“Run for Rod” set for Sept. 14
By Matt Gengler, Sports Editor
sports@missourivalleytimes.com
Rod Smith’s impact in Woodbine, both in the community and school, as well as the surrounding area, cannot be measured by just the number of state trophies (both cross country and track) at the school – Just talk to any former high school student, athletes, or first time teacher/coach. He took the time to talk with everyone, get to know the new individual or athlete, and earn their respect while helping push them to their potential.
While not a fan of all the attention being thrown his direction, he willingly accepted his family and community putting this event in his honor. Smith was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) earlier this year, and all proceeds will be used to assist with medical expenses.
RUN FOR ROD BENEFIT
The Run for Rod 5K Run/Walk will be held on Sunday, Sept. 14, in Woodbine. Check in is set for 3 p.m. at the high school, with the race beginning at 4 p.m.
Online Registration: www.bit.ly/rund4rod;
Donations will be accepted throughout the month leading up to the run.
A spaghetti dinner benefit will be held at 5 p.m. in the Woodbine School District commons.
ROD SMITH’S START
Woodbine hired Smith in 1989 as an assistant coach after then head coach, Phil Hummel, asked him if he would be interested. At that time, Smith was not a teacher, he was a farmer, but he was up for the challenge and the job! Smith began working with the throwers. In Smith's words, "I learned a lot from Hummel through my experience as an athlete first, then as a coach." Hummel was “State Coach of the Year” many times.
Smith was hired in 1998 as the Head Girls Coach, and he continued to coach through 2019. His wife, Teresa Smith, was also hired as the Assistant Girls Coach in 1998. They were the perfect pair for the job! Smith said, “she helped keep me in line!” Throughout their coaching years, they always had either individual or multiple events qualify for state!
In 2005, Smith took on the job of both girls and boys head coach, which he did for 5 years. Then, he was back to girls head coach until 2019, when he elected to step down from head coach to assistant girls track coach.
Not only did Smith coach track, but also in the fall of 1998, he took over as Cross Country Coach, where he coached as head until the fall of 2021. Smith’s son, James, took over as head Cross Country Coach in 2021, and Smith took over as assistant.
Smith has had an amazing coaching experience, being able to work with and learning from Coach Phil Hummel (Woodbine), Coach Gail Hartigan (Treynor), Coach (Bill) Hosack (Harlan), and many others over the years. He has also had the privilege of working with so many wonderful students and athletes.
Coach Smith said, “My proudest bragging rights are that I coached my three children and qualified them all for state, and my niece and my nephew. I am also proud that my son (James) is now a Woodbine track and cross country coach.”
THOUGHTS ON ROD SMITH
His wife, Teresa, stated, “I have to share a funny story on Rod as a track coach with Ted Webb. Both were coaching track together and being math teachers, they had a habit of keeping track of the points earned by their team, as well as the points earned by the top three teams with great accuracy. Near the end of one meet both of these math teacher, coaches were preparing the Woodbine Tigers for a less than a first place finish because they were sure their calculations were correct and as it turned out both of these math teachers were wrong, and the Tigers walked away with a win. This is story many of us have never let them forget.”
His son, James Smith added, “Rod has been my teacher, my coach, and my dad, and has more impact on my life than any other living person. Rod’s biggest contribution to my life were two life lessons he taught me and displayed to me by his actions. First, that life is hard and we often have to do things we do not want to, but we must still do those things to the best of our ability and with a grateful attitude. Second, to be confident in your convictions whether they make you popular or not, dad was never afraid or ashamed to use his faith and beliefs in his speeches, coaching, and teaching. He influenced me to be a coach, a hard worker, and to give my best in all that I do, as that is what he does.
His sister, Jenny Hall, added, “Rod, has taught me resilience and some toughness to help get through life. Although he was six years older, we would torment each other as children. I have the scars to prove it! But I think that made me a stronger individual - to stand up for what I believe in and endure. Still as we aged we've become good friends and can count on one another for advice and help. Rod has contributed so much to our community also by being an example of a follower of Christ, supporting youth in our community through school and church, and promoting our community. Each day I pray for a cure for his illness and blessings to people and caretakers that deal with the tragedy of ALS.”
Gary Hall added, “My brother-in-law Rod has always been ready to lend a helping hand in farm work and building our home. He's always there for us whether we're building a house, throwing bales, or just offering a prayer to someone in need.”
School mate Barry Poe added, “Rod has been a dear friend of mine since we were children. He is one of the most caring, honest people I know. We graduated together, and he was the best distance runner in our school back then. It's a shame this had to happen to him, but ALS shows no mercy.”
Former student-athlete standout, Angie Pryor added, “Rod is more than a coach. He was the man that asked how your day was AND listened to your answer. He knew when you were having a rough day as a student-athlete and helped worked through the problem before heading to practice. I will never forget getting back to the school after track meets and always having a follow up chat with him about how the meet went, what we could do to be better the next time and so forth. Those conversations are held near and dear to my heart. As I became a mother myself, Rod did the same thing for my kids. I am so thankful they got to know the person that I loved growing up. They say that if you're lucky, you could invite one coach that inspired you to speak at your wedding and Aaron and I did just that. I will forever hold Rod's speech from our wedding close, as without a doubt, he was the coach that inspired me the most to be the best woman, wife, mother, community member, volunteer I could be. We are all better because Rod is in our lives.”
Former Boyer Valley teacher Chris Weber added, “What has always impressed me about Rod Smith is how he also encouraged other kids from neighboring schools during meets. He knew all four of our kids by name and both Mike and I would hear him encouraging or cheering them on!! That always made a lasting impression on all of us!”
Benjamin Duea of the Iowa Association of Track Coaches stated, “Rod was the secretary & treasure for the IATC from 2012-2019. Rod did an outstanding job during a time in which the IATC was transitioning into a technology driven world. Rod was always the first to volunteer when help was needed, which is something you hear all of the time from others about Rod. Rod is a very positive individual, and was a tremendous supporter for track & field and cross country.”
Current teacher and track coach, Kyle Bartels, kept it simple, “Rod isn’t just a coach —He’s the Heart of Woodbine sports, always there with a smile, and a word of encouragement. Around here, we just call him Mr. Woodbine!”
