Joe Murph councils Stephon Breedlove ‘79 during a wrestling match at the Texas School for the Blind in January 1978.
When asked for an estimated win to loss coaching record, Breedlove was without an answer. He has chosen not to keep track of these numbers to be consistent with his style of coaching, which sets the focus on his players rather than himself. “Breedlove commits nearly all his time to the basketball team and strives to make each and every one of his players better both on and off the court,” Parker Jordan ‘11 said. Breedlove has welcomed the changes he sees around campus and is excited to watch the community expand. Although admissions welcomes many more students than in years past, the school still feels like a close-knit community. “They’ve done a great job in maintaining some of the history of the campus while still keeping up with popular trends in architecture and design,” Breedlove said. Apart from devoting so much of his life to FWCD, Breedlove’s steadfast belief in how positive an impact not only the athletic program, but also the school as a whole has on children’s lives. This is apparent by the enrollment of his own children, McKenna ‘14 and Joseph ‘17. For Breedlove, their enrollment has been one of the highlights of his career at FWCD. Head athletic trainer and assistant athletic
36
FALCONER
director, Ed Chisholm, has also entrusted his children, Farris ‘19 and Kaylee ‘22, to the FWCD community, which he has served for 24 years.
“I get to do what I love to do. For that, I try my best to give Country Day my best each day.” Butch Traeder At the age of 25, Chisholm joined the school as the athletic trainer. Over the years, he has not only contributed a plethora of hats to the school’s training room, but also played a key role in the FWCD athletic program’s great success by ensuring that student athletes stay healthy. For many athletes, Chisholm has gone even further, extending past his job description and serving as a mentor and role model. “I have been training for four seasons now, and Trainer Ed has been just a great example of what an athletic trainer is,” Elise Chernosky ‘12 said. “He has taught me so much about athletic training. He is always ready for all our games and all of the students love him.” One of Chisholm’s proudest moments at FWCD actually embodies the extent of
Ed Chisholm, Charles Varnell ’93, Gordon Johndroe ’93
his influence on student athlete’s lives. This moment came when Charles Varnell ‘93, who served as Chisholm’s student trainer for four years, earned a full athletic scholarship to attend Rice University as a student trainer. FWCD has given Chisholm the opportunity to not only touch the lives of others, but to also shape his own. “FWCD has not only provided me a career that I have thoroughly enjoyed, but it has brought so many wonderful people into my life,” Chisholm said. “In addition to all the terrific students I have had the opportunity to work with over the past 24 years, FWCD introduced me to my very best friend along with my wife, the most wonderful person in the world.” Chisholm has also enjoyed watching the school change due to the great rewards such growth brings. He also asserts that the school has changed in the right ways, while preserving the essence of the community he decided to dedicate his life to 24 years ago. “Funny, it is not about what has changed, but what really has always stayed the same,” Chisholm said. “This school has the most amazing students, year in, year out. The faces change, but the passion for excellence remains, and that just blows me away.” As much time as Breedlove and Chisholm have contributed to the FWCD athletic fwcd.org