Lancaster goes all out in celebrating the career of Kevin Carriero – Lancaster Bee

Kevin Carriero

Saturday was the ultimate celebration in the Lancaster Central School District.

More than 200 friends, colleagues, coaches and athletes made an appearance at the Lancaster Country Club Saturday night to celebrate the coaching career of Lancaster Track and Field coach Kevin Carriero.

Carriero, who has been coaching and teaching at Lancaster for 48 years, will now be stepping down as the head track coach as he enters retirement. The Lancaster community was out in full force for this signature event as Carriero admitted that he did not see this coming.

“This was a complete surprise to me,” Carriero said. “I thought I was going to a small dinner at Russell’s, but once I realized the car I was in wasn’t going the right direction, I knew something was up.

“I usually don’t have a hard time finding the words, but what took place Saturday left me nearly speechless. Seeing so many people showing support just was an incredible way for this to come to an end. The Lancaster family took me in as one of their own both in teaching and coaching.”

The night was full of laughs, tears and sharing memories over this truly iconic figure in the Lancaster track and field program. Several guests spoke at Saturday’s event including Dr. Joseph Girardi, who was the Lancaster superintendent from 1987 through 2003.

“It’s impossible to find a negative word to say about Kevin Carriero,” Girardi said. “His loyalty to the Lancaster students is really impressive and beyond expectations. His commitment and work ethic is also outstanding.”

Several standout athletes at Lancaster told stories about Carriero and one that stood out was from Anne Flynn (Dobrowolski). She was a 1981 graduate of Lancaster High School and in the spring of 1981, she became the New York State Indoor Track and Field champion in the 3000 meter race with a time of 10:06.7.

“The year was 1978 and there I was as an awkward high school freshman at one of my early practices in the spring track season,” Flynn said. “The cinder track was a sloppy mess because of the weather so our practice was going to be inside.

“Coach explained how we were going to be running our workout on a loop in the two gyms at the high school … I don’t remember the specific workout, but I do remember Mr. C putting me in a workout with the older distance runners and encouraging me to push the pace. He saw something in me that day that I didn’t even know I had.

“So following his orders, I proceeded to tick off the other girls by pushing the pace. I was intimidated by these upperclassmen and my lack of self-confidence at the time made me close to quitting right there and then. Mr. C used his magic to defuse the situation, boost up my confidence, and get our group to work as a team. I marked that workout as the start of my running career that would lead to a state championship, college scholarship and the Olympic trials.”

When people think of pole vaulting in Western New York, usually the first name that comes to mind is Mary Saxer. Mary, who now goes by Mary Saxer Sibears, is the New York State (and Lancaster

High School) record-holder in the pole vault. She is a national champion and was a two-time NCAA All-American while attending Notre Dame University.

“Passion, heart, dedication and the face of Lancaster track and field,” Saxer Sibears said. “To say he made an impact is an understatement. His coaching, unwavering support and fatherly life lessons stayed with me throughout my career. Just as we pass the relay baton from one teammate to the next, we end one chapter of life to start a new one. This may be the end of one epic chapter, but what a chapter it’s been.”

Sharyn Schlaketa (Pfister) was part of the Class of 1982 at Lancaster and she is another former Legends track star who went on to do great things after high school. As a graduate at West Virginia University, Schlaketa was a 1988 Olympic qualifier in the pentathlon and she is now a member of the Lancaster Athletic Hall of Fame.

“For someone who completely and utterly deserves the red carpet, this has just been fantastic,” Schlaketa said. “Thank you to Mr. C for being a part of my life, my children’s lives, and always finding the right things to say. You were dedicated to getting the job done and making sure that we were training at the right places so that we would have that optimal performance.”

The big prize of the night for Carriero was two paid tickets to attend the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. With 48 years of coaching experience at Lancaster, Carriero admits that it will be difficult to step away. He plans on attending various track meets in the future, but he also wants the current athletes to settle in with the new coach before he makes an appearance.

“I’m definitely going to do a lot more fishing with this free time,” Carriero said. “When I was coaching, I would go before dawn with Joseph Girardi, but I would have to leave by around 1 p.m. to make it back in time for track practice. Now, I’ll be able to stay longer. I also have two Labrador retrievers named Casey and Buck who I want to spend more time with.”

Another big goal for Carriero moving forward is watching his former athletes compete at the collegiate level. He has five kids on the team who are committed to the University at Buffalo and he has several more scattered throughout New York State and beyond.

Carriero also mentioned that his living room is full of track memorabilia ranging from jerseys to stop watches and other track equipment. He does plan on cleaning up that room in the next several months, but he also knows how much those things mean to him — just like his students and colleagues at Lancaster High School.