The FROGS

By Jack Rightmyer

“Salvation lies in human contact and connection.” –Raymond Carver

I first heard about the FROGS four years ago when I was at a spring high school track meet and coaching my team Bethlehem against Colonie. Our track official that day was Bob Oates, who had been a longtime cross-country and track coach at Guilderland High School. “Bob, that was such a great ride today,” said Frank Myers, the veteran Colonie track coach. “Just perfect weather,” answered Bob, who then called out the next race to report to the starting line.

“You guys went for a bike ride today?” I said in awe that these two retired teachers had the freedom to take a bike ride on such a sunny spring morning. At that time not only was I coaching the track team, but I was also teaching three high school English classes and two eighth grade English classes. I was swamped.

“We go every Thursday,” said Frank. “Hey, Bob, we should make Jack a FROG.” “A what?” I said. “A FROG,” said Bob. “That’s what we call ourselves. It means Former Runners On Gears, although Jim Poole’s son calls us Fat Retired Old Guys. We have over 20 of us, mostly retired coaches. Every Thursday morning, we bike 15-20 miles at different bike trails in the area, then we go out and eat breakfast.” Bob took my email and added me to the list that day.

Today there are over 50 of us on the email chain that’s usually sent out on Tuesday morning by Bob from his new home in Maine. The email is filled with weekly trivia and also includes where we will be biking that Thursday, where we will eat after, and if any of the FROGS are celebrating a birthday that week.

“It was September 5, 2012, the first day when all teachers from the area go back to school and Bob Oates had retired so we decided to do something,” said Frank Myers. “He wanted to play golf, but I convinced him to go on a bike ride.”

They rode 10 miles that day on the Mohawk-Hudson Bike-Hike Trail, beginning at the bottom of the Blatnick Park hill. “It took me 39:13 and Bob was much faster.  Two weeks later we began to get more people, retired teachers who used to coach, and then we started to go out to eat after. We biked right up to December 16 that first year and started up again on May 17th the next year.”

What amazed Frank when more people began joining was how fast you could go in a group. “Biking is much easier when you draft. My best ride ever was on August 22nd of last year at the bike trail section near Schenectady County Community College when I did 14 miles at 16.98 miles per hour.”

Although Bob Oates moved to Maine a few years ago he still journeys down a few times each summer to surprise the FROGS and show up for a ride. “I’ve always found runners, my teammates, athletes I coached, and competitors to be hardworking, down to earth, nice people,” said Bob. “They understand the shared experiences of intervals, hills, and long runs far from any bathroom.”

As retired coaches and runners, Bob Oates, enjoys the camaraderie that now comes with a mix of aged wisdom. “When we first started meeting, I walked away each week just really ‘up,’ and couldn’t wait till the next get together. That feeling hasn’t diminished after all these years.” Many of us realize how lucky we are to be in a group like this and there’s plenty of research to back that up. According to a 2018 Harvard University study that began in 1938 and followed 238 Harvard sophomores (all men) and their offspring, which expanded the study to over 1300 participants, close relationships more than money or fame keep people happy, delay mental and physical decline, and are the best predictors of a long and happy life – even more than social class and a high I.Q.

Many of the FROGS were distance running competitors in high school and college, and many of them went on to compete against each other as track and cross-country coaches. “A lot of us have known each other for a very long time,” said Jim Poole, ex-coach from Albany Academy. “The nature of track and cross-country is that you see each other several times during the season, dual meets, league championships, invitationals, and you have plenty of time to form friendships.”

“It’s unique to this sport,” said Pete Sheridan, ex-coach from Scotia-Glenville High School. “We’re not on opposite sides of the field, and we all help out other kids if any of them go down. I’ve never seen a football coach run out to help someone from the other school.”

“I think we learned that from our high school and college coaches,” said Carlo Cherubino, the coach from Holy Names Academy who once ran a marathon in 2:22. “My high school coach Jim Connelly and college coach Bob Muncie encouraged every runner and athlete no matter what team they were on.”

“And as coaches we encourage our kids to get to know other kids from different teams,” said Tom Greene, coach from Colonie High School. “When runners finish a race what’s the first thing they usually do? They shake hands and congratulate other runners around them, and we do the same thing when we congratulate coaches with a good team.”

“What I love about the FROGS is the camaraderie of being with people who share a love of the same sorts of things,” said Dale Broomhead, ex-coach from Lansingburgh High School.

“Many of us were physical education teachers, and we tend to instill a philosophy into those we taught to stay active and if you do, you’ll meet some great people and have things in common with them,” said Ron Racey, the coach from Ravena High School. “I also love the FROGS because we laugh a lot, and when you laugh you can’t help but feel younger.”

“When we used to coach and we’d get together in the coaches meeting before a meet there was always a lot of joking and laughing going on,” said Jim Poole.

Mark Mindel, ex-coach from Averill Park, and a three-time winner of the Stockade-athon 15K with a marathon PR of 2:26, just loves getting together with the old track guys every week, “There are always some good stories and some good laughs floating around.”

Sandy Morley, ex-coach from Guilderland High School and retired principal of the Bethlehem Middle School, and one of the few female FROGS loves the shirt, the after-ride food and “…listening to guys who have amazing detailed facts in their brains about the most obscure topics.”

Many of the FROGS still share a love of working out hard. “No one is more competitive than a distance runner,” said Pete Sheridan. “They get on those bikes and they start racing away at 20-22 miles per hour. It can be a bit disconcerting when I ride with this group and see the shirts disappear into the distance.”

Jim Poole loves the feeling that he can still go out and pound a ride like he did the morning I interviewed him. “We were really pushing it today. I loved that. How many people our age can still do that, and that makes me feel good about myself.”

Chris Shultz, ex-coach from Colonie, came to the ride that day even though it was his 71st birthday. “Of course, I wanted to celebrate it here with these guys, and I really pushed it today because in nine years I’m going to be 80.”

John Sharkey, the ex-coach from Niskayuna High School, finds it encouraging that so many of the FROGS have had cancer or cardiac problems. “You get to be our age and we’ve all had some physical setbacks, and I look around at these guys, and it reminds me that I’m not alone. It inspires me to see these guys staying fit, and I think this guy has had three stents inserted and I’ve only had two, and he can bike that fast.”

There are many studies that detail why women around the world live longer than men. One of the most significant findings is that women tend to have stronger social networks, which allow them to reach out and talk to others, while men often hold their stress in. 

When Bernie Philips, a parent of a Shaker track athlete, retired most of his friends were still working but Bob Oates knew he liked to bike and invited him to join the group. “Now I have a peer group I see once a week and that gives me some stability and comfort that I’m part of a community.”

Dave Gordon was not a runner but back in 2018 he saw this group of guys starting a ride and asked to join them. “They looked like a friendly group, and I’ve not missed many Thursday rides since. I am honored to be a FROG.”

“These are active guys,” said Bob Foggo, a veteran track official. “They bike in all sorts of weather. They’re tough. They’re outdoor people. A guy like Frank Myers has been coaching all three seasons since the 1970s.”

And they continue to bike into the winter.  “Our coldest day had a minus 16 degree windchill,” said Ron Racey. “I remember that day,” said Jim Poole. “It took me three cups of coffee after just to warm up my hands.”

“Well,” said Ron Racey, “I think a lot of us would agree if someone is going to get on a bike to ride even on a bitter cold day then I’m also going to do it.”

Jack Rightmyer (jackxc@nycap.rr.com) was a longtime cross-country coach at Bethlehem High School and today is an Adjunct English Professor at Siena College. He has written two books “A Funny Thing About Teaching” and “It’s Not About Winning.”