By Cindy Fesemyer

Special to Portage Sports

Editor’s Note: Cindy Fesemyer is a 1978 graduate of Southeast High School, where she was a teacher for 35 years. She has been a coach since 1983, when she began her career as the track and field coach at Garfield High School. She was hired as the Southeast track and field coach in 1986 and has held multiple coaching roles for the Pirates throughout her career, including her current position as the girls golf coach.

So many years have gone by with so much to tell…

Cindy Fesemyer (right) stands with her daughter Jenna inside the Southeast High School gymnasium. Fesemeyer, a 1978 graduate of Southeast, has spent her career as a teacher and coach, inspiring thousands of student-athletes.
Tom Nader/Portage Sports

Sports have played a major role in my life as a person, an athlete, and a coach.

I have to admit that the candle of competitive spirit still burns bright inside of me.

There are times I wonder, “Why? Why does it not dim just a little?”

But deep down I know “why.”

It’s because of that feeling of working hard at something and succeeding, not giving up and finding a way.

My dad taught me early on in life that, “If there’s a will, there’s a way!” I carry that with me in my daily life. If I want something bad enough, I can find a way!

In my early years as an athlete, I was fortunate enough to be surrounded by not only good athletes and role models, but also good coaches that believed in me.

My very first experience on a team sport was intramural girls basketball in elementary school and a senior named Paula Deemer drafted me on her team. We were called Deemer’s Demons! Paula made our team feel like no one can stop us and that itself fueled something deep inside of me — something I didn’t know was there!

I think that’s where it all started. 

If done correctly, intramural programs can definitely influence a young athlete. Paula certainly did positively influence me!

High school for me brought more sports and more challenges.

I played volleyball, basketball, track and softball in the summer. The most unusual thing happened to me during my freshman year of track.

I was sitting on the bus getting ready to leave after an invitational and a coach wearing a Waterloo T-shirt walked down the aisle looking for me.

His name was Frank Rossi.

He told me I did a good job running the 440, anchoring the relays, and that I had the potential to be a really good runner.

How often does a coach from an opposing team take the time to do this?

He made me feel special, and I was determined to prove him right!

Mr. Rossi organized a summer AAU track program where we traveled around to different meets. I got to experience running at various universities and on all-weather tracks, which was a big deal at the time. It set the foundation of many years of Southeast Summer Track. I wanted to do the same thing he did for me: Introduce track and field to kids at an early age and give them something to dream about. In Southeast Summer Track, our varsity track athletes spent the week coaching elementary students in various track events, aiming for the track meet held on Friday night.

Each year, Bruce Ribelin, a high school track official, volunteered his time and started the meet. The stands were filled like a Friday night football game! I appreciated his dedication to the sport and to our kids!

Another coach that influenced me was Diana Evans.

She taught physical education and coached track at Southeast. One day after practice my senior year, she asked me if I wanted to go to basketball tryouts at Kent State.

The thought of getting to play basketball on a university court was a no brainer!

We got there and the assistant coach divided the group into teams that would play against the Kent State varsity players. The head coach and athletic director sat high up in the bleachers. The entire scrimmage, I made one single move: I stole a pass and went in for the layup.

A week later, I received a phone call inviting me to attend Kent State University to play basketball, which changed my life forever.

I was the first in my family to attend college and it was all because of a coach who took the time and cared about my future.

I played one year of basketball, then made my way back to track, where I ran cross country, indoor and outdoor track.

College athletics is very different than high school.

Every year, new recruits came and you knew they were the stars at their high school. This taught me never to be complacent and each year try and get better.

Fortunately, I was coached by Olympic Sprint Coach, Orin Richburg.

His motto was, “If you’re going to spend time practicing, why not do it the best you can!”

Make your time spent worthwhile.

I still feel that way to this day!

These are just a couple examples of past experiences as a high school and collegiate athlete. After graduating from Kent State with a degree in physical education, I decided I wanted to teach and coach.

I spent my first year coaching track and field at James A. Garfield. I could not have asked for a better experience as a first year coach. At that time, the Portage County League was a united league.

The local rivalries were alive and well!

I hope someday, someone will come to their senses and bring our communities back together!

There is nothing but excitement that backyard rivalries bring!

Sadly, our athletes today have no idea what it is like, day in and day out, playing against neighboring schools.

At this time, girls track was dominated by Southeast and Waterloo, which fought for league championships every year.

(Southeast coach) Dick Young and (Waterloo coach) Frank Rossi mentored me my first year at Garfield.

They taught me how a track meet was like a chess match.

Yes, we won our share of meets and the girls at Garfield never backed down. Our distance relay even made it to the State Championships, broke the state record, but came in second.

