By Donovan West, Sports Editor
@DWest_courant
No, teachers do not live at school. And no, they are not constantly plotting their next devious trick to torture their students (I hope). There is no teacher-bus that arrives every morning and leaves every night. Teachers have lives outside of school, too. (This is only known by the rare sighting of your teacher in town. Should you hide or say hello?) Despite their day jobs that require endless work and preparation, many teachers excel in completely different areas of life. Some of these teachers even use their time out of the classroom just like their students do: to compete in sports.
For many teachers, this competition is against themselves – taking the form of running. Science teacher Donna Kemp ran eleven marathons in nine years. Although this amount of running may seem excessive, for Ms. Kemp, the feelings emitted during the race are the ultimate motivation. “My favorite marathon was the New York City Marathon [in 2003],” she said. “You start in Staten Island with only the runners, and there is a great feeling of camaraderie, knowing that everyone there is going to go through this together. Then, you run across the beautiful bridges and throughout the city of Brooklyn and then finally see the millions of people there to cheer you on. That feeling is indescribable.”
Special Education teacher Caryn Vita also shares a passion for running. Since her first 5k in 2013 to raise awareness for the Sandy Hook shooting, Ms. Vita has not looked back. She has run in 19 marathons and six World Marathon Majors. “Whenever I run in a race, I run with three goals: Set a personal record, beat my last race’s time, and just finish,” Ms. Vita said. “For me, running a race is like a mission. The medal and celebration afterward is awesome, but my favorite part is accomplishing that goal and completing my mission.”
Some teachers indulge in this competition on a more casual level. History teacher Robert Stevenson has been playing volleyball since his college days at the University of Connecticut. “We had a sand court in the middle of our dorm and ever since then I have grown addicted to beach volleyball,” Mr. Stevenson said. “I enjoy the challenge and strategy of the sport. When a play goes right, it feels amazing, but when it doesn’t, there’s always another chance. The game helps me stay excited about every day, every game, and overall life.”
Other teachers who excel in competition also have a background in college-athletics. Science Department Chair Michael LeDuc was an All-American and national champion in cross country and track at Connecticut College. After taking time off from running to pursue other interests, Mr. LeDuc is once again taking his talents to the field, qualifying for the 2024 New York City Marathon via a half-marathon time in which he ran at a sub-six minute pace. “I’ve always loved running, and now my goal is to run a marathon — something I never thought I would do,” Mr. LeDuc said. “Anytime you put that much effort in and work that hard, it’s great to see it pay off. I had a blast when I ran the half-marathon, and it’s nice to be able to enjoy the fruits of your labor. Now I hope to do it all again for next November.”
Biology teacher Terrance Ditimi played basketball for the University of Connecticut, graduating in 2015. Since then, other than becoming a teacher and basketball coach, Mr. Ditimi participated in a men’s basketball league to continue his passion for the game. “I love basketball, so I want to continue playing and being around it as much as I can,” Mr. Ditimi said. “Playing basketball helps me hold myself accountable and pushes me to be the best that I can be, in all aspects of my life.”
Like Mr. Ditimi, through her marathons, Ms. Vita is constantly learning more about herself. “Every time I run, I am pushing myself and figuring out how far I can extend my boundaries,” she said. “I’m fighting myself out there and can never give up, something that can apply to more than just my races. Every day, I push myself to wake up and run for an hour or two, always keeping the end goal of completing the race in mind.”
Yet, preparation required when competing at the highest level is time-consuming, especially for teachers who spend several hours a day preparing for class. “It can get hard because if you want to do well and push your body’s limits, you have to put in an hour a day,” Mr. LeDuc said. “And training is the hardest part. It gets boring and time-consuming- it’s hard to keep yourself going and motivate yourself to run that extra mile. You have to always have your eyes set on your end goal.”
Training to be an athlete, to run in marathons or play hyper competitive basketball, is an incredibly demanding feat. Yet, these teachers still find the time to excel at different things while helping hundreds of kids every day. “It is hard to maintain a work-life balance that creates a healthy lifestyle,” Mr. Ditimi said. “But playing sports, doing things that make you happy, and setting goals that you can work to accomplish help you improve as a teacher and as a person.”
