SAULT STE. MARIE – Those who question the value of interscholastic sports need only to look as far at former Falcon runner Emory Nelkie to see that the benefits of interscholastic competition extend beyond the track.

Nelkie, a 2004 graduate of Ogemaw Heights who will be returning to Lake Superior State University for his sophomore year, is one of four recipients this year of a $500 Dwayne Rau Memorial scholarship.

Nelkie attributes his academic successes to his track career, which transformed him from a poor student to one motivated to keep his grades up so he could compete. That, in turn, grew into a desire to succeed academically for its own sake, and Nelkie sported a 3.263 GPA in his freshman year at LSSU.

“Before the seventh grade I rarely had C’s, let alone (anything) above, so in order to compete I had to start trying and start taking school seriously,” he said in his scholarship application. “The academic eligibility in order to compete is what started motivating me to do my best academically. The drive to do well academically soon developed into a desire of its own.

“That combination of eligibility and the drive to succeed academically drove me during high school and still drives me today as I enter my second year of college.”

During his high school cross country career, Nelkie was a three-time team MVP and three-time first-team all-NEMC performer. He qualified for the Division 2 state finals meet three times, earning all-state honors with a 22nd-place finish as a junior and taking 97th as a sophomore and 52nd as a senior. He was academic all-state three times.

In track and field, he was the team’s Most Improved Player as a sophomore, took second place in the NEMC in the two-mile run and was part of the league champion two-mile relay. As a senior he won league titles in the one-mile, two-mile and two-mile relay.

Nelkie said he enjoys the fact that both sports allow him to excel individually while requiring him to work for a common goal in a group setting.

“This built both individual and team leadership skills, and the drive to succeed both on my own and within a group,” he said.

“Among other things, cross and track helped to develop within me a goal-oriented state of mind. I was placed in situations in which the only way to get better was to set goals and actively work to achieve them … This state of mind has helped me in college within my classes and in my sport. These situations also taught the importance of work, developing within me a strong work ethic that has carried through in college academics, sports and the jobs I have decided to put my hands to.”

Of course, the physical aspects have been beneficial, as well.

“It’s a physically demanding sport,” Nelkie said. “It requires a strong heart, good lungs and well-conditioned legs … Physical fitness is a limiting factor for what you can do, where you can go and when you will get there.

“Ultimately, physical fitness plays a big part in our daily lives and in the choices we make.”

Starting out as a runner wasn’t easy, Nelkie said, but was more than worth the effort.

“Running may not seem enjoyable to anyone when they first try it,” he said. But after a person has been running for more than a week, your body adapts to it so it doesn’t seem as hard physically.

“In my experience, running has helped sharpen my mind. It allows a person to burn excess energy, allowing a person to focus on a task after a run. It develops the mind, gradually increasing pain tolerance and building the ability to stay focused on a task and block out distractions.”

And though competition is where non-participants see the fruits of a runner’s training, Nelkie, for all his success on the track, emphasizes that the most important assets have come from beyond the actual races.

“Track and cross country are a big part of my life,” he said. “Most of my memories of high school are associated with them. Most of my closes friends and best mentors are my teammates and former teammates and coaches. (They) have enriched my life in so many ways, from the people I have met to the skills and ideals they have instilled in me. Probably the most important lesson my sport ahs taught me is to race every race like it’s my last, and even though the last one may have gone poorly I need to get back and try again in the next.

“Running has not just been a pastime for me; they are the reason I am where I am today, academically, scholastically, mentally and physically.”