Connor Chadwick struggled to run just a short distance when he joined York High School's cross-country team as a freshman almost five years ago.

He was born with cerebral palsy, wore casts on his legs as a little boy and then leg braces night and day until just before he started high school.

None of that fazed Joe Newton, the legendary coach of the York Dukes, who have won more state championships than any other high school team in the country.

"We take anybody that walks," Newton said.

Some of the freshman he recruits with gusto will turn out to be all-state runners. And a few, like Connor, one of several York runners featured in the 2008 documentary "The Long Green Line," will become an inspiration to their teammates.

"He's like their hero," Newton said.

Supported by his coach and family, cheered on by teammates at the finish line and powered by his own determination and hard work, Connor worked his way up to 10-mile training runs and 8-minute miles.

On Saturday, June 20, the Elmhurst 18-year-old will lead runners from the starting line for the Children's Memorial Hospital Race for the Kids 5K Run/Walk at Soldier Field in Chicago. "If it wasn't for Children's," said his mother, Susan O'Connor-Chadwick, "he wouldn't be able to run."

Along with cerebral palsy, Connor also has juvenile arthritis and a slight weakness on his right side, the result of a mild stroke. Starting at about age 5, Connor was treated in Children's serial casting program to lengthen the muscles in his legs so he wouldn't walk on his tip toes.

"He went through a lot to get where he is," said Mary Weck, clinical coordinator for physical therapy at Children's, who has known Connor since he was a little boy. Back then, nobody would have dreamed he would become a competitive runner.

But, "what I would have envisioned for him," Weck said, "is to be able to do anything he set his mind to."

Personal bests

The Chadwicks still have the voice-mail message Coach Newton left on their phone in 2006, the fall of Connor's sophomore year.

"I just want to tell you that I just love that kid," Newton say in his gravelly voice. "He is just terrific. Every day he asks me, 'What can I do to get better?' ... He keeps me balanced, he just makes me feel good, and he's fun to be around."

The powerhouse York boys' cross-country team has won 26 state championships. And make no mistake, Newton, who has been coaching for more than 50 years, wants to win. But he's also out to change lives. In any given year, more than 200 boys run for York, and Newton makes a personal connection with each and every one of them. Each runner must shake Newton's hand before leaving after practice. He knows who he can tease, who needs a push, who needs a little TLC. He gives every boy a nickname.

Only the top seven runners on a team compete at the varsity level, and only the first five finishers score. So most runners will never make a point for the team.

"It's all personal best and camaraderie," said Russ Chadwick, Connor's father.

Starting out, his mother adds, Connor struggled with endurance and strength. "Mr. Newton really worked with him," she said. The coach also assigned a teammate to run with Connor.

Cross-country races are 3 miles, and the winding, looping courses can be confusing. Told to follow the guy in front of him at a race, Connor replied with characteristic spunk: "But what if I'm in front of him?"

Intensive therapy

Coach Newton demands that his runners show up every day and work hard. It's not the first huge commitment Connor and his family have had to make.

Serial casting is an alternative to surgery for muscles tightened by cerebral palsy. The treatment maintains the integrity of the muscle, which can be weakened by surgery, Weck said. But it requires getting a new cast every week for at least 12 weeks - a process Connor went though three times.

He also went through an intensive physical therapy program and wore braces night and day to keep his muscles from shortening. He continues to wear braces at night.

The running also helped, dramatically. "He developed strength and endurance and power, and was able to improve the range he had," Weck said.

Connor also does track in the spring at York. He holds several medals from the Special Olympics, including first place in the region for the 200-meter run and third place in the state. He has also run several charity 5Ks.

Next year, Connor will attend a post-high school transition program at York. IHSA rules prevent him from competing, but Newton has asked Connor to come to practices and mentor the younger runners.

Cross-country "is like a family," Connor says.

"I'm just so happy to have him on our team," Newton said. "He's what York is all about."

•To donate to Connor's team for the Children's Memorial Hospital Race for the Kids 5K Run Walk, visit heroesforlife.org/connor.

If you go

Joe Newton: star of state and screen.(Sports Extra)(Sidelines) Article from: Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL) Article date: November 5, 2004 More results for: joe newton

Byline: David Oberhelman

York cross country coach Joe Newton is the subject of a documentary film in the works, the creation of two former Dukes runners now working in Los Angeles.

