Letter to University Leaders

Dear University Leaders,

My name is Logan Stahl. I’m an assistant coach for cross country/track and field at the University of Nevada. I’m not sure I can find words to accurately describe how much athletics mean to all my former teammates and the athletes I coach right now.

This past year I was fortunate to be involved in a special moment at Nevada. The men’s cross country team made its return after 25 years. From day one the gratitude and excitement to be a member of the team was remarkable. I’ll never forget one athlete tell me this. “Six months ago I never thought I would be running in college because there was nowhere to go in Nevada.”

Every ordinary moment from the first practice, the jersey reveals, and adding athletes to the official roster were special. As we went through the first week of practice into camp at Donner Lake, I knew every day had to be cherished.

Our first meet was a home dual meet. With high school races before and after the collegiate races. A Nevada crowd to cheer on Nevada’s new team. That meet will forever be one of my favorites, because I got to see so many athletes put on a college jersey for the first time and start a dream that didn’t seem possible. A special moment that night was a high school athlete saying hello and commenting on how he has always looked up to one of the Nevada athletes. I’ll never forget that night. Cross Country felt special that night.

But cross country and track and field are special sports. Pure and endlessly awe-inspiring. It’s quite possible that maybe you have never been to a meet. I’d invite you to attend. I would also suggest attending a practice. Come see how incredible these student athletes are. Some of them putting in eight plus hours of running a week, and others putting up huge weight in the gym. And many competing in 3–4 events a weekend to put up points for their team at conference championships.

As a former college athlete, I already cherished athletics immensely. However, after watching a brand new team start has changed my perspective. Athletics changes lives and challenges you to be the best version of yourself. Athletics is about helping one another through the lows and being their biggest fan through the highs. Giving yourself to something greater than yourself. And soon after being their best man at their wedding. Watching them enlist in the military to serve their country. Or just kicking it at the river in the summer. When you compete on a collegiate team you form friendships that will stand the test of time.

Of course, these are challenging times, but these decisions are being made without teams and all their supporters getting a chance to realize and act on solutions to be sustainable. Most certainly these decisions are a short-cut instead of doing the diligent work that needs to be done.

Properly, the most resilient people I know are track and field athletes, and we are ready for this challenge. We are ready to fight.

I would like to challenge you to fight with us.

Sincerely,

Logan Stahl