CSR (Bonus Coverage from NCAA III Men's Cross Country Championships)

CALVIN SPORTS REPORT SPECIAL FOR NOVEMBER 21, 2004

FINAL NOTES AND BONUS STORY FROM NCAA III MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS

Editor's Note: There were several large groups of fans at Saturday's NCAA III
Cross Country Championships in Colfax, Wisconsin. Only one group chanted its
school's name in the Navajo language however. That group was none other than a
large group of Calvin students, family members and supporters of the Calvin
men's cross country team.

Leading the cheering was Gilbert Yazzie, uncle of Calvin senior Andy Yazzie who
hails from Rehoboth, New Mexico. Uncle Gilbert initiated the cheers of "Let's
Go Knights" in his native Navajo language before Saturday's race and in the
process, taught the rest of the Calvin fans how to cheer in Navajo as well.

The cheering also helped Andy Yazzie hold on for a 51st place finish in
Saturday's race that allowed Calvin to capture its second consecutive national
title including its third in the last five years. Yazzie ran Saturday's race
with a case of bacterial pnemonia, a condition that he has been suffering from
for more than a week. Yazzie served as Calvin's all-important fifth runner in
Saturday's race and completed what has been at times, an uphill but also
fulfilling Calvin cross country career.

A year ago, Calvin sports information director Jeff Febus sat down with Yazzie
to tell some of Yazzie's life story. The following article was written in
November of 2003. A final note: Yazzie would go on to earn All-MIAA honors in
both track and field and cross country in 2004 and earn a coveted spot on
Calvin's cross country team of seven that represented the Knights at the
national meet.

By Calvin Sports Information Director Jeff Febus
(Written in November, 2003)

While growing up as a young boy in Rehoboth, New Mexico, Andy Yazzie never had
to look far for inspiration.

The son of Elmer Yazzie, a 1976 Calvin graduate, Andy was able to follow his
father's running career that was built around long distance running. During
the mid 1980's, Elmer received national attention for appearing on Wheaties'
cereal boxes after being named a "modern-day champion" by the General Mills
Corporation. A marathon runner and a former cross country standout at Calvin,
the elder Yazzie received the award for his civic and athletic accomplishments
and personal character.

"My dad did a lot of running when I was growing up," said Andy. "I remember
when I was in first grade and my dad asked me if I wanted to run in a local
road race for Halloween which happened to be my first race. He was also the
cross country coach for the (Rehoboth Christian) high school so I used to
follow him around to a lot of cross country meets. Our school also had a
contest to see who could run the most miles and I remember getting my parents
to sign a piece of paper to show how many miles I had run at home. I wanted to
be in first place."

Yazzie's father is a Native American of Navajo descent. According to Andy, the
Native American culture also spurred on his running career. "To me, running is
a Native American tradition," said Yazzie who once met Native American Billy
Mills - a 1964 Olympic Gold medalist in the 10,000 meters - in person. "It's
one of the things that kept me pursuing my running career."

After graduating from Rehoboth Christian High School, Yazzie elected to come to
Calvin where his mother Sharon - a native of Grand Rapids also graduated in
1976.

"My mother is Dutch and my father is Navajo and I take pride in both cultures,"
said Yazzie who is currently taking a class in Dutch and jokes that he is of
from the Dutchaho nation. "Calvin is a place where I've been able to explore
my Dutch heritage.

"I think it's an advantage to come from two different backgrounds," continued
Yazzie. "As a Native American, I feel I can relate to minority students but my
Dutch background also gives me the chance to connect with people from an Anglo
background."

Calvin junior Jeff Engbers was Yazzie's roommate for two years in the Calvin
dorms through the arrangement of Calvin cross country coach Al Hoekstra.
Despite their different backgrounds, their connection was immediate. "I
believe Al was thinking that we would both offer help to the other one when he
set us up to room together," said Engbers, a native of Whitinsville,
Massachusetts. "Al knew the tough transition it would be for Andy to come to
Michigan from New Mexico, and he also thought I was a little serious on the
phone. I knew I was in for a surprise when I looked out the window and saw his
60's Ford piled high with his belongings and his dog eating in the front seat.
I laughed to myself and found out this was just who Andy was."

Their time in the dorms was filled with good times according to Engbers which
even included an invitation to Calvin chaplain Dale Cooper for a sleepover in
their dorm room. "Coop accepted the invitation too," said Engbers. "He just
never got around to it."

