I just want to give a shout out to two individuals I consider friends, not just my friends but truly friends of NH cross country. I started coaching cross country in 2000 and one of the powerhouse schools in D3 at that time was Pelham, headed up by Art Demers. At the time Artie was younger as one can imagine and probably could outrun everyone on his team then, with him being way more than twice their age. When I met him he already had the jet white hair people might know him by now, likely emerging from the womb with it. After Pelham, Artie worked at Nashua, soon to be Nashua South and we had a mutual friend in the auto shop so I got to learn a bit more of him both as colleague coaches and friends of a friend. What I learned early from both directions is that Artie is a heckuva guy.
Artie bounced from Pelham to Bishop Guertin and then to South, where he settled in and spearheaded the resurgence of Panther cross country which then led to the move from Derryfield Park to Mines Falls/Nashua South for the Meet of Champions. Part of this genesis was to allow our athletes to not have to run the hills of Derryfield Park twice to qualify for New Englands, but the move wouldn’t have happened without Artie at South.
This is how I met and became acquaintances and then friends with his son Phil. Phil and Art were part of a dynamic duo when it came to managing the Meet of Champions course, out there measuring for accuracy and clearing for safety. As a long time volunteer for the day of meet preparation, there was never a time I arrived at South without Phil and Artie being there. I remember in 2007, when we changed the date from Saturday to Sunday due to a monsoon, when I arrived to help set up, the boys were out along the canal, chainsaws in hand, clearing debris from the course. Their attention to detail being still prevalent even after Artie retired from coaching at South.
Phil ended up running at UMass Lowell, but that barely interrupted their participation in Meet of Champions prep or participation. Once finished college (and maybe even during), Phil joined the officiating ranks which both Art and I were a part of as well, getting to work alongside both of them until I hung up my officiating role a few years back. Ever mindful of the rules, but even more mindful of the rules’ purpose, to make the experience along with the event, better. Their attention to detail still being the marker of the consummate professional in all the roles they held.
And for the last five years these two have managed or played a role in hosting the Meet of Champions at Alvirne, on the course at Hills House across the street. Already being used to host Battle of the Border, the Alvirne course was pressed into duty when the bridge at South over the canal needed to be replaced. Anticipated as a one year deal, Phil and Artie, as well as the crew at Alvirne leaned in, making fantastic upgrades to the course to be able to host a championship event. The addition of Phil to his alma mater’s coaching staff, only increasing the upgrades these last few years.
And while my kids never enjoyed or ran particularly well at Hill House, the effort Artie and Phil put in there was never lost on me. Again, still playing a day of volunteer role, I would arrive well before the event was to start, but not before either of them are there adding finishing touches to make the event even better.
Now I understand Artie and Phil are going to step away from hosting Meet of Champions in an effort to provide space for the Hopkinton Fairgrounds to step in and provide a championship venue that has proven itself all the way up to the NCAA regional level. I think all of us in the NH high school cross country community can see it’s hard to beat the fairgrounds for a championship event. While I might wish the event to be the Divisional meets, I can understand how it might make sense for the Demers to take the step back.
It’s easy for me to appreciate Artie’s and Phil’s dedication over the years, having witnessed it for more than 15 years. These are two of the hardest working individuals within the sport and certainly as members of the NHIAA Cross Country Committee on which they both sit. And with that I believe their decision is based on what they feel is right at this time and I can’t hardly argue with that.
Their hard work goes unnoticed by most, because the work they do to make things work so well you wouldn’t notice.
I hope they are happy with their decision. They have been consummate hosts these last five years, curators of MOCs even before the move to Alvirne. Their hard work goes unnoticed by most, because the work they do to make things work so well you wouldn’t notice. They never seek recognition and take pride in an event well run, and I for one, appreciate that.
So I guess this is a big shout out to the Demers, two great people I’ve truly enjoyed working with over all these years. These are certainly two of the most humble D1 coaches I know, and I enjoy every time I get the opportunity to swap stories or roll up my sleeves working side by side with them.
So if you get the opportunity, please take a moment to thank them for their dedication to the sport, something they will surely shrug off like it’s no big deal. But it is, and most appreciated. And while we say goodbye to the Hill House course as it relates to Meet of Champions, we still get to appreciate it as the host of Battle of the Border. Thank you for your service and I tip my hat to you gentlemen.
I’ll see you out there.
Editor’s Note: We included the YouTube video below as part of our ‘Inspiration’ series during the pandemic. Thought we would paste it below to once again highlight Art’s approach to a most challenging diagnosis keeping in mind while all the while he and Phil were the stewards of the MOCs.
