This week’s notebook features Cheltenham’s Wolfgang Schanbacher and highlights the National Conference squads.
By DENNY DYROFF
Getting a note from your parents to excuse you from school for any variety of reasons or to excuse you from certain school activities is something that’s been going on since the very early days of classroom education.
Last month, Cheltenham cross country runner Wolfgang Schanbacher needed to get excused from a team activity, and he submitted a note to his coach explaining the reason why.
But, the note didn’t come from a physician or from his parents. Schanbacher penned the note himself.
“I had a runner (Schanbacher) who had to miss our alumni race on September 12th,” said Cheltenham varsity cross country coach Tom Sexton. “I was not happy. He said he had to go to a dangerous white water trip with his uncles as a rite of passage.
“He didn’t bring it up until the night before the race. I talked to his mom on the phone. She said they had made commitments back in the summer before the team’s schedule came out.”
Schanbacher said, “I had planned it since the summer. There were six family members on the trip. We also did it last summer.
“When I told coach Sexton about having to miss the alumni meet, he said -- what would happen if everybody did this? He was understanding -- but not happy about it. He talked with my mom for about 20 minutes.
“Coach then told me I had to write about why I should go on the trip instead of run in the meet. The main points I wanted to make were -- I’m loyal to my family as well as my team and I apologized to the team. This trip was a strength-builder -- adding to your character. It was important to me.”
Schanbacher got his point across well with the following letter to his coach --
Wolfgang Schanbacher
Mr. Sexton
Cross Country
18 September 2015
The Reason I Missed Practice
Every year in the fall there is a dam release down the Gauley River in West Virginia, creating some of the most extreme white water rapids in the world. My family has an annual tradition to take advantage of these rapids and surf down them. Although it is a very dangerous journey, it's important in my family in order to prove one’s manhood. Just as I have a commitment to the cross country team, I also have one to my family who insisted on me going and paid for my trip. Six uncles and I drove for hours and awoke at the crack of dawn only to get onto small 
rubber raft down a river flooded by dam release water. Promptly we were thrown from the raft and smashed into a boulder before being sucked under water and almost drowning. And that was within five minutes of our eight-hour marathon we had ahead of us. That happened another four times... I watched as people were stitched and grown men cried. I experienced humanity at its base, fear. I learned that when I feel that pain as I’m being smashed into rocks, gasping for air, with only myself to save me, that there is no quit in my heart. I found that I am a survivor and a winner, and I am aware but not afraid of the struggle to survive and thrive. As a result, I will take those lessons learned and put them into my last year of running. I will lead and I will look the young men on my team in the eyes and challenge them to do what it takes to be great, to not live in fear, and lead the way every…time into the glory of VICTORY!
Schanbacher and his family members travelled to New River Gorge, West Virginia, to partake in the “Adventure on the Gorge” and challenge the rapids along the Gauley River. Known as “Beast of the East,” the Upper Gauley River drops over 335 feet in fewer than 13 miles. The essence of big-water rafting excitement, it is huge-volume, technical, gut-wrenching whitewater from start to finish.
“It was a two-day trip,” said Schanbacher. “There are small wooden cabins. We’d pull up to the site and go into the campsite. It’s a 50-mile trip that’s called ‘The Marathon.’ It’s a Class V trip for whitewater rafting.”
There are six categories, each referred to as “Grade” or “Class,” followed by a number. Class V is “Expert” and topped on by Class VI, which is described as “Extreme and Exploratory Rapids.”
“The whole thing is tough,” said Schanbacher. “It’s cold...it’s long…and it’s extreme. Some of the parts were really intense and dangerous. We flipped over two or three times. Tons of water comes crashing down on you -- and it’s aerated. I’m a lifeguard and a good swimmer and it was hard for me. I was gasping for air at times.”
Sexton said, “He had to write about it when he got back. I thought he’d say he was sorry. Instead, he wrote this whole story about the rite of passage and becoming a man. Two of my kids went to Outward Bound so I totally believe in this stuff. There’s something to be said about having to face an ordeal.
