An athlete toasts Bob Shay on his retirement
By MONTE BROTHWELL
I was signing up for my freshman classes and was down to P.E. (Physical
Education). I looked to see who was left in my time slot: Shay’s P.E. After filling
in the blank spot, I asked a friend, who asked an older friend of his, who is Shay and
how’s his P.E.?
The older friend just turned and smiled, "He’s a good P.E.
teacher." Little did I know the smile was because Shay’s P.E. was the hardest
P.E. around.
Today was the first day of school, and the first day assignments were the
usual get-them-started ordeal. I had a morning P.E. and the class went like the others. He
introduced himself as Bob Shay; told us what we expected to do; all about his grading;
what equipment we were to have, etc.
The next day we got ready for P.E., joking about how easy all of the
classes were. I noticed that the seniors weren’t joking at all. We walked into the
gym and there Shay was in sweats and whistle.
In the next 30 minutes, we found out why when you were asked who’s
P.E. you had and answered Shay’s P.E., that person would answer back to you in a
horrified voice, "Shay’s P.E.!"
That first day was 10 sprints across the gym (about 15-20 yards), get down
one set of 10 pushups, one set of 10 sit-ups, one set of 10 pushups, and one set of 10 leg
lifts in different holding elevations from the floor.
After this you would start over, and just when you thought it
couldn’t get harder he would throw in another holding position (like one-half way
down on a pushup).
I look back now and wonder how I made it along with thousands of
Shay’s other P.E. graduates.
Shay was the sly old fox in his P.E. classes though, keeping an eye open
for those potential athletes. I was confronted by Shay to try out for wrestling (being a
98-pound puny freshman, I was what he needed in the lower weights).
Besides P.E., this was the first of a long line of experiences I would
have with this regimented but gentle coach.
My first year as an athlete gave me two varsity letters and a lot of
experience. I don’t think I won but one or two wrestling matches, and I think in some
of them I was pinned quicker than any matches I can remember ever seeing in my whole
career.
In track I was mediocre, but in both sports Shay was always there, saying
to us athletes, "Do the best you can." I also had Shay for biology and found him
as thorough and helpful there as in athletics.
The second year I came in adding cross country to my athletic curriculum.
A real respect and wanting to "do the best you can" was really developing from
the inspiration of this coach.
I wanted to do my best and that year we had a mediocre cross country team
(but most of us were sophomores and juniors). In wrestling I moved up to just
saying—I’m not going to get pinned all year! I got beat bad sometimes but I
didn’t get pinned.
In track I improved a little, but I was still growing. That year I
suffered severe shin splints, and Shay just tried to help and get me through them.
Injuries and leg problems are sure to happen in high school because of the growing that
tendons and bones go through.
Also in the second year we learned a lot about the way Shay coached.
He felt, especially in wrestling, if you didn’t know it by the time
you went to the mat, it was your problem. He was never on the side yelling at you to do
some move like almost all the other coaches.
This is one area that one of his best wrestlers, Carson Duffy, used
against his opponent. He listened to the other coach and set up the counter before the
opponent could even move.
My junior year we pulled some benched football players and put together a
good cross country team, a good wrestling team and a good track squad.
I myself had a bad track year due to a bad shin splint problem. But this
year I saw something about the coach I had never really noticed before. Shay
differentiated between athletes who were good and didn’t need a lot of pushing from
the ones who needed encouragement and involvement.
He would devote more time to new kids or to kids who had no
self-confidence to get them more self-confident. Also, especially in cross country, there
would be outings to the Shay house for watermelon and punch with his wife, JoAnn. They
would greet all of us and welcome us into their home.
Now, for my senior year, I saw many successes in my career and many other
people’s careers. In cross country our team won state.
One item that I think women’s athletics in Idaho should be eternally
grateful for to coach Shay is what he did for girls’ cross country. He actually
started girls’ cross country in the state of Idaho. Shay took four girls at Wood
River—one being someone I happen to know (my wife)—and put together the first
girls’ team in the state. He almost had to sneak the team into most races the first
and second years.
Jerome followed suit with a team and, although I had graduated, the next
year Wood River’s and Jerome’s girls ran a state race of their own with no
medals. The next year finally the idea made the Idaho State Athletic Association’s
agenda and there was girls’ cross country.
Since graduating I’ve seen many an athlete Shay has helped and his
same idea comes across: "Do the best you can." If you were last place and you
knew you’d done your best, he’d be happy.
So after all the pain through P.E., I now see he has really helped me
develop the physical and mental toughness you need not just in athletics, but in everyday
life.
You think of Shay and you have to think of the hours he has dedicated
year-round to youth athletics.
Also, that never-ending "Shay Smile."
Thanks for all the past help and I’m sure the future help.
