Michael Crozier's Georgetown Experience

I would like to begin this blog entry by offering praise and kudos to Ms. Chelsea Cox.  This blog is her brainchild, and she is nothing less than a stellar representative for Georgetown track and the University itself. Her unquestionable character, integrity, humility, compassion, and work-ethic are poignantly admirable and have set her up for great success on and off the track. She has been a role model for many female and male runners these past few years, and we all certainly owe her many thanks for the positive impact she has had on this program.

The allegations levied against my teammates, my coaches, and me are heinous, defamatory, and absolutely false. The vitriol being spewed against Coach Mike Smith should not be taken with any sincerity; he’s a man who cares about every single person he interacts with. He is not my coach, as he guides our speedy and wonderful girls’ team, but he has had a lasting impact on my running and manhood in my three years of knowing him. He has taught me that running is an onerous process; there is nothing easy about what we do, but that is why we do it. It is a righteous pursuit for the bold and borderline masochistic, and he has shown me that running can teach us about life and how we choose to live it. Mike was a teacher in a rough inner-city school before he became one of the most respected running minds in the country, and his work at that school has shaped his character in many positive ways that rub off on his athletes. He shows us every single day how empathy and an open mind can allow us all to become the best athletes and people we can be. I do not believe he is a very religious man, but his coaching and life methodologies run directly parallel to the Jesuit tenets this institution was founded upon. Michael Smith will always have my support.

While I am not a member of the female track/xc teams at Georgetown, I certainly know enough about each and every girl and their requisite team culture to stand beside and defend them. Being on the male team I am lucky enough to call many of these girls my friends; several of them I consider close confidantes who have helped me through challenging times in my own running career. We share practice times, so I am often around the ladies in the midst of arduous workouts and long runs. They are a passionate and extraordinarily supportive bunch. For how talented and hard-working they are I am amazed at how none of them carry around a large ego; humility and sacrifice are expected. They pick each other up, they dust each other off, and they take care of business. Hard-work and a positive attitude are prerequisites to success on this team, and some people just don’t have “it”. If you are not coming to practice with a positive attitude and resolve to work until you cannot work any harder, you do not deserve the PRIVILEGE of being on this wonderful squad. I will always support my female teammates who display such positive attributes.

Finally, I would like to discuss my experience with Coach Patrick Henner and my time thus far as a member of the men’s team at Georgetown. Patrick Henner is a man who lives his life for his athletes and for others. He is not married, he does not have kids, and his hobbies include reading, rock climbing, and molding his athletes into men who are ready to serve and have a positive influence on the world around us. The absolutely ludicrous allegations of racial bias against Henner are so farfetched and hurtful I can only pray for the accuser to realize his wrongs. Racism is real in today’s world, and it may even exist on Georgetown’s campus; however, it is never (nor will it ever be) welcomed in McDonough Gymnasium, the coaching offices, or the locker room.  Henner is a passionate and supportive man, but he does not coddle his athletes. He expects us to be our very best every day, and he expects us to put everything we have into our dimensional college experience: school and running. Being a member of this team is a privilege, and it is one my teammates and I certainly do not take for granted. Elite level distance running is a 365 day per year commitment; the notion of an “off season” is cute and humorous, and applies only to our ball sport playing brethren. This means well over 20 hours per week of training (not just pounding out 90 mile weeks, but spending time in the weight room and pool/bike to strengthen the entire body) accompanied with a borderline ascetic lifestyle to achieve maximum results. That means bed at 10 PM every single night and every single weekend when most of our non-running peers are out and about fulfilling their collegiate fantasies of bacchanalia and such. We do this to respect the time and effort Henner puts into our livelihoods as runners and men. He works his rear end off day in and day out in equitable fashion thinking about how he can get each of us to run faster or jump farther. He loves each and every one of us the same, regardless of skin color, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, etc. Our team culture is strengthened through our commitment to each other as runners and men, and that positive culture is perpetuated by Coaches Henner and Bonsey. They support hard-work and toughness; they do not support undeserving entitlement stemming from a lack of maturity and work-ethic. The coaches treat every athlete the same way, and their rhetoric is respectful and geared towards making us better men in every possible facet of life.

My experience on the team has been nothing short of fantastic and wonderfully formative; I have become physically stronger and much more mature thanks to the influence of my amazing teammates and coaches. I have felt supported in the locker room, on the road, on the trail, on the track, and in the classroom by those men who surround me day in and day out. I have never felt pressured to do or say anything that would run counter to my unique character; I am part of this amazing team, but I am also free to by my own self in all hours of the day. I urge any of you who have come across the slanderous allegations against this program to view them as such: slander. The stories you read on THIS blog represent the real Georgetown track/xc program.  What you are reading here is the real truth, and we will be heard. I will never stand idly by while my name as a member of this top-notch program is dragged through the mud in heinous and undeserving fashion.  Thank you for reading. AMDG.