HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. – Last week, Harper assistant cross country and assistant track and field coach Eric Wallor had an opportunity to speak with 60 sixth graders at the John Muir Literacy Academy. Wallor offered encouragement and motivated the students to pursue sports because of the opportunities you can have by gaining an athletic scholarship.
Wallor, who was a two-time All-American in cross country and three-time All-American in track at Harper from 2001-2003 and also ran at the University of Illinois, shared his wealth of knowledge and the importance running has had on his own personal life.
“I talked about not only the importance of getting good grades, but the many skills you learn from playing sports and be a part of a team,” Wallor said. “You learn skills such as discipline, teamwork, and working with different personality types, and these are traits that colleges and employers are looking for.”
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Chris Mershon, a P.E. teacher at John Muir, reached out to Wallor and explained the importance of the message.
“Unfortunately, a lot of our students here at Muir are in a lower income level (poverty), so I want to instill into them the importance of going to college, maintaining good grades, getting involved in athletics sooner rather than later, and of course living a healthy lifestyle,” he said.
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Wallor, who is an now an accomplished marathoner whose goal is to qualify for the USA Olympic Marathon Trials in 2016, showed off his national championship ring from the Harper cross country team as well as his Chicago and Boston Marathon medals.
“They seemed to be a big hit with the kids,” Wallor said.
