Demons: Confidence, Condition

By Tom O'Toole With a little bit of luck, a touch of coincidence and an abundance of confidence and conditioning, Norman Trzaskoma has built a cross country dynasty at Reynolds Senior High School. "It's confidence gained through conditioning that does it." said Trzaskoma, whose Reynolds teams have won 3 consecutive state titles. "And, we have gotten the best kids. Our feeder schools have sent us some very good runners. We've been fortunate, although, it might be a coincidence. One runner who arrived by chance was team captain David Huffman. While at Atkins High School, Huffman was pulled out of gym class by a coach and almost told to run. His brother had been a runner at Atkins. "A lot of kids start by chance," said Trzaskoma, "but if a kid works hard for a long time, then he gains confidence." Hard work for a very long time is Reynolds' trademark. The team goal is 600 miles of practice running this fall. That does not include the efforts of runners like Huffman who log as many as 10 miles on a Sunday, supposedly an off day. "One of our goals for the year," Trzaskoma said, "was to put in 600 miles, which we should easily do in the next two weeks. We have 495 now. Also, we wanted to win the state title and be ranked in the top 10 in the nation." "Harrier Magazine" placed the Demons 18th last year. But this fall, "Harrier", a national publication, has already done a feature story on Reynolds and coupled with the Demons' record, a top 10 ranking remains a distinct possibility. So far this fall, the Demons are 38-0, with five dual meet shutouts. A shutout occurs when a team has runners in the top 5 places. Reynolds was unbeaten last year and since 1973 is 270-4-1. Despite the national coverage, despite the record and despite even the graffiti which decorates the Reynolds campus lauding the team's accomplishments, anonymity is still very much a part of the Demons' profile. Being what it is, cross country doesn't lend itself to spectators. Furthermore, in some places, the sport itself carries bad connotations. Such is not the case at Reynolds where the team consists of not just 20 runners but 20 athletes. "We certainly do have athletes." Trzaskoma said. "Runners mut be very athletic. But going beyond all that, these guys have good personalities -- they're very personable, which makes for good team spirit. "There will always be spirit when you win," he added, "but it's our strong-willed boys who make the difference, the ones who run all summer and all winter. And that dedication makes the difference between a good runner and a great runner. During the season they spend a lot of time with each other and sometimes they worry more about teammates in races than opponents, which I think is good." This intrasquad competition, combined with quality runners and good spirit, makes for a near-unique team concept in a sport that, by its nature, emphasizes individualism. Besides individualism, though, cross country has an innate loneliness, one which might deter some people from running. "It can be lonely at times." said Huffman. "But it's usually not during the season, because there is always somebody to run with. It's bad in the winter." "It may sound crazy, but running can be relaxing," he added. "It helps take your mind off other things. And, just the thought that you run, say 10 miles, makes you feel good." There is a personal satisfaction claimed Huffman, which motivates a runner. Perhaps that satisfaction is why Huffman is running again after missing the entire spring track season with a hip injury. "Injuries are a pain in the neck." said Trzaskoma, who claimed that Huffman is better in track than cross country and could be the 880 man around. "They've hurt us all year." The Demons' current top runner, John Hoots, is hurt and will not run in the Central 4-A meet this afternoon. "Injuries take your confidence away." said Huffman, referring to one of the basic building blocks of Trzaskoma's program at Reynolds. "They do more damage mentally than physically." --- Footnotes: Huffman placed 17th two weeks later in the NCHSAA (All-Classification) State Meet -- the 4th Reynolds runner across the line as they won their 4th title in a row. Reynolds was ranked 17th by Harrier Magazine in their final 1977 national rankings.

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