OP_052418

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the orland park prairie | May 24, 2018 | 45
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
Sismelich goes a long distance to help Cardinals
PATRICK Z. MCGAVIN
Freelance Reporter
The very idea of running is to be
open, free and alive.
The Cartesian assertion, “I think,
therefore I am,” is the dominant
form of expression.
The middle and long distance
runner embodies these feelings intimately.
Steve Sismelich is acutely
aware of the feeling of release
and pure sensation. The challenge
is achieving a particular kind of
grace.
“One of the first things they
teach you is that you have to be the
runner you want to become,” Sismelich
said.
An Orland Park native, Sismelich
wrapped up a distinguished
four-year running career in cross
country and track at North Central
College, a Division III powerhouse
program in Naperville.
On May 5, he helped the Cardinals
capture the men’s outdoor
championship in the College Conference
of Illinois & Wisconsin.
He set a personal record by
clocking 31 minutes, 8.74 seconds
to finish second to teammate Nolan
McKenna (30:58.40) as North
Central captured the top five places
in the 10,000-meter run.
“We have great camaraderie, and
the fact we have so many other
great runners is why I have been
able to run these times,” he said.
Sismelich has shown versatility
and passion for the sport, running
everything from the indoor mile
to the 10,000 meters. In April, Sismelich
established personal bests
in the 1,500 (4:06.42), the 3,000
(9:09.90) and 5,000 (14:46.09).
The Cardinals open NCAA Division
III Outdoor National Championships
in La Crosse, Wisconsin,
starting Thursday, May 24. Sismelich
found out on Saturday, May
19, that his times did not qualify,
however, so his college running career
is over.
He first developed his passion
for running at Providence Catholic,
where he graduated in 2014.
“It was my freshman year at
Providence, and at that point in my
life I had not really been involved
in competition and I had a buddy
who encouraged me,” he said. “I
tried it, and I had some initial success
and it was just something I
wanted to continue.”
Another former Providence runner,
Jerry Davis, helped influence
him to matriculate to North Central.
At Providence, Sismelich had
plenty of natural ability but was
still learning about discipline, purpose
and the nature of competition.
In making the transition to college
competition, he underwent
an accelerated process in learning
and developing those necessary
traits.
“The two main things you learn
about college competition is the
mental part and the training,” he
said. His workout rhythm and
training regimen is both grueling
and intense.
He estimates averaging running
between 80 to 90 miles per week.
North Central is rated the No. 1
Division III program in the country
by the U.S. Track & Field and
Cross Country Coaches Association.
The Cardinals’ middle and long
distance runners undergo two significant
movements, on Mondays
and Wednesdays, a tempo workout
that emphasizes speed and a midweek
uphill work that helps build
endurance. His longest race —
10,000 meters — converts to 6.2
miles.
It is natural to wonder what races
through his mind.
“In the 10,000, it has what we
call three stages, and the most important
and hardest is the third part,
and what you never want to do in
that third part is what we call fall
asleep,” Sismelich said. “Once you
do that, you can never get back.
What I focus on and what I try to
do is visualize the practice, and
ideally what you want is to have
your practice run and your [competition]
run to be parallel with each
other.”
Sismelich has also excelled
off the track. He is academic all-
CCIW and is set to graduate with
his degree in marketing in June.
The next stage of his life is open
and marked by discovery. He concedes
his competitive running career
is probably over. He is mulling
joining some college classmates
and possibly take part running a
marathon in Minnesota.
Running has taught him crucial
life lessons.
“Running has made me not just
an athlete but a better person,” he
said. “One of the things the coaches
talk about and what you learn is
not to be intimated or be afraid, of
the talent level around you or the
times you run, and in the process
you learn a presence, a lifestyle of
discipline.”
Steve Sismelich, an Orland Park native, has been competing with
talented teammates in the 5,000- and 10,000-meter events at North
Central College, which is the top NCAA Division III program in the
country. Photo submitted
Football
From Page 47
Finally, Tinley Park
would be in Class 5A,
District 4 along with Marian
Catholic, Thornridge,
Hillcrest, Joliet Catholic
Academy, Rich Central,
Rich East and Rich South.
Again, there are no powerhouses.
Joliet Catholic has
one of the richest traditions
in IHSA football history but
the Hilltoppers have been
down for the last couple of
years.
All of this is going to
take a lot of work and a lot
of time before we see it – if
we see it.
But while we are yakking
about this overhaul, let’s
consider another problem
that coaches and fans have
– the public vs. private
school issue.
I have written thousands
of columns over the years
and never once touched
on this hot-button issue
because it’s something that
I never believed would be
changed without a major
overhaul of the system.
Well, now that the system
could be overhauled, this
issue should be in the conversation.
We all know that private
and public schools do not
play on a level playing
field. Private schools can
draw student athletes
from a heck of a lot more
miles than public schools
can. How many kids from
Indiana play at Mt. Carmel?
Having a separate playoff
system for private and
public schools may or may
not be the best idea, but
it should be given careful
consideration while we
are considering changing
conferences to districts.
After all, why try to fix
the engine and ignore the
four flat tires?