Jonathan Schomaker’s endurance has been tested a lot this fall, and not just during cross-country competitions.
The Leavitt Area High School sophomore, who has a neurological condition called cerebellar hypoplasia, competes on the cross-country team in a wheelchair. Throughout the regular season, Schomaker has been together with his teammates on the same courses, with his father following behind in case Schomaker needs assistance.
Unfortunately, Schomaker has had to overcome more than the challenges of navigating a wheelchair through hilly cross-country courses. According to the Sun Journal, Schomaker was not allowed to compete in regional or state meets last year, and an appeal to allow him to do so this year was initially denied by the Maine Principals’ Association.
After a month of back and forth between the MPA — and public backlash to the MPA’s initial denial — the Schomakers and the school appear to have found a compromise this week.
“[Jonathan] Schomaker will start the race with the other runners, but the layout of the course will give the other runners an opportunity to get out in front as he starts his race. There will also be a marshal on the course to assure his, as well as the other competitors’, safety, and his times will be counted in a wheelchair division,” said Michael Burnham, executive director of the MPA’s Interscholastic Division. “Our No. 1 concern here has always been the safety of all the athletes, and this accommodation should keep everyone safe.”
Jon Schomaker, Jonathan’s father, told the Sun Journal on Tuesday that he is “good with this” in regard to the newest MPA decision.
“It creates a legacy for people that don’t have to go through this in the future,” he added.
Leavitt High School Principal Eben Shaw also welcomed the eventual resolution.
“I am very pleased that our close collaboration with the MPA, the family, and the race organizers has resulted in such a positive outcome,” Shaw said in a statement.
The MPA has not been wrong to prioritize safety — both for Schomaker and for other competitors. But Schomaker and his family should not have had to fight as hard as they did for inclusion at the regional and state level.
“My cross-country team is kind of like my family,” Schomaker told the Sun Journal earlier this month.
“The MPA could’ve been the heroes and let me race, but they didn’t,” he said previously. “… I just want to be a part of my team and the race, no matter if I score or not.”
It appears that they heard him, finally.
Schomaker is undoubtedly a hero in this situation — for his perseverance on and off the course, for his persistence — and that of his family — in making the case to the MPA, and for ultimately creating a process for future wheelchair athletes to participate in regional and state cross-country meets through the creation of a wheelchair division.
However, those of us observing this situation should not be casting the MPA as villains. The organization took longer than it should have to arrive at the right decision, but it did eventually get there. That matters.
The MPA’s concern for the safety of Schomaker and other student athletes is well placed. That is part of their job, though it may not win them popularity contests. In unprecedented and complicated situations, it can take time for people and institutions to arrive at the right decision.
Republican Sen. Jeff Timberlake of Turner, whose district includes the town of Greene where Schomaker lives, advocated on Schomaker’s behalf, according to the Sun Journal, and thanked the MPA “for doing the right thing” this week.
“I have been enormously impressed with the way this young man and his family have fought to gain him the equal treatment he deserves over the past month,” Timberlake said in a statement Wednesday. “While it is unfortunate that it took so long to reach this positive outcome, Jonathan showed tremendous integrity and determination throughout.”
We, too, are glad that the MPA eventually got there in this case but wish they had done so sooner. It would have meant one less obstacle for a very impressive young athlete to overcome.
“Ultimately, the hard work of the parties involved has resulted in an outcome that will benefit future wheelchair athletes wishing to participate in the sport of cross country,” said Shaw, the principal.
We wish Jonathan and all other competitors the best during the regional championships this Saturday.