Cross Country, Track & Field
Favorite athlete: Jalen Hurts
Favorite team: Philadelphia Eagles
Favorite memory competing in sports: Winning the Cross Country League Championship as a Team Captain
Most embarrassing/funniest thing that has happened while competing in sports: Having to evade multiple of my opponents after they fell on the ground during the race
Music on playlist: A mix of Rap and Country
Future plans: Become a Health and Physical Education Teacher
Words to live by: “Never Give Up”
One goal before turning 30: Find a job that has great job security
One thing people don’t know about me: Soccer was my main sport up until my sophomore year.
By GORDON GLANTZ
On Monday afternoon, on the first day of practice, longtime Lower Moreland track and cross country coach Greg Green gathered his team around to share the news that this season would be his last.
Aside from league and individual titles, one of Green’s crowning achievements has been that several of his athletes have followed in his footsteps to become teacher/coaches themselves.
As fate would have it, senior captain Vincent Frankina has already decided that he will enter West Chester University with that career goal in mind.
And Green is the main reason why.
“He influenced me,” confirmed Frankina. “I would like to be the head coach of a sports team as well as teach.
“He always pushed me and showed faith in me.”
For Green, it was music to his ears.
“It’s feels good,” he said, pointing out that his 36 years in teaching will end in June. “I’m glad that I can keep the legacy going.
“I have about five or six kids that I have taught or coached over the years who are teaching phys ed now. I hope I inspired a lot of people through my coaching and teaching.”
Frankina had a mixed reaction to the announcement of Green’s retirement, saying: “I was shocked and saddened to hear the news, but I was in full understanding of his decision and thank him for everything he has done for the program.”
Major Transition
Frankina grew up as primarily a soccer player, which was sort of the family sport, but he developed a love for running.
He first gave it a go in the middle of his freshman year, running distance events in the winter and spring before making the full-time change as a sophomore.
The led to almost immediate individual and team success at the league and district levels and a chance to compete in state meets.
“I was happy with my performance with outdoor track,” said the son of Maria and Joseph Frankina. “I sort of got convinced by my teammates and by my head coach to switch over. I thought I had more potential as a runner than as a soccer player.”
This concept called for a bit of a family meeting.
“My family and I went through a lot about the switch, but that was the choice that I made,” said Frankina, who runs in the 1600 and 3200 in the spring seasons and consistently places high. “It has been everything that I have hoped for.”
Green is grateful that it all fell into place for one of his prized pupils.
“He came out for indoor track in his freshman year,” said the coach. “He fell in love with running, and he just kept getting better every year.”
That would be a bit of an understatement.
“By his sophomore year, he made the state championships in cross-country,” said Green. “He played soccer in his freshman year for Lower Moreland, and then he ran indoor and outdoor track.
“He decided he was going to run cross country in the fall and not play soccer. His dad was not happy at the time, because his dad is a big soccer guy. Since then, though, his dad has been great. He watched his son grow as a runner, and realized that running was probably his thing.”
Springing Forward
A solid student with a 3.8 GPA with a course load of AP and honors class, Frankina is a member of the National Honor Society.
He will be looking forward to wrapping it all up this spring after battling back from patella tendonitis in his knees and working through physical therapy.
“It was tough on me both physically and mentally,” said Frankina. “I was saddened when it first occurred, but I ended up accepting it and focused on my recovery process and it really went well.”
Added Green: “Unfortunately, this year, he got hurt during cross country. It really set him back. He didn’t run indoor track because of the injury.”
That doesn’t mean that the senior captain was the invisible man.
“I would still see him at least once or twice a week,” said Green. “He was still coming in and going to the gym, just to lift or do whatever he could do there, so he was still doing what he could to stay in shape. He was still riding the bike. He was still doing that once or twice a week and still going to physical therapy once or twice a week.”
Whether it was doing his work to get back on the track for his final scholastic season or for other challenges, the avid sports fan repeats, ‘Never give up,’ to himself and keeps pushing.
“Honestly, it is something that I have had my whole entire life,” he said of the saying. “I got it from my father saying it when I was a kid.
“Anything can happen. Who knows? Let’s say you are falling behind (in a race). If you keep on pushing, you might surprise yourself.”
So, with the outdoor season looming, hope springs eternal.
“From what I understand, he should be okay once we get to outdoor track,” said Green. “The doctors apparently saw a lot of improvement with the knees.”
The Final Leg
Not only will Frankina be preparing to be a gym teacher and track coach at West Chester, but he will also be continuing his running career with the Rams.
“I made that choice a few months ago,” said Frankina, adding that he was also looking at some other schools relatively close, such as East Stroudsburg and Holy Family.
When it came down to the final decision, it was West Chester’s reputation for its education program that sealed the deal.
“Because I would like to be a health and physical education teacher, I think that (West Chester) will be the perfect fit for that,” said Frankina, adding that staying close to home was another huge factor in the choice because he is close with his family, which includes 14-year-old sister Isabella, who plays soccer, and a Miniature Schnauzer named Duke.
His parents, he said, were always in his corner.
“There were always helping me and pushing me, throughout my entire process,” he said.
Green believes that West Chester is the ideal next step for Frankina.
“That’s a really good school for him,” said the coach. “I think he will really excel there.”
Leading the Way
A sign of how well-regarded he is by teammates is seen in the fact that Frankina is a captain.
“I think it’s great,” he said. “Honestly, it’s a big achievement.
“It was the head coach’s decision, but I’m friendly with my teammates, so it worked out pretty well.”
Said Green: “He’s a great kid and a great leader. It’s just a shame he wasn’t here this year, because we won the district championship (in cross country) without him, which I couldn’t believe. He would have been a big part of that, and he would have made it to states for a third year in a row.”
While cross country and track have solitary elements to them, a team leader is a necessity.
“The kids look up to him, and they respect him,” said Green. “It’s in his work ethic. He just worked really hard at it. While I think he is a really talented runner, I think he is more talented because of his work ethic and because of his commitment to getting better.
“He is the kind of a person who, when he sets his mind onto something, he is going to work really hard to make it happen. That why he will make a really good phys ed teacher.”