Matthew Arnold and Brady Hallongren began work on the 90-minute feature, "The Long Green Line," in January.

Arnold, the director, and Hallongren, the editor, producer and cameraman, were working together on another project. During a discussion of what it took to succeed in Hollywood, they reflected on Newton.

"The lessons that he teaches related to every organization and industry," Arnold said in a press release.

The duo has typical filmic goals in mind - festivals, theatrical release, DVDs - and is seeking investors. But there are other ways to help. See www.longgreenlinemovie.com.

"Coach Newton's messages will appeal to all walks of life," Hallongren said.

Playoffs, band-style

Since marching bands support our high school football teams, let's return the favor.

At the Bands of America Regional Championship on Oct. 30 at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, Lake Park finished 10th out of 34 bands representing nine states. Wheaton Warrenville South placed 17th. The top Illinois band was fifth-place Marian Catholic.

On the right track

At the Illinois High School Association's monthly board meeting on Oct. 12, the Boys and Girls Track and Field Advisory Committee approved a term and condition stating that at the state meets, results from "Friday's preliminaries not carry over to the Saturday finals in discus, shot put, long jump, and triple jump."

In other words, Friday's leader can't rest on her laurels.

"I think it's a change that's long overdue," said Naperville Central boys coach Steve Wiesbrook.

Wheaton North throws coach Dan McQuaid said, "I think that kids who don't do well the first day but make the finals, it gives them hope the second day so they don't have to feel like they're buried."

McQuaid recalled last season's discus finals when the Falcons' Mike Heim could do no better than jump to sixth from ninth place though he had the second-best throw on Saturday. Heim was the only one of the 12 finalists to improve upon his prelims.

"Had the slate been wiped clean the next day he would have finished second," McQuaid said."...The competition shouldn't be over after one day."

The new rule may add pressure for the jumpers, who sometimes juggle sprint or relay duties.

But Wiesbrook welcomed the decision.

"If somebody runs the best meet of his life on Friday, they're not the state champ," Wiesbrook said. "You have to come back and run faster on Saturday. ...I think the same should hold true in all 18 events."

Coaches play with event scheduling all season, and the athletes usually make their appointed contests.

Wiesbrook figures a truer champion is worth a little more shuffling.

"Would it make a difference? I don't know," he said. "But regardless, the one who jumps the farthest on Saturday should be your state champion."

E-mail Dave Oberhelman at doberhelman@@dailyherald.com

"Last chance for Newton's first track title.(SportsXtra)." Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL). Paddock Publications. 2000. Retrieved November 16, 2009 from HighBeam Research: http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-61704040.html

For 40 years, Joe Newton gave forever a run for its money.

He's finally giving in.

Newton has guided York's track and field team through decades of success and struggle. Each spring, just like cross country season in the fall, was his time to shine.

In May, it'll come to an end in Charleston when a legend coaches his final state track meet. This season - his 41st spring at the helm - will be Newton's last.

"It's just the right time," he said. "It's been great, but it's time to move on."

If the message sounds familiar, it should.

Last fall, Newton announced that 1999 would be his final season coaching cross country at York. But a last-ditch plea from his team convinced Newton to stick around at least one more year - only if the Dukes won the state title, which they did for the 20th time.

There will be no such reversal for track.

Newton, who retired from teaching at York last year, wants to spend more time with his wife in their second home in Phoenix. Between the indoor and outdoor track seasons, Newton spent much of the winter and the entire spring in Elmhurst.

Understandably, he'd prefer to spend that time with his wife in the warmth of Arizona.

"I'm definitely done in track," Newton said. "It was just too much time to spend apart."

The Dukes, many who were on last fall's championship cross country team, want to give Newton a going-away present.

Amazingly, Newton has never won a state track title in his 40 years. York, which won state track titles in 1936 and 1939, was second in 1998 and 1985 while finishing third in 1996 and 1999.

The Dukes not only have a team favored to win a state title this year, they now have the ultimate motivation to make it happen. Not that they need it, however.

"If you have to get motivated to win state, that's pretty bad," said York senior Don Sage, the defending Class AA state champion in the 1600 and 3200. "But there's definitely some extra motivation. We want to win for Mr. Newton. If it happens, it would be great."

Sage says "if", others are saying "when."

