Vintage Tipp – First THS Cross-Country Track Team

In December, the Tippecanoe Historical Society picture was of a Tipp City track team. Recently, I received a letter from Larry Riesser referring to the track team photo and adding some information. I enjoyed it so much that I wanted to share it. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Thank you to Larry for taking the time to share his thoughts.

Hello Susie,

Several months ago, the newspaper had a picture of 10 boys in 1958. I was one of the people in the picture. The picture is of the first cross-country track team at Tippecanoe High School.

Three of us were friends from the country. We lived on Tipp Cowlesville Road at the top of Deerdale Hill, three miles from town. Eldon Grice and Charles Tyzzer lived on Edwards Drive, and I lived on Tipp-Cowlesville at the top of the hill. We didn't win any meets but got in shape for basketball season. 

The most memorable meet was the Lowell Thomas invitational in Pitsburg, Ohio. The Dayton schools and others were invited. I would guess about 50 boys lined up at the start line in a cow pasture (you had to watch where you stepped). We had to climb an A-frame ladder to get over the fence. It had rained earlier and the field was muddy with a small drainage ditch and some water, mostly mud, shortly after the start line. You either jumped over a small stream or ran through the mud. 

Later, the race followed a stream where there were logs you either high-jumped over or crawled under. The boys from Dayton came in hard surface track running shoes and were not expecting to be literally running cross-country through the grass, mud, woods and along a creek. It was the only race I remember running in that was true CROSS-COUNTRY. Tipp had no track, so our daily workout was running the five mile square beginning at City Park, out Tipp Elizabeth, down 202, back 71 (later 571 to distinguish from 171), up second Street to end at City Park. It was a great time to go to Tipp schools.

Larry Riesser

Class of 1959

PS. Our coach Allen (Alkie) Richards was an amazing athlete. He lettered four times in four different sports at the college level from Miami of Ohio and Penn State for a total of 16 letters.

Just a reminder that the museum is now open on Saturdays from 10-2. The phone number is 937-667-4092.