McLain reflects on 50 years coaching track and field
SAULT STE. MARIE — Tony McLain has enjoyed a coaching career that spans 50 years.
He’s spent most of the last 25 years as an assistant track and field coach for Sault High. While there were a few years he couldn’t coach due to being a school administrator, he’s also had the rare experiences of coaching while working as a superintendent at two different schools, and coached while serving as a college president at Lake Superior State University.
Through the few years when he couldn’t coach while he was a school principal, McLain kept his passion for the sport by becoming an MHSAA official starter for track and field.
“Track and field has something for everybody, that’s one of the things I like best about it,” McLain said. “There is a full spectrum of possibilities. Some can run fast. If not, some can run far. Some can be throwers or find a field event where they can compete. Then there is the process of working to improve. It’s great to have talent. But talent is not enough if you don’t work at developing it, because someone else will be, and eventually they will pass you by.”
McLain started coaching in 1972 at Carsonville-Port Sanillac. He had coaching/teaching stops at Middleville High School and Eben Junction Superior Central before coming to Sault Ste. Marie. Dr. Tony McLain served as superintendent at both Superior Central and Sault Area High School.
McLain coached track and multiple sports through the 1970s at both Carsonville-Port Sanillac and Middleville.
“I can still remember the first group of kids I coached,” McLain said. “In some ways it doesn’t seem like 50 years have gone by. I know the current kids of course, and remember most of the first group I had at Carsonville-Port Sanillac and their events and times. Then then are stretches where it gets blurry and the years overlap.
“I’ve been fortunate to coach top notch kids, and spend time with outstanding young people, that’s what keeps you going,” McLain said. “I’ve coached at mostly small town schools and haven’t had to deal much with kids who felt entitled. There is always that next up and coming prospect that you’d like to coach and follow how they do through high school.
“A coach is often a very important person in someone’s life. My own high school football coach passed away recently. I learned a lot of life lessons from him. From being part of a team and having other people count on you and you on them, to working at something and sticking with it. The life lessons you learn in sports stay with you.”
At Superior Central, McLain was head coach of the girls track and field team while also working as superintendent. Betty Jahn coached the boys team.
“We were probably among the few schools that had a man coaching the girls team and a woman coaching the boys team,” McLain said. “We see that more often now.”
Coaching in the U.P. presented some new challenges, such as dealing with colder weather.
“I learned you have to be flexible with your coaching plans when dealing with U.P. weather,” McLain said. “There were many days when I had a practice plan, but 10 minutes after school’s out it’s raining, snowing or cold. You have to be ready to adapt.”
McLain came to Sault High as superintendent in 1995. He returned to coaching as an assistant for track and field with the Blue Devils. By default over the years, McLain’s primary specialized events for coaching became pole vault and hurdles, events he didn’t compete in for his own high school career at Mason County Central.
“Those were always the two hardest events to find coaches,” McLain said. “I attended clinics and learned as much as I could about those events over the years.”
Sault High had some standout performers in hurdles and pole vault this season and will be well represented with five qualifiers in those events at UP Finals Saturday in Kingsford. Annabelle Fazzari and Brianna Jones finished 1-2 at regionals in 100 hurdles, while Claire Erickson won 300 hurdles and Jones was third. Erickson, who ran a PR 49.22 at the Gaylord Meet of Champions Tuesday and is the No. 1 seed in 300 hurdles at UP Finals. Fazzari is ranked 2nd in the 100 hurdles, while Jones is seeded 4th in 100 and 3rd in 300 hurdles.
On the boys side, Jackson Gervasio and Rayce Rizzo placed 1-2 in pole vault at regionals. Gervasio is the No. 3 seed and Rizzo 5th in the event heading into UP Finals.
“We have some good ones this year, both in hurdles and pole vault,” McLain said. “I’m really excited to see what they do at Finals.”
Sault girls track and field head coach Scott Menard says McLain is an invaluable resource.
“Tony has been around track and he’s seen just about everything at one time or another,” Menard said. “He has insight into so many things. Whether it be a meet rule infraction in question, a tip in practice, or something he’s seen in a meet that we may want to fix. It’s a very valuable resource for our team to be able to ask questions and call on that experience. When the weather is nice, (throwing) coach Brad Boven and I like to sit in our lawn chairs before practice and just listen to Tony tell stories.
“Tony fits in perfectly with our coaching staff,” Menard said. “(Boys track and field coach) Jim Martin can work with the distances, Becky (Arbic) can work with middle distances, Brad works with the throwers, but it’s also all interchangeable. One thing I realized about coaching is that It’s good to have a mix of experience and different backgrounds within your staff. We’re fortunate to have that variety and mix of coaching experience in the sports I’ve been most involved with.”
Tony said their is no doubt the most important factor in his coaching longevity is having the support of his wife Melissa. They recently celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary. Their wedding date falls near the finishing stretch of track and field season.
“We were married on May 27, a day when there was more often than not a track meet,” McLain said. “There were many anniversary days spent at the track, so I really have to thank her for all those years. She became involved in track too, maybe reluctantly at first, working at meets. One year at Middleville I had the PA announcer call her out to the 50-yard line of the football field and I gave her a dozen roses.”
McLain was Superintendent of Sault Schools for seven and a half years, from 1995 to 2002. At the next Sault School Board Meeting on June 13 he will be the recipient of the Sault Administrative Lifetime Achievement Award, known as the ‘Mr. O’ Nick Oshelski Lifetime Achievement Award, from Sault schools for his dedicated service.
Contact Sports Editor Rob Roos at rroos@sooeveningnews.com. Follow him on Twitter, @rroosTEN.
This article originally appeared on The Sault News: McLain reflects on 50 years coaching track and field
