Empowering people to get the most out of every step isn’t just a core part of the Superfeet brand, it’s a mission statement we back up with actions supporting elite competitors and everyday athletes alike. With the help of a local Fleet Feet store, Superfeet recently donated insoles to a high school cross country team in Menasha, Wisconsin. Here’s the story of how dedication and hard work, an inspiring coach, and proper support in footwear can lead to incredible results at the finish line and beyond.
Meet Coach Tony
After running track at the University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh, Tony DeVine became a nationally licensed sprint coach. He was coaching at a nearby middle school when an opportunity came up to coach the Menasha High School cross country team. Tony jumped at the chance, even if it was difficult at first. He had to pitch students on the idea of joining cross country. Luckily, he’s a natural salesman. “If I wasn't a teacher, I'd probably be selling used cars someplace,” he joked in an interview. He also recognized the value of representation, knowing there weren’t many Black cross country coaches. As he put it, “There's not a lot of people who look like me that are coaching cross country.”
Finding Their Stride
When people think of the Menasha Blue Jays, cross country isn’t the first sport that comes to mind. Menasha High, like many schools, is primarily known for its football team. When Coach Tony started three years ago, there were only five students running cross country, even though the sport was popular across the greater area. “We are in the center of possibly some of the best cross country programs in the state of Wisconsin,” Tony said, “How can we be part of that and what does that look like?”
It started with recruiting more runners, but also meant outfitting everyone with the right equipment. In the beginning, “We had kids that were running in basketball shoes,” recalled Tony. Leah Schapiro from the local Fleet Feet Fox Valley store stepped in to help. She knew the support inside the shoes was just as important as the shoes themselves. The donations started small at first, but by this past season, the Blue Jays cross country team had proper running footwear outfitted with Superfeet insoles. Thanks to Coach Tony’s dedication and inspiring approach, the team grew to 28 runners from a variety of backgrounds, including neurodivergent students and students from immigrant families.
A Little Help From Superfeet
Leah from Fleet Feet first started donating like-new running shoes that came back to her store as returns. She has been able to increase her donations and add Superfeet to the mix for the most recent season. Having the right footwear certainly made a difference from years past, but it wasn’t until this past season that the Blue Jays made true strides in performance. The team’s growth and hard work were the most important factors leading to their success. Still, Tony isn’t shy about sharing how Superfeet also played an essential role. They were able to train harder with less injuries, increasing their distance from 12-15 miles per week to 25-30. “We had six kids that made all-conference this year,” Tony proudly declared. “The insoles are part of that journey for us to do that.”
The Power of Running
Running is hard work, especially training for a large race or running competitively, but the rewards are always worth it. Decreasing your risk of injury while increasing performance and mileage gives you an even greater payoff for your efforts. Running means so much to Coach Tony, he credits it with saving his life during tough times. “Running was everything,” he said. It brought him joy and created connections with others. Here’s to the joy of running and empowering everyone to perform at their best.