Retirement Party

As you probably already know, I ran track in college.  It was quite the adventure.  Freshman year we went to Disney World as a team, Sophomore year I watched my best friend, Bobbi, run on the National Champion and National Record holding DMR team, Junior year we traveled to Greece, and Senior year I lowered my 400 time by five seconds, became a 2-time 4x400 All-American, and broke the school record in the 400 hurdles.  One person who was there for it all was Coach Nickasch.

I met him in the Fall of my senior year in high school and loved him from the start.  He seemed very knowledgeable in track, being an All-American hurdler himself, but he also seemed to have a general interest in me as a person.  His office was always open, and he treated me and my teammates like his own children.  He pulled some strings to place me with the best Kindergarten teacher in the area for my student teaching, he stayed late to help me with hurdles when I was student teaching, he talked with me for several hours after Alaina was diagnosed with Leukemia, and he helped me become a much better 400 runner than I ever thought I could be.  I didn't always agree with his workouts, but something worked in the end, and I wouldn't change any of it.  

When he first accepted the head coaching job at UWP, there were only ten women on the team.  After only a few short years, we had at least 40 girls, and we were sending people to Nationals year after year.  I'm so thankful that I was at UWP when he was, and he will always be special to me!  Thanks for everything, Coach!    

Below are some pictures from his surprise retirement party at Steve's Pizza in Platteville.  Ryan and I picked up Bobbi on the way up.  It's so funny how her and I might not see each other all that often, but we pick right up where we left off and always end up having a great time.  It was great spending time with her and taking a little stroll down memory lane (literally, we drove through campus).  I can't believe how much the campus has changed in just a few years!!

Coach and his two "favorites."

When Bobbi and I were freshman, we became instant bffs (after being rivals in high school), and then we became good friends with the Senior girls.  From left to right, me, Mary, Carrie, Al and Bobbi.  I LOVE these people!  Thanks for letting me take this picture for my blog!  haha.  I had to bribe them.