Yazzie admits however that his first two years at Calvin were also filled with
struggles. "I picked up some bad habits in high school, both athletically and
academically," said Yazzie. "I wasn't focusing enough on my studies or my
training and it was hurting my performance in school and as a runner."

Despite his struggles, Hoekstra and fellow cross country coach Brian Diemer
refused to give up on Yazzie. "Our coaching staff is awesome," said Yazzie.
"They've challenged me to be a better runner and person. They don't except
excuses and they expect a lot but they also care about you individually."

Yazzie also learned from his experience rooming with Engbers. "When I first
started rooming with him I thought he was just a complete bookworm," said
Yazzie. "After awhile I started to appreciate his dedication to his studies."

Yazzie also saw the dedication in teammates like current Calvin senior Kris
Koster of Grand Rapids who has battled back from a number of serious injuries
to become of the nation's top cross country runners. "Koster is a guy who has
unbelievable dedication and love for his sport," said Yazzie. "There may be
guys out there who might have a little more talent but there is no-one who
works harder or wants it more than him. That kind of dedication is impressive."

A rededication to his studies and to his running career began to surface last
spring when Yazzie captured the MIAA championship in the 3,000 meter
steeplechase. He continued on to earn All-America honors at the NCAA III
Championships with a seventh place finish in the event.

"We've got a coach (Diemer) who was a bronze medalist in the steeplechase,"
said Yazzie who has a goal of winning a national title in the steeplechase.
"The way I have it figured, we should be turning out steeplechase
All-Americans every year.

As thrilling as his All-America performance was for himself, it was even more
thrilling for his teammates to watch. "Watching that race was so inspiring for
me," said Engbers. "I felt as if I was out there running with him. The two of
us have shared quite a bond our first years at Calvin and the friendship we
have started is something I cherish."

This fall, he received All-MIAA honors in cross country for the second time in
his career on a team that was a serious contender for a national championship.

As Calvin's eighth finisher at the MIAA Championships, Yazzie just missed a
spot on Calvin's top-seven group headed for the NCAA III Championships in late
November.

 "I didn't make our (cross country) national team this year which was a little
disappointing for me but it's also a reminder that I've got to work harder,"
said Yazzie. "The depth on our team this fall is just amazing. At the
conference meet, we had 15 guys running within two seconds of each other one
mile into the race.'

"That's the power of what I call the 'wolfpack," he added. "At Calvin, it
isn't about individual accomplishments. It's about what you can do together as
a team."

Yazzie has spent the past few summers working on the Navajo reservation near
Rehoboth where he serves as a running camp instructor through the Wings of
America program.

A summer ranch hand in a camp in southwest Colorado, Koster had the opportunity
this past summer to spend a long weekend with Yazzie in his native New Mexico.
"Going down to visit him this summer was such a highlight for me because I got
to see some of the places and meet some of the people from all of the stories
Andy has been telling us after the last few years," said Koster. "Running on
the trails behind Rehoboth and driving around Gallup (NM) with him was very
memorable because, for one thing, I could see him in his element, feeling
totally comfortable and at home. His area is so beautiful and wide-open, and I
can see why it must be hard for someone from a place like that to get adjusted
to Michigan at first.'

"I still remember sitting next to him on the bus when he was a freshman as he
looked out the window at all the rivers we crossed on the highway and he said
'Man, there's so much water here.'" continued Koster who also drove back to
Grand Rapids this fall with Yazzie. "When we rode back to Grand Rapids at the
start of September, he couldn't stop talking about how excited he was to get
back to Calvin and start running with the team again. It was such a dramatic
change from the guy we were always worried about leaving to go home during his
freshman year."

Although his parents recently moved to Montana, Yazzie does have plans to go
back to New Mexico on a permanent basis. "My plan is to go back to the
reservation to teach and coach after I graduate," said Yazzie who is majoring
in geography and thinking about adding a minor in geology. "The kids on the
reservation need good teachers and coaches. There's a lot of untapped talent
with some of those kids and if I can prove to be an inspiration to just one of
them, it's all worth it."

In the meantime, Yazzie will continue to keep his teammates loose with his
fun-loving nature while also working to make the team stronger through his
running talents.

Jeff Febus
Sports Information Director
Calvin College
(616) 526-6169 Office
(616) 526-8551 Fax
Received on Sun Nov 21 01:53:01 2004