Jon Pearce – Class of 2001

Give me my soap…

As is well known, the track team had a particular infatuation with remaining “squeaky” clean and used liberal amounts of soap to ensure our hygiene on a daily basis.  Because of this, the janitorial staff had to constantly refill the soap containers – daily.  Word got back to Thunder and an ultimatum was issued: no more soap in the locker room.  While it would be noble to say we were all worried about our cleanliness, the sullen attitude in the locker room the next day was mostly due to the lack of squealing distance runners (sprinters excluded of course).  One apology letter later to the janitorial staff and we had our soap back…a bell rings in the distance.  Through it all Coach maintained complete alliance to the staff…but I’ve always like to think that alone in his office, pecking away in ALL CAPS on his keyboard, that he broke a small smile and remembered his days full of p&V and slap and tickle.

* Driving back from La Crosse last chance meet in 2001, I took the wheel of the van for a tired Thunder (it was much later than his 8:00 PM bedtime).  Bumping along HWY 52 coach’s only words were:  “Keep her ‘tween the ditches Pearce…”

* One of my first practices, during warm-up coach was grilling me on whether I expected to run faster.  I replied, naively, that “I hoped so.” The Voice of God rang down “Jon, hope in one hand, sh*t in the other and see which one fills up first.”

* The look on Dan Streit’s eyes when coach told him, Leatherman in hand, that he would cut off his balls if Dan didn’t return the throwing equipment as requested.

* As a Kansas boy, it was magical to run for St.Olaf at the KU relays.  Even better was sitting with Coach (and Rife) during the meet.  To this day, I’m not sure I was actually good enough to run on the team, but I thank coach for that opportunity. 

* Sitting in coach’s office in the off-season asking him how I could become a great runner.  He replied “You have to be good first.”

* “How’s it going Coach?” -> “I’m on the right side of the sod.”

* A year after graduation I was back on campus for an alumni event and happened to run into Thunder in Buntrock.  The first thing coach says is “You look like hell Jon.”  Of course I did, I explained, I was just recovering from severe pneumonia that sent me to the hospital and killed 30% of my lung capacity…”well, take care.”   

* Beyond the stories, Coach left an indelible mark on me.  He instilled an acute sense that I should always try to better the world and those around me.  While a little rough around the edges, Coach never conveyed anything but a sincere approach to making me a better runner and human.  I learned more from him and my time on the track than all of my classes combined.  More than anything, he prepared me to be a man and a productive member of society.  Oh, and to appreciate being rode hard and put in the barn wet.