ARCHBOLD WEATHER

Cancellation Of Spring Sports ‘A Punch In The Gut’


Dina Gladieux, AHS head track and field coach, was just finishing the email to the seniors on her team and was trying to come up with a conclusion when her doorbell rang. A delivery man handed her this arrangement that was sent from two of her track girls. The card simply said “Choose Joy.” “For the next 20 minutes I cried my eyes out,” said Gladieux.– courtesy photo

Dina Gladieux, AHS head track and field coach, was just finishing the email to the seniors on her team and was trying to come up with a conclusion when her doorbell rang. A delivery man handed her this arrangement that was sent from two of her track girls. The card simply said “Choose Joy.” “For the next 20 minutes I cried my eyes out,” said Gladieux.– courtesy photo

Possibility became reality, Monday, April 20, for school sports in Ohio.

On Monday, Mike DeWine, governor, made the announcement that schools will remain closed for the rest of the 2019-20 school year due to the COVID-19 crisis.

Following DeWine’s announcement, Jerry Snodgrass, executive director for the Ohio High School Athletic Association, informed member schools that spring sports were officially cancelled.

The OHSAA issued a press release on Tuesday making the announcement.

The news completed a onetwo punch for high school athletes– especially seniors– after winter sports tournaments were also cancelled.

“When the news finally came out… It was a punch to the gut,” said Allan Gladieux, AHS athletic director.

“All along, coaches, players and athletic directors have been making plans for a shortened season, but at the same time preparing for the worst.

“My heart goes out to all the athletes, especially the senior athletes, because they won’t have the opportunity to experience their final spring season.

Allan Gladieux

Allan Gladieux

“Our coaches have been great throughout this. They have continued to communicate with their athletes by giving them workouts and trying to keep their spirits up and positive.

“In all my years, I have never come close to anything that has affected the lives of so many.”

“This is so heartbreaking for the athletes,” said Brian Leppelmeier, PHS athletic director.

“It can be associated with an athlete that experiences a season-ending injury.”

Final Year

Dina Gladieux was preparing to begin her tenth– and final– year as AHS head track and field coach after spending 20 years as an assistant coach.

“Monday night, I cried myself to sleep and didn’t do my devotionals, when doing my devotionals was exactly where I should have been,” she said.

“Nevertheless, Tuesday night when I did them God amazed me with what I read:

Dina Gladieux

Dina Gladieux

“’Father, I thank You that Your mercies are new every morning and Your faithfulness is great. Empower me to sing the song of Your great love– even when I must sing it through my tears.’”

“God knows exactly what we are feeling– pain, hurt, disappointment, sorrow, etc., yet in the midst of all of those emotions, He wants us to know, without a doubt, He is still in control and He loves us.”

What-Ifs

The veteran track coach especially feels bad for her seniors.

“The 2020 seniors only have “what-ifs,” and that is what is so difficult to accept, because it will always be an unknown,” D. Gladieux said.

“I can’t find the words to express the hurt I feel for these athletes, especially the seniors. I live with one, so it is hitting very close.

“Matthew, my son, had a very good senior year of football– First Team All-Northwest Ohio Athletic League, First Team Northwest District (Co-District Offensive Lineman Of The Year), and First Team All-State.

“When we started looking at colleges, we found out at 6 feet, 1 inch, he just isn’t big enough for the next level of football.

“The week before school closed he committed to Eastern Illinois University for track. So he was looking to prove himself during the outdoor season.

“During the indoor track season he got 1 1/2” away from the AHS school record in shot put, which has stood since 1967. He was focused on breaking both the shot and discus school records this season. Now, it will only be a ‘what if.’

“Mason Babcock has always been a fast runner, but his heart was in throwing shot and disc. This season he had shoulder surgery and could no longer throw. He was training full-time with the sprinters and looking like a potential relay guy.

“Elijah Zimmerman and Tony Grime were on the relays last season, and with a year of growth, looking forward to making it farther in the tournament this season now that we are back in Division III.

“Spencer Short is another senior that we were hoping would claim a role on one of the relays and continue with his high jumping.

“Ivan Cobb and Devin Witte were my senior distance runners.

“Matthew, Devin and Elijah were all selected as 2019-2020 National Football Foundation scholar-athlete honorees (the banquet was canceled due to the Coronavirus). These seniors are having so much stripped from them; it’s heartbreaking.

“Shylo Richardson is the only senior female athlete. She was a member of the state 4×100-meter relay team her freshman year that placed fourth.

“We were hoping to get Shylo back to state in a sprint relay.

“This doesn’t even mention the underclassmen athletes that we have: Kylie Sauder (fourth in the 800 as a sophomore, member of the state champion 4×400 and third place 4×800 relays); Brittney Ramirez (member of the third place 4×800 relay); Trey Theobald, a skilled sprinter and 400 runner; and Caleb Ranzau, a pole vaulter.

“We have the largest incoming freshman class that we have had in a long time, and within that group are a lot of talented athletes.

“It would have been a fun season watching them develop into top-notch competitors and individuals who will leave their mark on our community.

“Hopefully they will have the opportunity to do that next year.”

OHSAA Decision

Did Dina Gladieux agree with the OHSAA decision to cancel spring sports?

“I was a basketball official for four years. I quit because I hated always being wrong,” she said.

“It doesn’t matter what you call, the official is always wrong (according to the fans in the stands).

“It is always easy to sit in the bleachers and critique the decisions that are made, and this makes me very cautious when answering this question.

“My heart aches for Jerry Snodgrass. I would not want to be the one that makes that decision, because no matter what the decision is, the pub- lic will always critique it.”

Choose Joy

“In February, when we were starting our season, I kept hearing a song on the radio– “Smile” by Sidewalk Prophets. I felt compelled to share that with my team,” said D. Gladieux.

“I wanted to encourage my athletes that there is more to life than just running or throwing or jumping. We have the opportunity to daily ‘Choose Joy.’ So, that became our team motto for this season.

“For those first few weeks it almost became cliché. After a hard workout, an athlete vomited in the weight room. I had to clean it up, and as I was cleaning the kids were telling me to ‘Choose Joy.’

“Day after day, something would happen, and I would hear the kids say ‘Choose Joy’ or I would hear my coaches say ‘Choose Joy.’

“As coaches at Archbold, it isn’t all about the victories. It’s about the individual lives that we are given the opportunity to work with.

“Joy is something internal. It is not equivalent to happiness. Being happy is a reaction to the circumstances around us. Joy is a choice and it is eternal.

“I pray that my athletes will always Choose Joy.

“This doesn’t mean that we will always be happy. It means that we know who holds the future, the events to come, and we will have a peace that passes all understanding so we can choose Joy, even during the pain this pandemic brings.”