Long-distance Caller
11/18/1999 12:00:00 AM | Track & Field
October 1, 1999
By Stacy Hollister
Jeff Pigg was out of breath. On this particular May day in 1998, MU's cross country coach had just darted down the hall to his office. He had a phone call. On the other end of the line was a runner who had slipped through his fingers the previous year, a record-holder in the 1,600- and 3,200-meter events at both the high school and city levels who couldn't be convinced by his recruiting efforts, a state champion who didn't want to run anymore.
But this same runner was on the phone, and Pig knew she had changed her mind. She was ready to turn in her casual jogging shoes for the Nike-swooshed footwear worn by the MU cross country squad.
"Whatta phone call," Pigg said. "When I saw her in high school, I thought she was one of the top recruits in the country. I wanted to show her family that I respected her decision (not to run), but it was tempting knowing such a great runner was on campus."
One phone call and his program had just gotten better, but Pigg's elation couldn't match the excitement felt by Ann Marie Brooks. She was ready to return to her sport - ready for the workouts, the weekend travel schedule, the camaraderie.
Brooks' first taste of the sport came in elementary school. Impressed by her running abilities, Brooks' third grade gym teacher entered her in the City mile run in St. Joesph. The race wasn't offered to third-graders, but Brooks' teacher fudged to give her pupil fourth-grade status for the event.
At Central High School, Brooks didn't have to lie about her age. The cross county star, who ran an average of 40 miles a week during the season, capped her career with a state title.
"It was indescribable," said Brooks' high school coach, Tom O'Brien, of the race. "It was such a good race, such tough competition. It was probably the greatest race I've seen at the state competition. The two girls were stride for stride the last mile. You just don't see that."
Brooks was more than just a great runner.
"I felt she had a gift, not only as a runner but as a person," O'Brien said.
It was the little things that impressed O'Brien most. For example, while other team members would sit in the shade between their events, Brooks would pick up the sweats left on the starting line by her freshman teammates.
Her teammates weren't the only recipients of her attention. As a senior, she added yearbook editor, National Honor Society member and teaching assistant for the cadet program in elementary schools to her resume. Despite all the extra-curricular activities she maintained a 5.0 GPA, which meant she never received a B.
She decided to lose one of the activities when she entered college.
"I wasn't necessarily tired of running, I was just burned out after pushing myself too far," Brooks said.
So she decided to take a break.
During her first semester at MU, she ran three time for a grad total of nine miles. She didn't even bring her running clothes from home. But coincidentally, she was never far from running reminders of what she had given up. In her dormitory, she lived two doors down from Sunny Gilbert and Katie Meyer.
"They never, ever talked to me about running unless I wanted to," Brooks said. "They just knew to do that, just to be my friend."
When the weather began to get warmer, the cal of her running shoes began to get warmer, the call of her running shoes began to get louder. One cold, rainy spring day, it was Gilbert who came calling. Battling cough and cold, Gilbert wanted a partner for a mild, 3-mile jog, Brooks accepted and was surprised. "It wasn't so bad," she said.
She decided to push herself a little, and planned a 6-mile run along the Katy Trail. Along the way, she met up with Meyer and another cross country runner, Justa Dahl.
"I ran with them, and we talked, and it felt like I'd always known them," Brooks said. "I asked them a lot of questions about running at MU."
She made her mind and made one unforgettable call. She was going to return to running.
"I've changed my perspective on myself and how I view the world and what it takes for me to be successful," Brooks said. "It's not worth it unless you're happy. Being the best and winning isn't the whole thing."
With that attitude, Brooks has a bright future, not only in her final two years of eligibility but in her life after MU.
"She is a good kid doing the right thing," Pigg said. "I'll be very surprised if she doesn't leave here an All-American."
