God has not only blessed us with 5 kids, but also with an answered prayer of revealing some of their talents to us so that we might help them prepare for their futures.

Like many first time parents, we put our kids in little league sports when they were just old enough to participate. Speedy loved sports, but not so much being on an organized team. Around the age of 5, every time we would arrive home from church, the store, etc., he would hop out of the car and run laps around the house for fun. That got us to thinking about the one sport we hadn’t tried—running!

We didn't think that would be a real possibility, but a co-worker of Superman had a son about the same age who had tried out a youth cross country program, and even though his son didn’t like it, he found it to be a great program. We looked into it, and were lucky enough to get one of their limited spots for the following season.

The main goal of this youth program was to make running fun for kids, to develop a love of the sport through play and encouragement. They did not disappoint! Speedy was begging to go and his younger siblings were envious, but were still too young to be on the team. As the season grew to a close, the coach told us about a youth nationals competition, and encouraged us to take Speedy, because they thought he had a real shot at placing. He finished just outside of the top placers, but it was the experience he needed to cement his love for the sport.

We spent the next 6 years with that program, and only left because Speedy and Fergy had aged out of youth and we moved to the farm which was a little too far to keep up with multiple times a week. Until that point, all of our kids participated and loved it; plus, it counted for homeschool P.E. We miss it dearly, but luckily, we still run into them at events now and then and keep in touch via social media.

As we entered the middle school years, we opted to take advantage of Ohio’s policy that allows homeschooled students to participate in extracurriculars with their local school district. Suffice it to say it wasn’t for us. At the conclusion of that season, Speedy got an invitation to run nationals with an area club team that included middle school students. Because the nationals competitions are split up into age groups, Fergy was also able to join the club for nationals, for the next age group. The race was not our best, but on the heels of a disappointing season and in negative temperatures, we expected as much.

Now that cross country was behind us, we needed to decide what to do about the spring, and a whole new sport—track. The youth club did have a track team, but they were limited to a small number of participants per event, and practices were over an hour away. We were inexperienced in finding competitions on our own, so we decided to give the local school another shot. The season had its ups and downs, but we came out of it with a 3rd place state finish in the mile to put Speedy in the number one spot in the country for his grade, with a time of 4:40.

God works in mysterious and wonderful ways, and the boys spent the summer training with a different local school. We met a few of the team members through purchasing our pigs. The coach and kids were incredibly supportive (and still are), even inviting them to attend camp. Sadly, though, we cannot participate on their team unless we move again.

Our eyes had been opened in a myriad of ways. The decision, despite the success, was made not to return to our school team, and the idea of starting our own program had entered a new level of seriousness.

Time waits for no one, and summer was quickly fading into fall yet again. As a parent, particularly one who homeschools, I constantly dread the idea that any decision I make regarding my children’s futures might somehow stifle them. We had many family discussions, and finally settled on joining the club team for the next cross country season. Not only did they have a similar training mindset, but a similar outlook on life, parenting, and education as well. It is a close-knit group of families who want to pour into their kids and others because they genuinely care. What more could you ask for? And there’s the indisputable fact that, for the sport, they had an entire scoring team and then some ranked in the nation’s top 10. Talk about a comeback! You are only as good as your competition, and when they happen to be your teammates, great things are bound to happen. Both Speedy and Fergy had incredible seasons, both finishing top 10 individually in their ages at nationals, and Speedy as part of the National Champion team.

Fall turned to winter, which is the time for a lesser known sport, indoor track. We had no doubt Speedy would’ve made the team’s top 2 for club, but we didn’t want Fergy to miss out, as he has incredible promise as a runner as well. So we made the tough decision to leave the club behind and start our own. Enter Providence Pastures Running Club.

The transition from nationals to indoor was flawless, continuing on the same training path as in the fall, making only small adjustments here and there based on new levels of fitness. The boys spent the winter traveling to area colleges to compete against high school runners in the 1600m and 800m wherever they would allow unattached or club runners to participate. No, they weren’t winning, but when there is someone in front of you, you get faster because there is someone to catch. That’s the ultimate goal of competitive running, getting faster at “your” event.

It proved to be the right move, both boys qualified for the New Balance Indoor nationals, which for Fergy was the only goal. Speedy had a separate goal in mind—to win and set records. He now currently holds the number one position in the country for both races as well as the meet records. But he isn’t done.

Now that we feel like we have some things figured out and know the direction we’d like to go, we will be travelling the country this year and throughout the high school years attempting a race in every state and trying out the best competition the U.S.A. has to offer. Speedy will be trying to break a few national and world records for the 2024 outdoor season. He also has high hopes of joining the 2028 Olympic team and Fergy has his sights set on the Diamond League. Their younger siblings are on the fence but you may see them soon, should they decide to follow in their brothers’ footsteps.

Whatever talents God reveals to us, we hope to approach them all with excitement and veracity to help our children live up to that which their heavenly Father has called them to. We hope you join us in their trials and triumphs. And let me encourage you in this, even if it seems crazy: listen to you child’s hopes and dreams and be their unwavering advocate. To be from a tiny farm town raising a boy who says he’s going to be a professional athlete sounds preposterous to me, and I have 2 sons saying it. But I have seen their abilities, and who am I to deny them opportunities when God has so clearly blessed them? Why not them? Believe in your kiddos and nurture their passions.