THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, March 19, 1995 TAG: 9503170202
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 10 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PAM STARR, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 85 lines
The crowd of elementary students sat in rapt attention, eyes fixed on the fuzzy black and white image on the screen.
A beanpole of a young man was leading his competitors around a cinder track by a healthy distance. The year was 1967 and the man, Jim Ryun, crossed the finish line in 3:51.1 - a world record that stood for nine years.
The students broke into cheers and whoops, shaking their fists in the air a la Arsenio Hall. For Ryun, now 47, was visiting hearing-impaired students at Corporate Landing Elementary School to let them know that what he did, they could do.
Jim Ryun has been partially deaf since the age of 4, when he contracted measles. The hearing loss didn't stop him from becoming the youngest person, at 17, to run a mile in less than 4 minutes (3:59).
``Let me show you my hearing aid,'' said the three-time Olympian, as a teacher interpreted in sign language. He pulled a small aid out of his ear and held it out to the excited students. Many of the students wore bulky hearing aids, the kind that fit over the entire ear, and self-consciously tugged at their obtrusive aids.
Ryun wears a special, digitally programmable hearing device made by the ReSound Corporation. The manufacturer sponsors Ryun's appearances and road races at schools across the country.
``Part of the reason my aid is small is because my ear has stopped growing,'' Ryun said, still reed thin with that characteristic shock of straight dark hair. Only sky blue eyes betray his age, deeply lined in the corners and crinkling when he smiles, which is often. ``Your aids are bigger because your ears are continuing to grow.''
He went to a gym bag and drew out a heavy silver medal that he won in the 1968 Olympics, in the 1500 meters. The students oohed and aahed as Ryun walked around the room so they could have a closer look. They all wore adult-size T-shirts given by the ReSound Corporation, with the words ``Sound of Success'' printed on front. Ryun then asked if there were any questions.
``Did you run in the Olympics?'' a boy asked. Ryun answered that he participated in the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo, in 1968 in Mexico City and in the Munich games in 1972.
``Did you get to hold the flag and run?'' another boy asked.
``In 1972, I represented the North American continent and carried the American flag,'' Ryun replied.
A girl stood up. ``Did you win every game?'' she asked, as Ryun laughed out loud.
``No, I did not,'' he said emphatically. ``In fact, I've never won one of these races that we're going to run right now.''
That said, Ryun and the students hurried outside to the softball field. It was warm and breezy, the perfect day for a race with a world class athlete. The students lined up across by grade, a few at a time, at the bright orange cones as Ryun stood at the back of the pack.
He took a runner's stance and hunched down. At the count of three, the thin man and a bunch of little kids were off. In each race, Ryun lagged behind with those long, skinny legs and tried his hardest to come in last.
At the end of the races Ryun signed his autograph for every child. One, 10-year-old Travon Walston, said through speech therapist Janice Taylor that he loves to run and had heard about Ryun on television.
``He's the fastest runner in the world,'' he said with a big smile. ``But yeah, I did beat him.''
Ryun, who was in town to run the 8K race at the Shamrock Marathon Saturday, will be visiting nine more cities this year to give his ``Sound of Success'' seminars. His main focus is to encourage students to listen to their parents and teachers and always wear their hearing aids.
``I hope it helps. It's hard to measure,'' he said. ``Part of the battle is making them see that wearing their hearing aids is important.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photos by MORT FRYMAN
Jim Ryun, partially deaf since the age of 4, runs sprints with
hearing-impaired students at Corporate Landing Elementary School.
The former Olympic champion and world-record holder is in town to
run the Shamrock 8K.
Jim Ryun wears a special, digitally programmable hearing device made
by the ReSound Corporation. The manufacturer sponsors Ryun's
appearances and road races at schools across the country. The
Corporate Landing students couldn't wait to get his autograph.
by CNB