The Dukes are loaded with their usual slate of quality distance runners. Led by Sage, who's headed to Stanford, the Dukes also boast Princeton-bound senior Pete Cioni, who placed eighth in the 1600 and 3200 last year.

Along with juniors Pete Stasiulis and Tim Hobbs, York showed its strength by breaking the national high school record in the 3200 on March 24 by running 7:42.67 at the Proviso East Indoor Classic.

"This is the best our distance team has been since I've been here," Sage said. "But we have an excellent all-around team."

Newton believes the Dukes could score state points in as many as 11 events. In addition to the distance events and relays, York could score with senior Matt Gassman in the pole vault and junior Terre Mastrino in the sprints.

That's why everyone is pointing to York this year. And that's why Newton feels the spotlight burning hotter than the Charleston sun in late May.

"I don't like to be in it, but we can't get out of it," Newton said. "I'm just telling it like it is. It's not going to be easy, but we'll see what we can do."

Through 40 years of near misses, Newton's been around too long to take this talent for granted.

There was the time in 1985, for example, when York - which like this year's team won the state cross country title in the fall - led virtually the entire state track meet before ultimately finishing second by a lone point.

Newton's law knows that anything can happen. Sprinters can be off by a split second. The heat can whither a runner who's spread too thin. The rain can cause a slip, or a dropped baton in a relay.

Things fall into place for state champions, luck goes your way. Maybe, just maybe, the 41st time will be the charm for Newton.

Phoenix is the final destination, but Charleston is the springboard.

One final detour before Newton rides off into a desert sunset.

"We've been close so many times, maybe this is the year," he said. "We always seem to be in the hunt, we just haven't been on top of the mountain."

T. "Saturday race honors legendary York track coach.(Neighbor)." Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL). Paddock Publications. 2000. Retrieved November 16, 2009 from HighBeam Research: http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-62749591.html

Joe Newton nicknames each of the more than 100 athletes on his teams.

The most successful high school boys cross-country coach in Illinois, he introduces one of his quarter-mile runners as "Zebra," for example.

While Newton uses different names for his athletes, his own name is well-recognized and is often used to raise money for the Elmhurst School District 205 foundation.

Saturday's Joe Newton Run - in honor of the coach of 20 state champion cross-country teams at York Community High School - rakes in money for programs not included in the school district's regular budget. Those include things such as heart-rate monitors in physical education programs and a literature festival that allowed students to meet authors and illustrators, said Barb Szczepaniak, executive director of the District 205 foundation.

This year's event includes a 5K race that starts at 8 a.m., and the inaugural children's one-mile contest for those 12 or under at 9 a.m. The entrance fee - $18 for participants 20 or older and $15 for those younger than 20 - will go to the foundation.

"They're using my name to raise funds for the school district, which is fine," said Newton, 71. "It makes me feel special, and they're doing something charitable. Plus, it gets my name out in the public."

About 300 runners competed in last year's 5K race, which raised $6,500, Szczepaniak said.

Newton said he wasn't able to attend all of the seven past races because the event often fell on Memorial Day, but he might make an appearance this year.

After state titles in boys' track and cross country this school year, Newton said he is finished coaching track because he'll be spending winters in Arizona. He'll be around, though, to coach cross-country.

At this year's Newton Run, 15 to 20 of his own runners will vie for trophies that are bestowed on the fastest male and female runners in the 5K. But not everyone is competing for an award.

"I need to start running to get in shape for cross country next year," said junior Dan Dziubski, a hurdler and 400-meter runner for Newton's track team.

Awards are given to the top three male and female finishers in the children's race and to the top three male and female participants in each of the 14 age divisions of the 5K race. Each participant also gets a free T-shirt and snacks. A raffle is held at the end of the races.

"It's not a real large race, but it's big enough to be profitable to the district, and it's a fun day," Newton said. "So, we feel we're doing something special."

Runners can register up to one hour before each race. Call (630) 617-2328 for information.

L. "DuPage in the running in 2001.(Sports Extra)." Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL). Paddock Publications. 2001. Retrieved November 16, 2009 from HighBeam Research: http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-77854774.html

Byline: John Lemon Daily Herald Sports Writer

If you need to double check the latest that York has accomplished under legendary cross country coach Joe Newton, you can always visit www.ihsa.org.

Or you could just call Newton's answering machine at work and get the program's complete history.

"21 state cross country champions, 1 state track championship, yes, this is the office of Joe Newton..."

