After 19 years as a head coach in the Becker Cross-Country Program, Trish Reimer-Kealy has announced her retirement from the position.

“Retiring from cross-country was really hard but in the end it was just time - it felt right to ‘graduate’ with this senior class,” Reimer-Kealy said last week.  “I look forward to extending my summers and enjoying August, September and October at the lake!”

The long-time coach had previous coaching experience in Bemidji, Pipestone and Rockford before taking time off when she was a flight attendant with Northwest Airlines. 

However, she came back to sports and took her first cross-country job with the Bulldogs, where she first worked with Jon Tweten, the former Bulldog boys coach.  

In addition to mentorship from Tweten, she also had strong family ties to help her.

“My sister Jane (a Hall of Fame coach) mentored me through that first season and everything just took off from there,” Reimer-Kealy said of her family mentors.  “I like to include our dad John Reimer as well even though he had passed on by the time I started at Becker. He has been with me through it all.”

Reimer-Kealy, who has won numerous Section Coach of the Year awards and was a finalist for National Coach of the Year a season ago, credits her athletes with the many accolades won by the program over the past two decades.

“These awards are all due to the great kids and teams I have been blessed with,” said Reimer-Kealy. “The most satisfying part of coaching has been the relationships formed with my kids. Watching them grow and develop and share in their successes and awakenings is a gift.”

Becker Activities Director Dave Niemi said he had an inkling that this day was coming, but Reimer-Kealy’s retirement will leave a void.

“Although I knew that this day was coming, I was not looking forward to it . . .  Trish has been a great cross country coach for Becker but more importantly, she has formed hundreds of relationships with those student athletes that have been a part of her teams over the years,” Niemi said. “She can train and get the teams to be the best runners that they can be but I believe that it is the trust and confidence that the athletes see and feel in Trish that brings out their best. That is what high school athletics is all about and I can’t thank Trish enough for the work she has done for our cross country program. She will be tough to replace.”

Reimer-Kealy also received praise from the Bulldogs’ boys coach, Dustin Weege.

“Trish has consistently worked to develop competitive runners and has been a major impactor here in Becker and in the XC community,” said Weege. “She will be missed… though we are hopeful that she can help out in the future at times when available.  Becker Cross Country is grateful for Trish and her family’s work over the years and we wish them all the best.”

As she reflects on what lies ahead, Reimer-Kealy hopes that her athletes have as many good memories as she does.

“I’d like to think the memories are positive, that I was someone who cared about them and wanted the best for them,” Reimer-Kealy said. “We’ve shared so much, so many laughs and a few tears and lots of miles. I know I will never forget the girls and guys I have coached for cross country here at Becker.”

Reimer-Kealy did not want to thank specific people, lest she might leave out some of the very important people from the past 19 years.

“I don’t dare start mentioning names or I would forget someone and I would feel bad,” Reimer-Kealy said.  “But of course I want to thank my patient family, including my husband Pat and kids John and Madi (who is coaching CC at Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted carrying on the family coaching tradition).”

So in the end, how does she want to be remembered?

“We stress good sportsmanship, appreciation for those who make our experiences possible,” Reimer-Kealy said.  “And we tell the kids to ‘leave it better than you found it’. I hope I have done that.”