| John Buckley - Holly Harrier Class of 1978 |
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By the time I got to Holly High School, Duane Raffin was already a legend. A state title in track under his belt and almost yearly Flint Metro League championship titles in cross country and track. He was also a sage, although we were too young to know it at the time. As the years went by, the memories have faded a little, but the lessons remained firm in our minds and matured within us as we became adults and parents. We were too young then to absorb all of his wisdom or recognize all of his psychological ploys, but young enough to believe and to dream. “Coach Raff” knew that, too, and he used enthusiasm to drive us all to fulfill our potential. Nothing Coach Raff did related to running was at less then a full 100%. Raff would recruit high school students with zeal. He would raid the “smokers’” bathroom and chase the offenders down the hall. If he could not catch them, you would hear him yelling “you should be running for my cross-country and track teams!” as they disappeared around the corner. Many of those smokers subsequently became All-League runners for Coach Raff. Raff ran us to exhaustion at our summer Cross Country camp in Hale (we called it Hell) where we logged 120 miles in one week of two-a-day workouts. Raff would remind us that we ran harder than any other team we competed against. Even Raff’s words were chosen carefully. If you were on one of Coach Raff’s teams, you did not just participate. You became a “Holly Harrier.” You didn’t just run for Coach Raff, you ran “over hill and over dale … like your pants were on fire,” and on race day made sure that “the tank was empty when your crossed the finish line.” You did not just wear a uniform – you manned “the Red and White of the Holly Bronchos.” The message was clear – running for Raff was special. If you ran for Raff, you were special. And he proved it time and time again by molding ordinary individuals into great runners. Raff’s runners were thoroughly trained, not only in the miles they logged, but in techniques and strategy as well. Raff trained his cross country runners to run together in races – it kept the 4th and 5th runners (first five places count in the score) closer to the leaders and thus lowered the overall score. Raff taught his runners to lift their knees down the homestretch to the finish line thus allowing their body to work for them – to overcome the tendency of all runners to reach or lengthen their stride which actually works against them. Raff taught his runners to run on the shoulder of the opponent, a technique that allows the Holly runner to draft behind the leader, thus conserving energy, while wearing the opponent down, physically and psychologically. These lessons became second nature to Raff’s runners and helped them succeed. Raff prepared his runners for greatness from the very start. We received booklets at the beginning of every year reciting the history and tradition of Holly Cross Country and Track: lists of league titles and state championships, a roster of best times and achievements of Holly Harriers, a list of each runner on the team and their personal achievements and best times. The book was filled with anecdotes, lessons and enthusiastic quotations. With tradition came high expectations. Don’t make excuses with Coach Raff; his booklet already listed all of the likely excuses for nonperformance, a forewarning that such excuses were not going to be tolerated. My favorite was “I’m a mudder, and the track was dry.” Performance during the year was also met with reports from Coach Raff. The cross country and track reports listed the score of the meet, every runner’s time, including mile and two mile splits for a three mile race. Asterisks denoted runners’ personal best times, letting the team know of each runner’s achievements, and Raff’s famous quotations sprinkled in the report as a reminder of accomplishments and goals for the future. Raff’s motivation went beyond motivation of the team as a whole. Often in private and sometimes in public, he would single out runners with advice, criticism, or encouragement. Each individual had buttons to be pushed, and Raff knew every one. 1977 Cross Country Captain Larry Davidson, for example, was a devout Baptist who had to run out of practice on Wednesdays to make service and was often in church all day Sunday. When Raff thought Larry was underperforming, he would remind Larry that God was watching and Larry would run faster. Under Raff’s guidance, Larry became an All-State and All-League cross country runner, All-League track runner, and captain of the 1977 State Championship Cross Country Team. He later ran for and helped Hope College to a league championship in Cross Country. |
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