“Wolfgang is a great kid. When the gun goes off, he goes off. He and Will Griffen are our top runners. Wolfgang has been on the team for four years and is one of our team captains. He’s the key to our success. He’s tough and physical. He has a beard and looks like a man.”
Schanbacher, a senior, isn’t waiting to hear back on college applications he has submitted.
“I’m not going to go to college right now,” said Schanbacher. “Instead, I want to start on getting my pilot’s license. I took introductory classes already. Once I graduate, I want to do the classes all at once at Northeast Airport. The first time I flew an introductory class there back in January, it was awesome. I could see everything from up there.”
Even though he isn’t going to continue his education, Schanbacher has already shown that he can write well enough to impress a long-time educator who is also a published author.
“I wrote a book on coaching,” said Sexton, who graduated from Villanova with a degree in philosophy. “I was working on it for 10 years and I just published it last year. It’s got a lot of stories.”
The book’s title is “Creating a Team Like No Other.”
On its web page for the sales of the book, Amazon lists the following description -- Coach Sexton skillfully weaves 
nearly five decades of highly successful coaching, along with the living testimony of current and former athletes into a compelling and insightful book that is not only for coaches, but for anyone in a position of authority. It addresses the timeless question of how to gain the full cooperation of everyone involved, so that a team functions as smoothly and as effectively as possible. “Creating a Team Like No Other” clearly provides the answers.
“The book has a number of my own stories along with stories from other coaches,” said Sexton. “I also have a few stories about Doc Counsilman, who was swim coach at Indiana University. He was one of the greatest swimming coaches ever. He knew how to get the best out of his athletes.”
For more information on ordering “Creating a Team Like No Other,” go to -- http://www.amazon.com/Creating-Team-Like-No-Other-ebook/dp/B00P2MJVLU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1444272356&sr=8-1&keywords=creating+a+team+like+no+other.
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Believe it or not, the regular season for boys’ and girls’ cross country is heading down the home stretch, and the championship season is looming on the horizon. Before the post-season arrives, it’s time to recap some of the highlights for each of the SOL teams so far this year.
This week, we’ll review the National Conference.
Abington-- The Ghosts got their season off to a good start with an impressive performance at their own Abington Invitational. Abington’s Jake Good won the race and the boys’ team placed third behind West Chester East and Avon Grove. The girls placed 10thwith Kelly Jawork leading the way. Good also placed fifth in the Division II race at the Briarwood Classic.
Bensalem-- The Owls have been paced all season by Rahi Shah, who was sixth at the George School Invitational, 14that the Ninth Annual PIAA Foundation Cross Country Invitational and 13thin the Paul Short Invitational White Race. Bensalem’s boys were fifth at the George School meet and 13that Paul Short.
Council Rock North-- With Tim Haas as the leading runner, North finished second at the Viking Invitational, fifth at the PTFXC7, seventh in the Championship Race at Briarwood and second at the Council Rock Invitational. CR North’s girls were seventh at the Rock Invitational.
Council Rock South-- The Rock South girls captured the team title at the Council Rock Invitational and the boys’ race was won by South’s Joe Maguire. The boys placed eighth in the Championship Race at Briarwood and Maguire finished ninth.
Neshaminy -- The ’Skins’ top team finishes were sixth by the girls at the Council Rock Invitational and eighth by the boys in the Division II race at Briarwood. Rusty Kujdych placed fourth at Briarwood.
Pennsbury-- The Falcon girls’ squad is one of the premier teams in the state as evidenced by their victories in the Paul Short Brown Race and the George School Invitational. The team’s leaders have been Olivia Sargent, Hannah Molloy and Mary Webb. Pennsbury’s boys have also fared well with a third-place finish at the Quad-X Meet, a ninth-place finish at PIAA Foundation Cross Country Invitational and a 10th-place finish in the Paul Short Invitational Brown Race.
William Tennent-- The Panther boys have impressed with runner-up finishes in the Paul Short Invitational White Race and the Briarwood Classic Division II race, a fourth-place finish at the Centaur Invitational and a fifth-place showing at the Viking Invitational. Sean Rahill was third at Centaur and fifth at Short while his teammate Evan Hutton took sixth at Short.
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