Former East Greenwich star Nick Ross is one of the most recent members of the NE Distance Project.
By BOB LEDDY
R.I. Track & Field Foundation
Is there a program in which elite post-collegian athletes can simultaneously further their training, give back to a community and help youngsters learn the sport of cross country while having fun doing it?
Sounds like a tall order. But such a concept does exist, thanks to the New England Distance Project (NED.) The program recruits top post-college track athletes and matches them with local middle school students to provide physical activity, coaching, tutoring and mentoring. The athletes sign up for a two-year commitment, live rent-free in apartments in the city of Woonsocket and are provided a stipend. Currently, said NED president Nich Haber, there are eight runners currently enrolled in the program; two - Nick Ross and Jake Sienko - are from the Ocean State. All the athletes follow the same work/train schedule.
Ross, the former East Greenwich distance star, went to La Salle University in Philadelphia, Pa. Sienko, the former Hendricken standout, ran at Columbia University. (In February, Sienko will compete at the 2016 Olympic Marathon Trials in Los Angeles.)
Roots planted in Woonsocket
Begun in Woonsocket three years ago by Providence resident and running enthusiast Haber, the Distance Project was patterned after a similar organization in Michigan. "It started with my friendship with Bob Rothenberg,'' said Haber, referring to the former Brown University track coach and current track and cross country official. "We enjoy the sport. We wanted to do something to provide elite athletes to compete on a national level.''
At the same time, community service became a major part of NED's mission. Through the Neighborhood/Blackstone River Affordable Housing program, "builder-in-residences'' were established at the C-3 Center building in town. Tenants live there rent-free in return for community work. "We said, 'Let's do the same thing with the athletes,'' Haber said. "They work and train together.''
Woonsocket's middle schools, it turned out, would be the perfect prototype for the NED club. The city had restored the high school's athletic budget, but not that of the middle schools. The late George Nasuti - who was then the Novans' athletic director - approached Haber's organization about starting up cross country at the middle school level. "I felt compelled to do something,'' the NED chief said, adding that Performance Physical fitness agreed to sponsor such a program. The project got going in the fall of 2014.
With funding provided by world-class distance runner Molly Huddle, NED plans to have middle school track and field in place next spring.
A hit in the capitol city
The Distance Project has moved south, to Providence, where this past fall middle school cross country was in full vigor, and the response was amazing, Haber said. 'The first day, over 300 kids showed up; some had never heard of cross country before,'' he said. "We talked with [officials in the city school system]. We had five athletes coaching the middle school kids, and they ran meets at Roger Williams Park. For [championship races] there were 147 runners. The kids have been great, and we got good feedback from parents.'' As in Woonsocket, NED is eying spring track for Providence's middle school youngsters, Haber said. "This winter, we'll spend time training our guys in throws and jumps.'' The fames Providence Cobras Track Club will provide support, he added.
Former Avenger Ross is involved with the NED club in working with the Providence middle school runners. "Bob [Rothenberg] contacted me in my senior year [at La Salle University],'' he said. "It's been a learning project for all of us. We split the schools up by size; I had two. It was great. The kids really cared about the team. For me, it's the most rewarding thing I was ever a part of. It's a nice way to give back to the community.''
As for any expansion, Haber said: "Our plan is to keep what we're doing for another year.'' Haber, who works fulltime in computer training, is out on the roads himself. "I'm a competitive amateur,'' the Massachusetts native said. "I picked up running late in life, and got hooked.'' Haber also works with Bob and Anne Rothenberg at the Ronald Mc Donald House in Providence.
For further information, or how to help support the New England Distance Project's mission, contact Nich Haber at www.nich@nedistance.org or info@nedistance.org. Follow the organization's activities on its Facebook page (Facebook.com/NEDistance), or on Twitter: @NEDistance.