THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, November 9, 1995 TAG: 9511090512
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JULIE GOODRICH, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: Medium: 90 lines
Late last spring, two weeks before school let out for the summer, Eric Adams discovered that his world was about to be turned upside down.
A new home in a different state. A new school with new friends.
The son of a military dentist, Adams should have expected the move. The family had been in Chesapeake for six years and it was time for the Navy to ship them off to another locale.
Although Athens, Ga., beckoned, Adams, a top-notch runner and the anchor of Great Bridge High School's cross country team, refused to accept the relocation.
``My mom kept telling me that I might have to go, and I was like `Uh uh, I'm not going, not my senior year,' '' said Adams, who represents the area's best chance to place an individual runner among the top finishers at Saturday's Group AAA state cross country meet in Warrenton.
Fortunately for him, Adams' parents wanted the best for their son. The family reviewed its options, and despite misgivings about being separated, it agreed that the best arrangement would be for Eric to live with his coach, Steve Sawyer.
``We've known Coach for awhile and think very highly of him, but it was an excruciating decision,'' said Eric's father, Pete. ``But I wanted Eric to graduate with the friends he's been going to school with for six years.''
Naturally, there were reservations. Although Eric says that Sawyer was his first choice, his parents worried that the responsibility of being Eric's guardian - in addition to being his coach - would be asking too much.
Barrie Adams worried from a mother's perspective.
``The little things that I look out for - are his clothes clean, is he eating right - I wasn't sure Coach would pay attention to,'' she said. ``And I wasn't ready to let go quite yet. I thought we had another year before Eric went off.''
With the living arrangement worked out, the next hurdle was to address expectations. Adams' parents wanted to be sure academics were the top priority. Sawyer made it clear that Eric's behavior was the key to making things work.
``I told Eric straight up that if things don't work out, boom. No first warning, he'd go home (to Georgia),'' Sawyer said. ``When we first talked about expectations, we agreed about everything - `Yes, right, that's the way it should be.' I never had to threaten him because he had good work habits. He does the dishes and goes straight up to do his homework.
``Now that it's happened, I feel extremely good about how it's worked out.''
Adams' parents send money to Sawyer to pay for their son's expenses, and Eric has a part-time job on Sundays at a local pet hotel to earn spending and gas money.
Sawyer was recognized by the school system as Eric's caretaker until their Nov. 17 court date, when the required temporary guardianship will be awarded. Sawyer discussed the arrangement with the Virginia High School League before the cross country season opened to make sure Eric would retain his eligibility.
With all the distractions in his life, no one would have blamed Eric if he had faltered a bit, especially on the course. Instead, he has thrived.
Adams has held the top position in the area cross country rankings throughout the regular season. A second-place finish in the Southeastern District tournament - which he attributed to tired legs - dropped Adams to fourth, but he surged back into the No. 1 slot after winning the Eastern Region meet.
With Adams in top form, Great Bridge figures to place in the top five in the team competition at the state cross country meet.
``State is my favorite race of the year, because I feel like every other race I have to win, in order to keep up that area ranking,'' Adams said ``At state I can just run my fastest race without pressure.''
Adams still has the spring outdoor track season to compete in, but after graduation he has his heart set on attending the Virginia Military Institute, with an eye towards joining the Navy and becoming a SEAL.
While their separation from each other has been difficult for Eric and his family - ``We're certainly burning up the phones lines,'' Pete said - everyone agrees that if nothing else, the experience has better prepared Eric for life after high school.
``I knew I'd have to take on a lot of responsibility and look after myself,'' he said. ``I knew it was going to be different, but it's actually been better. I've basically had to run my own show.'' ILLUSTRATION: MORT FRYMAN
The Virginian-Pilot
Eric Adams, right, has been living with his cross country coach,
Steve Sawyer, left, so Adams can finish his senior year at Great
Bridge.
by CNB