The team of Debbie Glass, Chris Simera, Kathy Sneeberger, and Caroline Berg still hold the school record and will forever hold a place in my heart!

The following year, a teaching and coaching position opened up at Southeast, and I went back to my alma mater.

Here, the winning tradition in track and cross country had already been established and it was my challenge was to keep it going.

Thinking back, this could have been a stressful situation!

Luckily, I had an experienced and caring assistant coach in Mary (Hatch) Tarka.

I was surrounded by great student-athletes, supportive parents and the school administration. When I needed advice, I would check in with Coach Richburg, and he reminded me if I did the right thing and worked hard, winning would take care of itself.

His advice paid off!

My first year, behind a strong core of multi-sport athletes, we won the league, district and regional track meets.

Our team was the first school to win a State Track and Field Championship in all distance events. We were led by Joanna Dias, Susie Conway, Amy Neely and Julie Dias.

Years later, in 2006, Crestwood did the same thing behind Bridget Franek and company.

I spent many years coaching track and field with some outstanding athletes.

I watched Michele Wells win the State High Jump Championship on her final jump and Mary Mesaros surge at the finish line to make the podium in the 400 meters as a freshman.

Toward the end of my track coaching years, I was fortunate to experience something new in the OHSAA.

OHSAA commissioner, Dr. Dan Ross, and Dale Gabor, implemented seated track events in the State Championships.

This opened the door to so many, including my daughter, Jenna.

At first, Jenna wanted nothing to do with competing in a racing wheelchair.

She threw shot put and discus for our high-school team and that was good enough for her at that time.

After some persuading from myself and current Southeast track coach Melinda Furr, Jenna gave it a try, and try she did!

She set records in all four events and after 10 years, one of which still stands.

Here, something she knew nothing about, but was willing to give it a try, changed her life forever.

Her willingness to participate in seated events opened doors for others to follow. The very next year, two classmates joined her, Emily Gellatly and Rachele Castner.

Jenna went on to the University of Illinois, competed in wheelchair track and field, earned scholarships, competed in two Paralympics in Tokyo and Paris, earned a Master’s Degree and is currently working on her Ph.D.

All because she tried something new!

After spending most of my career in track and cross country, things were moving pretty quickly toward retirement.

Things took a sharp turn when our own kids and two of our nieces, Jamie and Kelley (Fesemyer), decided to try golf and go out for the team.

Several years went by and they needed a girls golf coach.

I thought, “How hard could that be?”

So, I decided to give it a try.

I played just about every sport, but sadly never considered golf a true sport.

I surrounded myself with very knowledgeable people such as Susan Jenior, Joe Pinti, Mike Jenior and Ron Birchak.

We started Pirates Play Golf, much like Southeast Summer Track, to introduce golf to our younger students.

Eventually, I joined the ladies league at Olde Dutch Mill Golf Course, mostly because I needed to know what it felt like to stand on the tee box and tee off with people watching.

I wanted to learn all I could about golf to help our team.

One thing for sure is that golf is absolutely one of the most challenging sports.

Weather conditions change, golf courses change, and you have to keep the most positive mindset for hours at a time.

The real kicker is that the harder you try, the worse you do!

Fortunately, our girls golf teams have been very competitive over the years and it’s not by accident.

The support of community members, including Joe Pinti, Judy French and Terry Dillon, who help with coaching Pirates Play Golf each year.

Volunteer Middle School Coaches like Dan and Heather Mix, Nick Dillon and Brian Kinter. Terry and Linda Dillon and the Ben Dillon Foundation were instrumental in providing our program with a golf simulator in our high school.

Macie Hysell and Alaina Goldstein helped guide past teams to the district tournaments and they both played collegiate golf.

More recently, Taylor Blazek was our first state qualifier and All-Ohio golfer.

Last year, Taylor teamed up with Jenni Mix, Jessi Mix, Samantha Morgan and Aubree Varga to finish fifth at the state tournament at Firestone Country Club.

Taylor will be attending Gannon University on a golf scholarship.

Dedication and commitment by our athletes, parents, and our home golf course, Olde Dutch Mill is crucial for our program to thrive.

The memories we have made will last a lifetime.

So, yes… the fire still burns!

It burns for the next girl to win a title or championship, not for the sake of winning, but for the feeling you get deep down when your hard work pays off.

I truly feel grateful that I grew up in a time when women’s sports were just evolving.

I ran in the first girls state championship track meet held in the Ohio State horseshoe!

The basketball changed from the men’s size to the women’s size my freshman year of college.

I watched as schools added girls sports such as softball, golf, bowling, lacrosse, soccer and tennis.

I only hope that the next generation of female athletes realizes what opportunities they have before them.

I highly recommend that you try everything possible. One of my favorite sayings is: “Light heart, live long.”

You never know until you try what might make your heart sing!