Mashtare Keeps on Running – St. Albans Messenger

Mike Mashtare has been leading the youth of BFA St. Albans in cross country, Nordic skiing, and track and field for 38 years.

“Coaching is my passion,” said Mashtare, smiling, and with the time he’s invested in BFA’s athletes, there’s no question the statement is heartfelt.

Mashtare, who spent 34 years as a Physical Education teacher at BFA, is now retired, but he still spends plenty of time with students three seasons of the year.

The sports he coaches provide athletes with the opportunity to grow as people, find paths to fitness they can enjoy for a lifetime, and learn the value of relationships.

“The nature of this sport is that everyone supports each other. Many sports don’t allow you to form a personal relationship with your opponents, but in this sport, we often root for one another.”

Meredith Mashtare, Mike’s daughter, and Callie Parks of MVU, are a perfect example of friendships that can develop between runners from rival schools.

Callie and Meredith ran with the Green Mountain Athletic Association in the offseason during their high school years, forging a strong bond of friendship.

“These athletes look forward to racing each other, spending time together, and hanging out,” said Mashtare, “but they are still very competitive.”

Mashtare noted that track and field, cross country, and Nordic skiing all have one thing in common.

“Your enemy in these sports is really time,” said Mashtare wisely, “and everyone is running against it.”

Mashtare has coached many young people, including his children. His daughter Meredith, an All American, is attending Wheaton College where she is running on the cross country team.  His son Ethan is a sophomore at BFA.

When Mashtare began coaching in 1981, his team consisted of seven boys and eleven girls. In the years that followed, there have been seasons where more than one hundred racers filled the roster. This year more than fifty athletes will race for BFA.

The 2018 season saw a phenomenal group of freshmen and sophomores join the BFA cross country team. Those athletes all returned this season ready to compete.

“That group raised the level of everyone around them,” said Mashtare.

Many of the young runners have been competing since the fifth grade; quite a few have been part of the GMAA program, racing at the national level.

Riley Maher, a senior at BFA is one of the athletes Mashtare expects to see good things from.

 “Last year, Riley ran indoor track and was one of the top kids in the state in the 1500-meter. He was (third or fourth-best) in the state in outdoor track,” said Mashtare. “He’s going to be our leader this year.”

Ethan Mashtare, Jacob Trembley, and Calvin Storms will also be in the mix of upper-tier athletes at BFA.

The girls’ team also has excellent athletes returning this season, including Cala Bourdeau and Lydia Hodgeman.

Caitlyn Dasaro, a three-sport athlete at BFA, has been the top runner for the BFA girls for two consecutive years.

“She’s going to be right there with the best of the girls in the state this year.”

Iris Burns and Quincy Fournier also prepared for the season with summer workouts. Kayleigh Sweeny, a senior at BFA, is also looking to have a strong senior year.

“We have an opportunity to put BFA cross country back on the map this year and maybe challenge for a spot at New Englands if we can stay healthy.”

Mashtare and his coaching staff at BFA have seen their program enjoy great success.

“I’ve seen some incredible, strong-willed, and talented runners come through our program in 38 years,” said Mashtare.

Kelly Greenfield (Medor) raced for Mashtare and according to those who ran with her, she was not to be trifled with.

“Her opponents feared her because of her mental strength. She was focused and she got in the heads of her opponents.”

Damian Bolduc, one of five in his family, raced the same years as Greenfield. He and Greenfield competed in New England Championships and the Junior Olympics.

Bolduc was 8th in the state as a freshman and 4th as a sophomore in high school. He went on to start the Junior Green Mountain Athletic Association racing team with his wife Jessica.

“Damian coaches and races and has a huge passion that he attributes to his time here.”

The King family also went through Mashtare’s program. Kanoa remains the highest placing runner in a state meet for BFA finishing as a State Runner-up. He ran a 17:02 in Thetford, VT.

Nohea (sp), Kanoa’s brother also ran for Mashtare. Nohea and Kanoa now compete in ultra trail run events where they cover 50 to 100 miles in ultra marathons.

Lelani King, sister to the two boys, won the race in her age group in New York City. Mashtare recalled how he motivated her as he saw her running the course.

“I called to her and told her to do something her brothers never did. Win this thing!” said Mashtare. “After she won she told me that was the best thing I could have said to her.”

There were years that Mashtare had entire teams loaded with running talent. In the fall of ’85, Essex, Burlington, and BFA were all battling for the state championship.

“I looked at the Essex coach on race day and told him that Burlington was going down that day.”

At the end of the state championship, a three-point separation allowed Essex to slip past BFA.

“That was an incredible group of girls!” said Mashtare, noting that after the teams went to New Englands, Essex took second and BFA took fourth in the competition.

Mashtare seeks to make the cross country season a life-changing experience for his teams. Part of that is accomplished through trips out of state.

For more than twenty years, Mashtare and the BFA cross country team traveled to Vancourtland Park in New York City each season. Many times it was the first time the athletes and their parents had been to the Big Apple.

The team also traveled to Newport, RI, and did the Cliff Walk along the ocean; some of the families had never been to the coast and seen the ocean.

The out-of-state races also opened the eyes of athletes to the size, scope, and talent in the racing world outside of the Green Mountain state.

These days, the team travels to New Hampshire and Saratoga, NY, to compete in meets with larger numbers of runners.

“They’d see nationally ranked runners and teams. It showed them that there were opportunities to work toward a higher level of competition,” explained Mashtare.

Mashtare encourages his runners to keep running through their college years and to be creative with how they accomplish that goal.

“If a college has your major, there’s a running program you can fit into,” said Mashtare.

Many Vermont athletes who post good times in high school have an opportunity to run at the Division III college level.

One Vermont runner who’s reached stardom in the running world, Elle Purrier of Richford, was someone Mashtare watched ‘grow up’ as she went through high school.

“It was fun to see her come from a small town, Division IV program, move on to a DI college program, and now compete on a national stage,” said Mashtare. “She’s got the work ethic and I hope she has continued success because she deserves it!”

Mashtare admired Purrier’s career, but he’s had plenty of BFA runners who’ve made his program proud.

Many of Mashtare’s former runners continue to run long after their high school and college days are behind them.

“I go to road races all over the place, and most of them will have four or five of my ex-athletes. I have a huge amount of athletes who are still running and skiing–doing anything endurance based,” said Mashtare.

Mashtare has even had parents of athletes pick up running after they saw their children embrace the sport.

Three years ago, after encouraging his runners to do a half marathon over the summer, a grandfather, a mother, and her children ran in the half marathon.

Not every year is a successful one, and Mashtare reflected on what it takes to lead a struggling team through a season.

“We’ve had dry spells over the years. In those times we focus on the feeling of family, fitness, and all that you can get out of the season. We look at how we can improve and how much we can close in on the team ahead of us. You pull something positive out of every race. You want everyone to be having a good time.”

When it comes to racing, Mashtare had wise words for those who run to win it all and those who run to enjoy a personal best.

“You can’t control the course or the weather and you can’t control your competition. You can control what you’ve done, what you need to do, and how you do it. Warm-up, hydrate, stretch, eat well, and get the sleep you need. Don’t get nervous about the other things. Don’t waste your energy worrying about the other things.”

Looking back over the time he’s invested in the runners at BFA St. Albans, Mashtare smiled and spoke with gratitude.

“After 38 years there are so many special memories and so many special kids I’ve had a chance to coach,” said Mashtare. “It’s great to work in a community that supports what you do an appreciates what you do for the kids.”