Faith, Focus, Fight and Finish II: The Program

 

Coach Wesley Etienne the right man for the job at Clarkston

 

By Mary Albl for DyeStat

 

On a November morning last year, Hussen Sadik stood on the starting line at Fort Gordon in Augusta, Georgia. 

 

Minutes before the start of the Peach Belt Conference men’s cross country championships, the Columbus State University freshman was informed by teammate James Slavik that his former high school, Clarkston, just won its first Georgia boys 5A state title. 

 

In 2013, Slavik and Flowery Branch had won the state title, while upstart Clarkston finished second. 

 

“Upon hearing the good news, I was ready to help my team win the PBC Championship title,” Sadik said.  

Sadik finished 33rd that morning helped Columbus State win its conference crown. It was Nov. 8, 2014. 

 

That day, he was able to celebrate the successes of what was and what is.

 

“By far that was the best day of my running career,” he explained. “And that day I learned that all you need to be successful is patience and consistency.”

 

Now, flash back four years to the time when Wesley Etienne became the boys cross country coach at Clarkston. 

 

The city of Clarkston, Ga., located 11 miles east of downtown Atlanta, has become something more than a spot on the map. It is a rallying point, a staging ground for where refugees from around the globe gain a toehold on opportunity. It was back in the 1990s that this transformation began to take place. Aid agencies contracted by the federal government found Clarkston to be a perfect place for individual fleeing political upheaval in Asia, Africa and elsewhere, according a 2007 article in the New York Times. A cultural shift in the area's churches was influential in causing the diverse population to put roots down in Clarkston.

 

Clarkston High School is now home to students from more than 50 countries.

 

Still, the idea of using the Clarkston cross country program, and running, as a vehicle to reach college and further explore life in America was the farthest thing from anyone's mind. 

 

Sadik explained that cross country was used for conditioning purposes for other sports -- primarily soccer. 

 

“The program didn't have any focus. It was just there to be there,” Sadik said.

 

Etienne, who also coaches the track team, took over in 2012 with a vision to re-make the running culture at the school.  

 

“We speak different languages, but we all have the pride to be successful, athletically and academically,” Etienne said. 

 

Originally from Ethiopia, Sadik is now in his second year at Columbus State University in Columbus, Ga. The sixth anniversary of his arrival in the U.S. was Aug. 4. He doesn’t have to worry about the expense of college. 

 

“Once coach Wesley took over the team, the program's future brightened. He pointed out how unique the team was in several ways, more specifically our diversity,” said Sadik, a 2014 Clarkston grad. “We might have come from different parts of the globe, but we all have the same mission, and that mission is to take a bite at the American Dream.”

 

A REASON TO BELIEVE

 

“I always say I have the best of both worlds,” Etienne said with a warm tone. 

 

Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., Etienne grew up with an appreciation for different cultures. His parents, originally from Haiti, moved him and his brother in elementary school from New York to Florida. 

 

Etienne, who has a rich background in athletics, attended Charlotte High in Punta Gorda where his main sports were football and track. 

 

He said the move from New York to the South widened his eyes in many ways he didn’t even realize.  

 

“There weren’t too many people that looked like me,” Etienne said of living in Florida. “I really got a chance to adapt to new cultures.”

 

Those experiences many years ago set up Etienne for what now may be his most rewarding endeavor yet. 

 

After coaching stints at Miller Grove Middle School and Lakeside High in Georgia, he took the job at Clarkston for the challenge it presented. 

 

He found a place where he believed he could make a difference and energized it with his infectious zest for life. 

 

“It doesn’t matter how much talent that you have, there are other things you can do to succeed,” he said.  

 

In Etienne’s first year, Clarkston finished in 19th place at the 5A state meet. But the result wasn’t discouraging. Etienne saw untapped talent and could see progress being made. 

