Teachers can be one of the most important influences on a young person’s life. When Powell River’s Graham Cocksedge, a teacher and coach at Brooks Secondary School as well as an elite runner, recently came in second in the masters division at the Canadian Cross Country Championships in Kingston, Ontario, it resonated in the hallways with his students.
According to Cocksedge, he runs because he loves it. At the nationals, added enjoyment came from running alongside his longtime friend and eventual winner Jerry Ziak, originally from Courtenay.
The two men, who have been running together since university, surged ahead of approximately 170 other competitors and stayed out in front of the pack until the finish line.
“We were inseparable for the weekend; it was like two lost brothers,” said Cocksedge. “He’s a wonderful man and we just picked up where we left off and rekindled our friendship. I wanted to give him as much of a race as I could and it was great, we went side by side.”
Cocksedge has been rebuilding the Brooks cross country and track and field teams. Last month, the boys cross-country team finished third out of 23 teams to win bronze at the BC High School Cross Country championships.
Cocksedge said he believes it is important to run, not only because “it’s awesome,” but because it sends a message to his students.
“It means everything because in teaching, in mentoring, in coaching, if you don’t walk the line you’re speaking you don’t have trust,” he said. “If you don’t have trust, you don’t have buy-in.”
Cocksedge said a person does not have to be a competitor to coach. A teacher can show standards and commitments in other ways to convince young people to buy in to a program, class or success, he said.
“I work out with them and we train together and they see another level of devotion of what you can put your body through, and how much the body can sustain discomfort,” said Cocksedge. “So many people stop as soon as they feel discomfort and there’s no growth in that. It means everything for the kids to be a part of that growth.”
