Holt Community News
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Mattew Dae Smith/LSJ
Holt High School girl’s cross country team members gather for a group picture after “Ruth’s Race” Tuesday afternoon, October 5, 1010. The race honored assistant cross country and track coach, Ruth “Ooche” Pridgeon. Pridgeon, died May 11, 2010 from pancreatic cancer. The top fourteen Holt harriers wore purple uniforms, and sold purple t-shirts in her honor, donating the funds to pancan.org.
Teacher/coach’s legacy honored with special race By GEOFF KIMMERLY
October 10, 2010
Gkimmerly@lsj.com
HOLT — The first wearing of Holt’s purple cross country uniforms was not the only thing that stuck out Oct. 5 to Rams girls coach Pam Stafford. As they remembered and honored a popular teacher and dedicated coach, Holt’s girls and boys runners seemed to carry something extra into the races against Grand Ledge and New Covenant Christian. They wore purple for Ruth Pridgeon, a middle school teacher and assistant coach for the high school’s cross country and track programs, who died May 11 at age 35 after battling pancreatic cancer. “The intensity of the girls and the guys wanting to run their best. They stepped up beautifully,” Stafford said. “They ran with their hearts and you could tell because ... they embraced the moment.” The race was tabbed
“Ruth’s Race” and will become an annual part of the fall season, Stafford said. Pridgeon died during last track season. Prior to that, on suggestion from some of her runners, the Rams created shirts supporting her fight that were designed by thensenior Shelley Dexter. Deep purple is the color associated with pancreatic cancer research. Stafford and her fellow cross country and track coaches met after Pridgeon’s death with the goal of doing something more. She and boys cross country coach David Foy decided heading into this fall to have a race in October, the same month as Pridgeon’s birthday. Along with wearing purple uniforms, the team sold shirts Tuesday that read “Ruth’s Race” and quoted one of Pridgeon’s many encouragements: “Never stop running until the finish line.” These shirts were designed by current senior Karina Drachman. Among Pridgeon’s contri-
butions at Holt was a fifthand sixth-grade “Girls on the Run” program she started to bolster girls physical fitness. Through that shared interest, she met Stafford. And Pridgeon’s legacy will be remembered by a group of girls from that program who will start high school a year from now. “She brought so much energy and enthusiasm to the girls and to the guys for both cross country and track,” Stafford said.
DELHI BUSINESS
EXPO WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 20 6-9 p.m. at Holt High School Meet your local businesses and get great discounts. • More than 75 local business exhibitors
Legacy honors past
• Great discounts on products & services
Lansing’s three public high schools have produced a number of star swimmers over the years. And Lansing’s combined girls swimming program wanted to make sure that wasn’t forgotten this fall when the teams from Eastern, Everett and Sexton combined due, in part, to budget cuts. Their newly formed Lansing Legacy hopes to build on exactly that, as the next See
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• Prize drawing every 15 minutes • GRAND PRIZE 42” flat screen TV
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