 

“At first, just constant practice and practice and running and running,” said Chevon Guthrie, who graduated from Clarkston in 2015 and ran on the state championship team. “We actually started to believe it when we started beating people. There was a few meets into the season my junior year and we hadn’t lost at all. And we were like, ‘OK, we are really good.’”

 

FAMILY APPROACH

 

At the end-of-season banquets, Etienne said he maybe gets two or three parents, at most, in attendance. 

 

Usually, the parents of Clarkston's athletes are working, trying to provide for their families.

 

“But at the same time, the kids tell me their parents are very proud of them and appreciate our coaching staff,” Etienne said. 

 

Family is part of Clarkston’s motto for a reason. While there is no “team mom” Etienne and his staff have tried to fill the void by establishing an environment that goes beyond the cross country trails.  

 

“We knew him as a person. We met his wife, his daughter,” said Guthrie, who attends St. John’s University in New York and is studying journalism. “And we did things out of racing like bonfires, meetings and bowling.” 

 

Sadik explained the team was able to bond together in a way that created an outlook that focused on the positives of their shared struggles. 

 

“It doesn’t matter what kind of shoes you have to run in, it matters about the heart,” said Gidey Sahlu, who graduated in 2015.   

 

While Clarkston worked with the resources they had available throughout much of the first two seasons, their story became more well-known after winning the state title. 

 

The Big Peach Running Company in Atlanta surprised the team with new running shoes and gear in late 2014. Championship rings were awarded to them after an online fundraiser and Clarkston was invited by Disney to view the premier of the movie ‘McFarland.’ 

 

“I can’t speak for anyone else, but until the first interview when we were asked about it (underfunded/underdogs), I wasn’t thinking about any of it,” Guthrie said. “We just saw it and said, ‘Well we don’t match, but I found a jacket and I’m not cold.’ We didn’t feel different from any other team.”

 

EDUCATION FIRST

 

“It’s amazing how they are college-bound and excited. And just a couple years ago they were fighting for their lives to stay alive,” Etienne said.

 

As drastic as it sounds, it’s a very real timeline of many of the students at Clarkston from start to finish. 

 

Two years ago, Etienne and his staff started a tutorial program for students on the team; the goal was preparing for the possibility of college recruitment. 

 

“Of course we want them to be eligible to do sports, and some of them being refugees are forced to go into the school system within six months of coming into the states,” assistant coach Dione Hester said. “They don’t have a full grasp of the English language.”

 

Hester, who teaches math and has been an instrumental part of the program, said the team requirement is two tutoring sessions per week for every runner. 

 

When it’s a shorter practice, the students collaborate for peer tutoring, which helps knock down the language barrier. 

 

“Sometimes the problem is simply the language and they need an explanation,” Hester said. 

 

Hester, along with teachers on hand, are there to assist the student-athletes in any subject.  

 

Most mornings Hester arrives at Clarkston an hour to an hour and a half early. He’s there in the quiet hours for students who need an extra session, a question or even breakfast.  

 

“It’s amazing to see their transition,” Hester said. “I really don’t care if they participate in sports once they leave high school. I care that they go to college, graduate and can provide for their families and recognize their dream.” 

 

A WINNING APPROACH

 

Flowery Branch head coach Jimmy Sorrells first took notice of Clarkston in 2013 at the Aubrae Gunderson Invitational. 

 

“I have learned there are no surprises in any sport,” Sorrells said. “That meet helped us recognize their talent and we knew immediately that they were a very respectable team.”

 

Etienne said winning the program’s first state title in 2014 was a shared experienced that every single one of them will never forget. 

 

“Together we all won something for the very first time together,” he said. “Never can we say we’ve done that before. We all experienced something together.”

 

While last year was historic in its own regard, 2015 brings new milestones for a team not necessarily looking to duplicate the wins on the trails, but continue to establish a tradition and a program. The team finished eighth in its season opener at the Bob Blastow Invitational.

 

“I feel like I was the part of the beginning of something,” Guthrie said. “A couple of underclassmen still text me now asking for advice. It’s amazing.”