Seashore Striders, Apple Electric donate bicycles to Toys for Tots

Last week the Seashore Striders donated canned foods, T-shirts and toothpaste to Dale and Ken Dunning and their Jusst Sooup kitchen and mission. This week it was time for the fifth annual Seashore Striders Marine Corps Toys for Tots donation. The Striders always team up with Walmart and Apple Electric to purchase bikes for needy children in Sussex County. Walmart does a great job getting the bikes ready and helping us out the door and into the trailer. Many people in the packed Walmart thanked us on the way out and some even started clapping. Then it's off to Steve Prestipino at Apple Electric, a quick picture in front of his amazing display of lights, and he takes it from there, making the delivery to Harry Caswell's place and then off to the families and children of Sussex County. It's a huge task with a lot of local flavor along the line. Proceeds from the Sea Witch 5K and the Pumpkin Pie 5K make this happen, so thank you to the runners who participated as well!

I normally use current Seashore Striders members to help pick out and deliver the bikes, but this year I had a different idea. I decided to use some successful Striders alumni, so I gathered five high school student-athletes and a college student, my son Jake, to get the job done.

The high school and college students go back with the Striders into their elementary years, and young athletes are like unprogrammed computers. It is where they learn valuable lessons like teamwork, sportsmanship, dedication and determination while training and competing in the sport of youth cross country.

Check out some of the impressive stories in this group of alumni:

• Jake Bamforth - first team all-conference cross country as a senior at Sussex Tech, first college semester earned three As and a B at Hillsborough CC in Tampa, Fla.

• Sarah Rambo - Cape lax and swim athlete, second- and third-place finishes last year in swim relays at states, ranked second in her class.

• Grace Brokaw - Athlete on the Cape cross country, track and field, and swim teams; second team all-conference in cross country; first team all-conference swimmer; first honor roll.

• Ricky Brokaw - Cape cross country runner and swimmer, first team all-conference, ranked sixth in his class.

• Logan Shuttleworth - Cape volleyball, basketball, lax; first team all-conference in swimming; second team all-conference in swimming; straight-A student.

• Jack Ashby - Cape soccer and golf, first team all-state in soccer, ranked 12th in class.

All the Striders' student-athletes admitted that their first sport - cross country running with the Striders - has helped them in all their high school sports and continues to help today as athletes and students!

I could not have asked for a better group of kids to hang with that night to give something back to the community - a community that has supported them for so many years!

Strider gifts

• To Marybeth Evans, organizer of the Rehoboth Seashore Marathon, I leave another successful 3,000-person marathon event in Rehoboth Beach and no lines for food.

• To runner Linda Schwartz-Chi, I leave another sub-24-minute 5K, another marathon to check off your state list and another sold truck.

• To Fredman, official Striders photographer, I leave another picture album to sort through.

• To Dr. Lee Masser, Striders runner, I leave another Championship Series in 2016.

• To Striders runner Jack Huxtable, I leave another age-group win and a cartwheel to go with it.

• To Striders Joey Kwit and Rozy Castillo, I leave another trip from NYC to Rehoboth Beach and a Wawa gas card to go with it.

• To Striders alumnus Jack Ashby, I leave a freshman goal at Lynchburg in the fall.

• To Striders alumna Emily Ritter, I leave a 3,000-meter steeplechase start at the 2016 Olympic Trials this summer.

• To the Striders team of Enos Benbow, Derek Shockro and Dave Mushrush, I leave another 70 events in 2016.

• To former Striders and Sussex Tech runner Ben Bamforth, I leave a first-team all-state cross country selection.

• To young Striders runner Luke Burton, I leave his fourth straight All-American honor and another top three nationals finish.

• To the Beacon girls’ track team, I leave another undefeated season to reach 60 dual-meet wins in a row.

• To Cape track athlete Sam Wyatt, I leave another flight of hurdles with only three steps between hurdles.

• To Half Stockley, I leave another custom wooden race award to make for the 5Ks.

• To Beacon track coach Gilbert Maull, I leave a remote control whistle on his keys so that he can find them easier after practice.

• To the Sussex Tech cross country team, I leave another conference dual-meet title.

• To young Striders runner Emma Barthelmess, I leave a healthy, injury-free year of running.

• To runner Martin Rodriguez, I leave another race win.

• To all the runners in the Cape Region, I leave a happy and healthy, injury-free year of running from the Seashore Striders.

Upcoming races

• Thursday, Dec. 31, Race into the New Year 5K & Kids’ Dash, noon at the Bandstand, Rehoboth Beach

• Friday, Jan. 1, Hair of the Dog 5K/10K, 8:45 a.m., Bethany Beach

• Saturday, Jan. 2, Surfin’ Snowman 5-Miler & 2-mile walk, 4 p.m., Bethany Beach.