Letter to Editor

The news of the impending loss of the men’s cross-country and track & field teams at Western Michigan University has wounded our community. As the Officers of the Kalamazoo Area Runners Club, we are very concerned that this sore will continue to grow and lead to a reduction in the quality of life in the greater Kalamazoo Area.

WMU was the only university left in Southwestern Michigan with a Track & Field program. Now high school athletes from the area will have to go elsewhere for a college education if they desire to pursue their sports avocation. That will be a great loss for the community as we lose future leaders out of the mold of Chris Crowell (co-owner of Gazelle Sports), Steve Gorsalitz (Family Court Judge), Dave Luce (Leader of Corporate Olympics), and Bob Ezelle (Director of Boys and Girls Clubs). All elected to stay in the Kalamazoo area, compete at WMU, and then make their home here. In addition, we will lose innumerable future coaches and teachers that this program has historically fed into Southwestern Michigan, such as Wolfgang Lugauer, Jack Magelssen, Bill Fries, Dan Wytko, and Dan Higgason just to name a few.

We urge the community to support the effort that is underway to reinstate these sports. We believe that running is a special sport. It can be the cornerstone of a healthy lifestyle and it can be a sport for life. As the purpose of our club states, running can be a “source of physical, spiritual, and social wellness.” Living in one of the ‘fattest’ states in the union, it is imperative that we promote sports that are healthy and can be practiced for a lifetime. Let’s not let the budget woes of our state and university damage the future health and vibrancy of this community. There is a way to bring it back if we work together.

Officers of the Kalamazoo Area Runners

David Walch, President
Bonnie Sexton, Vice President
Scott Taylor, Secretary
Rollin Richman, Treasurer
Charlie Crouch, Newsletter
Steven Hicks, Special Events
Jay Campbell, Webmaster