Olympic medalist Grant Fisher was in town on the Friday of homecoming week and Fenton High’s cross country team was met with the surprise of a lifetime when they encountered him on the course of their annual ball run on Sept. 27.
Traditionally, on the Thursday before homecoming, Fenton’s Cross Country team spends the night on the football field. The next morning, the team gets up at 5 a.m. and drives to the opposing team’s school. They then run the game football from that school back to Fenton in segments, where they hand the game ball off to game referees.
This year was special, however; as one of the cross country team’s stops was at Ascension Genesys Health Club, where waiting was two-time Olympic medalist Grant Fisher. Fisher is a local legend, growing up in Grand Blanc, and has left a long-standing impact on the Michigan running community.
“Grant is an excellent runner who was able to represent USA and also his hometown of Grand Blanc, which is interesting since it’s so close to Fenton,” sophomore Jackson Defina said. “Grant is seen as an inspiration for many runners including myself.”
It had been public information that Fisher would be in Michigan during homecoming, but the team was not privy to the meeting details prior to the ball run. Team parent Todd Katic set up the meeting with Fisher.
“I worked closely with Fenton alumnus and prior Grant Fisher training partner Jake Lee. I took my idea to Jake and he asked Grant how he felt about it. Grant thought it was a great idea so we worked together to make it a reality.”
Coach Renae Muzer was surprised when seeing Fisher during the ball run since this was a parent-led plan.
“I was very surprised,” Muzer said. “It was important for our team because he is a good role model for our team. Many of the athletes knew and cheered for him during the Olympics.”
According to worldathletics.org, Fisher won bronze medals in the 5000 m and 10,000 m; making him the first American to take home the medal in both events at a single Olympic games.
In addition to meeting Fisher, the team also had the chance to take pictures with him and he even signed some belongings for the cross country team. The team will race next at Cummings Center in Mt. Morris on Oct. 5.
