Building Joy for the Sport

From Running Club to High School Cross Country, Houser has Inspired for 25 Years

Tamara Houser has been teaching Physical Education at Belleville since 1996.  She was first a high school teacher, and also coached volleyball briefly.  In 1997, Houser switched to teaching at the elementary/intermediate schools.  Her friend, Megan O’Brien (a Belleville Alum and former cross country state qualifier), and Tamara have now been coaching Cross Country together for 15 years.  Cross country is both a team and an individual sport.

“Kids work hard and put so much effort into their training to become better runners.  Some of our athletes have goals that involve winning conference or qualifying for state.  Some have different goals, such as improving their fitness, training with their friends, or trying to reach personal race goals.  Whatever their motivation is, it is the right one,” emphasizes Houser.

While cross country doesn’t have a specific youth program, Belleville’s Elementary School Running Club has been going for 25 years.  Running Club has been a starting point for many young athletes who go on to enjoy volleyball, football or soccer, or in some cases, cross country.  This year, many of the Belleville High School Cross Country team was composed of former Running Club kids, which speaks to the influence Houser’s dedication to the program as a coach has meant to the School District of Belleville and its athletes.

“Tamara (Mrs. Houser) has done a phenomenal job creating a culture of movement and being active for our students.  With Running Club being available to students in fourth grade and up, this is something younger students build excitement for through the primary grades.  This builds interest in running as a sport and an event that students, parents and staff can participate in together,” says Belleville Elementary Principal Kelsey Schmit.

Houser’s dedication and commitment to her runners of all ages is felt by her students too who have grown with her over the years.  Aiden Campbell, a graduating senior and Captain of the Varsity Boys Cross Country team, remembers starting as a member of the Running Club as an elementary student and finding a love for the sport early on.

Campbell says, “I started running in elementary school.  It created a positive environment and it was fun to be surrounded by people coming together for the joy of the sport.  Running Club offered a special community for me and made me want to continue to do it in high school.”

Now, looking towards graduation, Campbell has enjoyed his time as a member of the BHS Boys Cross Country team and winning the conference championship this year.  He has also enjoyed continuing to inspire other team members as Captain of the boys team, and now looks forward to pursuing a degree in college in Environmental Science.

“The words I’d use to describe our team this year are cohesive, caring, family-oriented and hard working.  Not every race goes the way we want, but we are always learning how to be better and learn what our bodies need to do in order to make that happen.  Congratulations to our state qualifier and school record-holder, Carter Scholey, and to our entire boys Varsity team who took conference this year.  Kudos to our Most Valuable - Carter Scholey and Alora Spiegel, our Most Improved - Olivia Fox and Shep Nass and our Coach’s Award for leadership Aiden Campbell and Alice Elliott.  To the whole team - you’re ALL Most Valuable in my book!  I hope the joy of running will always stay with you,” praises Coach Houser.

This year’s cross country runners undoubtedly feel just as strongly about having Tamara Houser as their coach as she does about being their coach.  And…for those that just got started this year in Running Club, they are going to find out what it means to have a coach like Mrs. Houser.  They will all understand what joy can come from running with the right coach!