four years, to say the least, and finally there’s that spectacular 18:44 at the 3A District 10 Meet, which you won. How important was that ‘breakthrough race’ to your confidence level?”
Amanda: “I was so ecstatic when I broke 19 minutes! Most of the races that I ran throughout the season weren't under ideal conditions, so I continued to get frustrated because I felt like I wasn't any better than last year. Although my coaches insisted that I could easily run under 19, my times weren't improving, and the season was passing me by. Fortunately, at the city race I was able to drop down to 19:02, and I came back with more confidence two weeks later and ran 18:44 at Districts. I even fell during the first mile of the race, but I was determined to finally break 19, and I surprised myself by reaching the mid (18)40s.”
Ralph: “If you can return in the fall on that level (mid- to high 18s), not only will you have an immediate impact on the college level, but you will (probably) start the 2013 season as the Hatters' top runner. Any further comments on that performance, and do you think that it will be possible to improve on that over the summer?”
Amanda: “It would be awesome if I could come out and be on top, but I need to earn it. In the past summers, I haven't done much to train, so in order to start where I left off, I definitely need to train over the summer and get the head start that I have lacked in the past years. From there, I can only improve, and I look forward to it.”
Ralph: “Will you miss track? (Stetson’s only collegiate running program is cross country.)”
Amanda: “I will definitely miss track, considering the fact that I am continuing to get better at that also. It is one of the compromises that I made when I chose Stetson, but it gives me more incentive to achieve as many of my goals as possible this last season of high school, and go out with a bang.”
Ralph: “There will, of course, be opportunities to run track meets (Embry Riddle—a half hour’s drive east, has three [open] spring meets, as have Bethune-Cookman, UF, FSU, and UNF, theirs). Do you foresee yourself doing so right away, or will you try to work through a more rigorous academic program first, and see if you have time to both train and race?”
Amanda: “At this point, I am not too sure, but I am interested in running the track meets. I guess it all depends on how that first semester, and cross country season work out.”
Ralph: “That is, of course, assuming that you might want to run track. But let's say that thought hadn't occurred to you (and I hadn’t let the cat out of the bag). What kind of sacrifice was it to go to a college that lacks a running sport which competes in the winter and spring?”
Amanda: “It was a somewhat difficult compromise because I have been competing in track longer than cross country, and I love having different times that I can improve for different distances. If I can't improve on one, there is always another. However, because of the lack of a track season, I can take heavier course loads each second semester and therefore lighter course loads during the cross country seasons.”
Ralph: “With Stetson running almost all of their meets in northern Florida, does the opportunity of seeing you run excite your parents, and conversely you about having them there?”
Amanda: “I know that my dad is definitely excited and has expressed interest in coming out for some meets. It excites me as well because he has always been an essential part of my running. He has supported me from the first practice I had in middle school, to pushing me to join cross country. He actually had to make me go to practice for the first two weeks of cross country before I willingly continued. Not one of my best moments, but it definitely helped me overcome one simple fact: running sucks and hurts, but I need to get over it.”
Ralph: “Tell us more about your planned major.”
Amanda: “I plan on going into the pre-veterinary program at Stetson. After Stetson, I plan on attending the University of Florida in order to become a veterinarian. Eventually, I would like to open my own vet clinic.”
Ralph: Still more good news for Amanda: about the only thing DeLand has more of than barbeque restaurants are veterinary clinics: 29 in town, and 99 within a reasonable drive. A good place to practice after practice!
Note: At the time of this publication, Amanda hadn’t “officially” cleared the NCAA criteria for recognition as a student-athlete at Stetson, thereby delaying comment on their part. In checking with both the college and the NCAA, I decided to go ahead with this article, as I am not connected with either institution. In reference to my attempt at tongue-in-cheek humor over the reaction time to such good news, their caution is in place to protect her, as well as any athlete’s integrity in light of any possible accusation of infringement in recruitment policy. In response to past indiscretions, Division 1 has, justifiably, created an imposing 400 page manual of rules and regulations—according to my sources. Subsequent to acceptance, Amanda will, as well as any future college athlete, have to create a “history” of her academic and athletic endeavors that will complete the clearance of their eligibility.
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DeLand in general, and what was the former DeLand Academy in particular, have the reputation—whether deserved or not--of reacting to good news with that kind of old-fashioned, reserve best described with a noun (located in my 1937 edition of Roget’s Thesaurus), being somewhere between aplomb and apoplexy. In other words, keep that new-found fortune under your hat, lest it escape down Woodland Blvd.
Because of my being situated in that “gray area”—living in DeLand, but having arrived from elsewhere—it was suggested that I might be able to put a certain event, pertaining to a particular team of said well-established college (in regards to an outstanding athlete) in better perspective than complete silence....Maybe I’ve been here too long already. What I meant to say was huzzah for Amanda! Huzzah for Stetson! Huzzah for Coach Matuszczak and the Women’s team! (Suitably old-fashioned for the moment, eh?)