Rice Memories: Becky Wade
3/24/2020 10:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country, Women's Track & Field, Blog
When I think back on my time at Rice, several images come to mind: Martel College, where my journey as an Owl began; the intramural fields, where I donned a Rice singlet for the first time; that massive tree with the perfect napping branch, rooted right outside the Humanities building; the blue Wendel D. Ley track, where many of my closest friendships to this day were cemented. But most vividly of all, I see Jim Bevan, the man who recruited me as a mediocre 300-meter hurdler, spent the better part of five years boosting my fitness and self-confidence, and turned me loose as a steeplechaser and 10,000-meter runner with the desire to go even further.
Jim is extraordinary for reasons that only a person who has run, jumped, or thrown for him understands. His coaching range extends from the vertical and horizontal jumps all the way up to the marathon, with Olympians in the long jump and steeplechase to prove it. There were days when I'm certain he wrote and managed over 20 separate workouts, and made every girl from walk-on to star recruit feel important. My favorite sessions were out on North and South Boulevards near campus, Jim biking furiously between groups so he wouldn't miss any of the action. I lived for the days, usually in championship season, when he let my teammates and I run all out for the last repetition or two. We were usually surprised by the outcome. Though excited, Jim rarely was. One of his great strengths is identifying and developing talent, while earning the trust of those whom he coaches.
Jim's passion for our sport is contagious—and also audible to anyone watching or live streaming the Owls in action. His face turns red, his voice competes with the announcer's, and he's been known to jump right over the railing and onto the track, unable to contain his enthusiasm for a heated match-up. But his love for his athletes is Jim's greatest gift of all. Nowhere is that stronger felt than in the last team meeting of each season, in which his farewell to the seniors invariably chokes him up. Despite his full load, he stays connected to many of his former athletes, from frequent phone calls to appearances at weddings and other major life events.
For a successful NCAA Division I head coach, Jim is also wildly fun-loving and imaginative. When one of our away meets fell on St. Patrick's Day, he donned a bright green, feather-adorned top hat all weekend. He sometimes ordered coffees for "G-E-M" or "G-Y-M," just to get a laugh from the barista. He kept intense workouts light with conspiracy theories and repetitive jokes, his favorite involving a severed toe on ice. These days, he's assisted by his feisty Boston Terrier named Buck, a team favorite on days he shows up at the track (though Jim's wife Vicki gives Buck a run for his money). And legend has it Jim had one of his athletes run backwards for one straightaway of a 10K race to help reset her funky stride. More stories like those abound, and are still circulating through 34 classes of Jim-loving alums.
The further I get from my Rice graduation, the clearer it becomes which people, courses, and moments had the most enduring impacts. No doubt about it, Jim Bevan is at the top of that list—which is why, 13 years since he became my coach, he's still a key player in my life. Though I now live 1,000 miles away in Boulder, Colorado, we communicate daily through texts and calls as he continues guiding my professional marathoning career, fueling my love for the sport, and confirming that Rice University was the best decision I ever made.
-RiceOwls.com-
Jim is extraordinary for reasons that only a person who has run, jumped, or thrown for him understands. His coaching range extends from the vertical and horizontal jumps all the way up to the marathon, with Olympians in the long jump and steeplechase to prove it. There were days when I'm certain he wrote and managed over 20 separate workouts, and made every girl from walk-on to star recruit feel important. My favorite sessions were out on North and South Boulevards near campus, Jim biking furiously between groups so he wouldn't miss any of the action. I lived for the days, usually in championship season, when he let my teammates and I run all out for the last repetition or two. We were usually surprised by the outcome. Though excited, Jim rarely was. One of his great strengths is identifying and developing talent, while earning the trust of those whom he coaches.
Jim's passion for our sport is contagious—and also audible to anyone watching or live streaming the Owls in action. His face turns red, his voice competes with the announcer's, and he's been known to jump right over the railing and onto the track, unable to contain his enthusiasm for a heated match-up. But his love for his athletes is Jim's greatest gift of all. Nowhere is that stronger felt than in the last team meeting of each season, in which his farewell to the seniors invariably chokes him up. Despite his full load, he stays connected to many of his former athletes, from frequent phone calls to appearances at weddings and other major life events.
For a successful NCAA Division I head coach, Jim is also wildly fun-loving and imaginative. When one of our away meets fell on St. Patrick's Day, he donned a bright green, feather-adorned top hat all weekend. He sometimes ordered coffees for "G-E-M" or "G-Y-M," just to get a laugh from the barista. He kept intense workouts light with conspiracy theories and repetitive jokes, his favorite involving a severed toe on ice. These days, he's assisted by his feisty Boston Terrier named Buck, a team favorite on days he shows up at the track (though Jim's wife Vicki gives Buck a run for his money). And legend has it Jim had one of his athletes run backwards for one straightaway of a 10K race to help reset her funky stride. More stories like those abound, and are still circulating through 34 classes of Jim-loving alums.
The further I get from my Rice graduation, the clearer it becomes which people, courses, and moments had the most enduring impacts. No doubt about it, Jim Bevan is at the top of that list—which is why, 13 years since he became my coach, he's still a key player in my life. Though I now live 1,000 miles away in Boulder, Colorado, we communicate daily through texts and calls as he continues guiding my professional marathoning career, fueling my love for the sport, and confirming that Rice University was the best decision I ever made.
-RiceOwls.com-
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