As Newton wastes no time letting the callers know, the Dukes are fresh off their 21st state title last fall in Peoria. They also are one of several DuPage County teams gearing up for a run at the 2002 championship, albeit without the core of last year's squad.

Most of the local teams run in their first invitationals of the season Saturday. As usual, there are several teams and individuals to keep an eye on.

York graduated two seniors who finished in the top 10 at last year's state meet, Adam Roche (fifth) and Peter Stasiulis (10th). Jay McGrane, Tim Hobbs and John Baez also are gone.

Senior David Kikuchi, York's sixth runner at state last year, and junior Michael Corry will try to keep York's tradition going strong.

The DuPage Valley Conference should be up for grabs, and at least two teams will be vying for state hardware. Naperville North edged out Naperville Central for last year's DVC championship, but the Redhawks have experience on their side this fall.

Naperville Central returns all seven of its top runners from 2000. Coach George Cyr is confident senior Dan Rickert and junior Sean Hardy give the Redhawks a deadly one-two punch, and he is just as excited about the consistency in the three through six spots.

"Definitely Naperville Central," predicted Naperville North coach Dave Racey. "They have all their guys back and they've been working hard this summer."

Naperville North, who took sixth at last year's state meet for its fifth top 10 finish in the last six years, graduated the Rae brothers, Brian and David. But the Huskies appear primed for another excellent season behind returnees Dan Curran, Andre Light and Adam Kendrick, and a host of talented newcomers.

Fenton coach John Kurtz said he would like to challenge for a state trophy. He has a senior-dominated squad led by Carlos Mendoza, who finished 23rd at state a year ago. The Bison placed seventh as a team.

Fenton also has the depth to make a run at a high state finish. Five of the top seven runners return, and the addition of junior Larry Anzalone from track should strengthen an already deep lineup.

The top individual in the area, if not the state, could be Downers Grove North senior Eduardo Borjon. He finished sixth at the state meet last year, and the five runners ahead of him were all seniors.

"We just talk about being humble," said Downers Grove North coach Will Kupisch. "A lot of kids will be after him. He can rise to the occasion. He's got good composure and maturity."

A year ago at this time, the top returning runner was Glenbard South junior Micah VanDenend. He had placed seventh in the state as a sophomore, and started his junior year by winning his first meet.

But VanDenend suffered a stress fracture in his right fibula early last season, an injury that sidelined him the rest of last year and one that he still hasn't completely healed from. Raiders coach Andy Preuss is hoping VanDenend can make a late-season return.

"Hopefully Micah progresses," Preuss said. "Hopefully for his sake he has a solid year. It's frustrating for him. He'd have been in the hunt for the whole thing last year."

St. Francis senior Pat Quinn placed fifth in the state a year ago, and will be one runner to watch in the Class A race.

"He'll challenge for state," St. Francis coach Scott Nelson said.

One of the Spartans' top runners a year ago, Brian Brunick, is now running at Waubonsie Valley. The Warriors finished behind Neuqua Valley and St. Charles East last year in the Upstate Eight.

"We feel we'll be in the running for the conference championship," Waubonsie Valley coach Chris Wolak said. "Certainly Neuqua Valley will be the favorite, and St. Charles East also is very solid."

The Wildcats are indeed deep, but Neuqua Valley coach Paul Vandersteen isn't sure which of his runners will emerge in the top spots following the graduation of a strong senior class. He said he is sure he has 12 runners who can run 16 minutes, but needs to find a core of five to seven that can run 15:30s.

Hinsdale South coach David Jackson, whose Hornets are the defending champ in the West Suburban Gold, tabbed Downers Grove South as the "clear" conference favorite.

Benet is trying to repeat in the East Suburban Catholic.

"The conference is extremely competitive," said Benet coach Joe Fedinec. "Marist, St. Pat's, Notre Dame can all contend."

Once the conference championships are decided and the postseason begins, all the teams will notice something new. The IHSA has added an extra sectional, a sixth, which will increase the number of teams at the state meet to 30 plus the Chicago schools.

The move has drawn near universal approval from coaches.

"It's about time," said Hinsdale Central's 23-year coach Pete Schleuter. "We've been proposing that for about as long as I've been coach.

"I consider my team on the bubble (for qualifying for state). This puts my team and teams like mine in a more hopeful position."