By:Scott Brinton
Early in the competition, coaches gathered in a corner of the gym to time the hurdles race. Most wore blank expressions, training their eyes on their runners and their stopwatches, saying little to one another. They were, after all, competitors. But two coaches were oddly friendly to each other.
One, age 38, had a shock of curly almond hair; the other was older, with a blue Navy baseball cap covering his straight gray strands. Both wore sweatshirts, casual pants and running shoes. The two chatted between heats, even smiled at each other. You would have thought they were good friends, but they are actually more than that. They're father and son.
Kenneth Hendler has led Oceanside High School's cross-country and track programs since 1967. His son, David, has headed the Calhoun High cross-country and track programs in North Merrick for a decade. They may well be the only father-and-son track coaches in Nassau County. Each has achieved enormous success as a coach. And both are respected, even revered figures in track circles.
The Hendlers' greatest victory came in the winter of 2000. The Oceanside team won the County A Indoor Track Championship; Calhoun took the County B title.
The elder Hendler, a longtime Oceanside resident and a phys. ed. teacher at the high school for nearly 30 years before he retired in 1996, said he had always wanted his son to go into education. "My dream was for David to teach and coach. I knew he liked working with kids, coaching them," said Kenneth, a one-time world-class runner at New York University.
David began joining his father at Oceanside High track practices at age 6. Kenneth had his son time practice heats. As a teenager, David ran for his father at Oceanside, but a heart problem kept him from competing in track in college. He took up soccer at SUNY-Binghamton, playing goalie.
When David graduated, he didn't go into teaching or coaching, as his father had hoped. He became an accountant. After four years of 12-hour days crunching numbers, however, David realized that the field wasn't for him.
So David entered the family business -- education. In addition to his father, his sisters -- Amy Romeo of Bellmore and Nancy Ramsey of Pennsylvania -- are teachers. His mother, Carole, is a Catholic Charities social worker.
David earned his master's in education from Adelphi in 1993, and was soon teaching math at Merrick Avenue Middle School and coaching track and cross-country at Calhoun. He later transferred to the high school to teach where he coached.
Father and son are happy when they run into each other at meets. "You can't get better," Kenneth said. "It makes track meets that much more fun. It's a family get-together."
David apparently learned the fine art of coaching well from his father. In the 2004 cross-country season, his team placed second in the county and first in its conference. The Calhoun cross-country, indoor and outdoor track teams are undefeated in quad meets -- meets in which four teams compete -- since March of 2003. And the Colts are well positioned to take another indoor track championship on Feb. 10.
Both Hendlers downplay their records as coaches. Each says his runners' accomplishments are what count. "It's not about the coach," David said. The students "are the ones who run the team and do the work and keep the pressure on."
David takes every opportunity to celebrate his athletes. In his math classroom at Calhoun, he created a wall of fame for his top competitors. Their accomplishments are marked in neat print on index cards framed by black construction paper. Accompanying the cards are several team members' running shoes, congratulatory letters from local elected officials, photos and plaques.
David's runners say their coach is very much the reason for their success. They speak of how he takes time to talk with them about school and life after practice each day. David, who now makes his home in East Meadow with his wife, Sheryl, and two young children, tells his runners to keep their priorities straight. Family comes first, followed by schoolwork. Track is last.
Justin Appel, Calhoun's Athlete of the Month last November and a two-time qualifier for the New York State Cross-Country Championship, said of his coach, "He does a lot for us. In addition to helping on the track, he does a lot of things off the track, for our best interests."
Tom Leninger, a senior who helped propel Calhoun to the cross-country conference championship last fall, said, "He's not just a coach who shows up and goes home at 4:30. He's like a second father. He's good to have around."
Kenneth speaks proudly of his son, noting, "The toughest part [of coaching] is motivation, and David knows how to motivate."
As they say, like father, like son.
Comments about this story? SBrinton@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 203.
