Coach Nic’s dog Hepburn carries on his love of people who run

Hepburn - Cross country and track coach Lou Nicoletti passed on April 19, 2020, at the age of 70. On Saturday prior to the Firecracker 5K in Rehoboth, I was telling some runners that I came upon results of the 1980 Lewes Marathon. I saw Lou had placed 10th in 2:59:59.3, breaking the magical three-hour barrier. That race was won by Paul Dawson of Salisbury, Md., in 2:34.00. The single-span Lewes canal bridge (25-mile mark) went up as Dawson passed the Lewes Dairy with a perplexed look on his face. Bridge tender “Blue” was at the controls. I’m the teacher who can spend a week reading the homeroom roll the first day of school telling stories to 14-year-olds about their relatives. But the weirdest thing happened in the midst of my telling coach Nic stories. His dog Hepburn showed up and looked through my camera lens, refracting her image and Lou’s spirit behind my eyeballs. Monique and Tim Bamforth adopted Hepburn when Lou first got sick; now she travels with Murphy Dog to all places and races.  

Perfect harmony - I saw her near the finish line nestled in a chair. She was poised and posed and perfect for a Fredman photo. I asked, “Just who are you? What's your name and what are you doing here?” Her daughter laughed and said, “Her name is Anna Barta and she’s here to watch the Lunch Ladies run.” Lori Holdsworth (Beacon Middle) is her daughter and Bill Holdsworth (Cape) her son-in-law. Both won their age groups in the race. John Prine wrote the song, “Hello in There,” which ends, “So if you're walking down the street sometime/And spot some hollow, ancient eyes/Please don’t just pass ‘em by and stare/As if you didn’t care/Say, ’Hello in there, hello.’” Anna is 91 and all the way in there while I’m 75 and mostly all there. 

Sports stories - I was handed the hot mic at three spring sports banquets two weeks ago – field hockey, girls’ lacrosse and wrestling – and twice there was no amplification. There was once a directive at the Cape district office which read, “Never put Dave Frederick behind a live microphone.” Not sure if that included dead microphones. I had emceed the Cape variety show Cape Capers in the Little Theater and introduced all the doctors of education in the audience followed by, “I wanted to be a doctor, but I couldn’t afford the stamps.” All but five people laughed, including toddlers, because here in the village everyone always knows the skinny of the story. I’d like to host a sports stories night with a hot mic and a gong. We could skip the banquet; let's just share some real history. 

Magic Jack Noel - Jack is an 82-year-old runner and veteran magician of 65 years. When the rabbit disappears inside the hat, Jack will not reveal its whereabouts. Jack just published a 10-page book with illustrations titled “Little Red Truck at the Beach,” and he gifted me the very first copy Saturday morning before the running of the Firecracker 5K. The book is available on Amazon. When deeply religious people like Jack see something good in me, I get nervous, having been slapped around for 12 years by repressed nuns and priests. I’d advise “get the book” and leave it lying around; there is something magical about it.

Snippets - “You better you better you bet.” The 2021 Cape boys’ cross country team is going to be better than the 2020 version that won the Division I state championship. But the reality is the other top-flight programs are likely to be better as well. It’s all about showing up on race day. I watch the Tour de France most mornings. I must be a visual learner because I have no idea what the commentators are talking about or how they can find so many crazy athletes to fly down twisting wet mountain roads at 65 mph. Pound for pound, Brandon Leggins was one of the toughest guards ever to play basketball for Cape. I remember telling him, “You need to get in the weight room, Brandon,” and he said, “They don’t play the game in the weight room, Fredman.” I think we were both right. Go on now, git!