Support Mark Ecke for Cheshire BOE

Dear prospective Cheshire voters,

I wanted to write a letter and tell you why you should support my husband Mark Ecke for Cheshire Board of Education.  While I can tell you of his qualifications I am actually going to tell you what kind of person Mark is.  People think that they know, but few really know the kind of person he is.  The on paper qualifications Mark has are: 37 year resident, 24 years coaching football, several years coaching lacrosse (I forgot how many!), taught 9 years of DARE & was the school resource officer.  He was also a member of the Cheshire Coalition to Stop Underage Drinking and the Cheshire School Health Council. He has a degree in Social Studies and a Master’s in Education.  There are many other “on paper” things I can tell you but honestly the positions held & honors he has received are irrelevant to the man he is.

So, first, the Elephant in the room….  Thanks to the media many know Mark as the “former” Head Coach of Cheshire Football.  This is due to an incident that occurred at my son’s lacrosse game in Glastonbury back in May 2012.  My son received a blindside blow from a Glastonbury player that was in our opinion malicious.  The referees never made a call, blew a whistle or threw a flag.  Mark yelled (very loudly) at the officials for not making a call and they stopped the game.  My son staggered off the field.  Mark crossed the field to attend to our son.  This was interpreted by the referees as threatening and wanted Mark removed from the game & the Glastonbury police were called.  Mark was not refusing to leave and actually agreed to leave once our son was examined by the trainer.  The trainer actually said “No one is leaving until I have checked out this boy”.   Once our son was examined Mark left with him and the Glastonbury police were never involved.  Typically, the media made a spectacle out of this unfortunate situation and ultimately it ended Marks coaching career in Cheshire.  You can think or say what you want about this but I will tell you as a parent you don’t know how you will react when you see your child get hurt.  Especially when officials blatantly ignored such an unsafe level of play.  Mark was not thinking of how this reaction would hurt his football or professional career all he thought was “my son just got slammed and it was allowed!”   This is the actual story.

A high school or youth coach’s job is not an easy one.  First of all the only reason you do it is because you love the sport and you love coaching and ultimately love the kids you get to spend your time with.  As a youth coach you are much more than a coach.  You are an advocate for the kids and your program.  You essentially stick your neck out and put yourself out there for the world to praise or criticize. Anyone who had been a coach knows what I am talking about.  It is very easy to sit in the bleachers and critique but not everyone is willing to step on the sidelines and take responsibility.  I will tell you that when Mark coached here he did it with pride and love in his heart for this town and the kids he was blessed to coach.  Yes he ranted he yelled and he acted emotional on the sidelines.  Yes he yelled at kids for making mistakes on the field and in practice.  He was not easy.  However, he also laughed and goofed around with the kids and privately cried when one was of his own was in pain or had passed away. He is not perfect and I’m sure looking back there are some things he wished he had done differently.  That is human and real and the only difference between him and so many others is that his mistakes are out there for everyone to see and up for public consumption.  He treasured his time coaching in Cheshire and not being on the sidelines over the last two football seasons has been painful.

Besides what is public what you don’t know is Mark is a passionate person who believes in doing the right thing.  He applies this in his everyday life as a police officer and as a husband and father.  He believes in hard work and dedication in everything you commit to.   He has taught this to our children and I am thankful my kids have such a wonderful father and role model.  Also what you don’t know is he is not likely to step on a bug, set a mouse trap or leave the house without giving the dog a treat.   He would be pretty happy on a farm with a bunch of dogs.   He is never without a book and is great at throwing out a quote from a silly movie or an inspirational speech.  He is always prepared and will solicit help from people he respects if he needs help.  He is also a trusted resource for so many coaches around the state who will seek out his advice when faced with a difficult situation.  

What you can be sure of is Mark will never take a decision lightly.  He will ask questions, do research and form an educated opinion.  He might ruffle a few feathers.  I think most people would prefer to have a person like this involved in our educational process.  We need smart strong willed people who will fight for the students and be sure we are doing everything we can to get them the best education possible.  He is intimately familiar with the challenges our students, administrators and teachers face every day.  He does not want to sit in the stands he wants to be on the field making things happen for Cheshire kids.  Please consider the whole person when choosing your candidate on November 5th.  I hope you will choose to vote for my best friend and the man I admire Mark Ecke.  Thank you!

-Kathy Ecke