Ex-Titan returns to help Arcadia baseball Arcadia coach continues to race and to win titles Erica McClurg wins state titles and competes in Ironman races. Photo by Craig Richardson. By Brittany Morris An Arcadia High School teacher and coach participated in her fi rst Ironman Triathlon with one goal in mind: fi nish the race in under 12 hours. Little did she know, this race was only the beginning. Erica McClurg, born and raised in the Arcadia neighborhood, has a lengthy past in triathlon competitions, competing in her fi rst in 1990. The athlete will be participating in her third Ironman World Championship in Hawaii this month. The Ironman race is a rigorous 2.4 miles swimming, 112 miles biking, and 26.2 miles running – all in the span of a day. “My fi rst Ironman triathlon in 1997, I had only one goal in mind,” McClurg said. “As I neared the fi nish line, I noticed that I had little time left. I sprinted through the fi nish line and fi nished in 11 hours and 59 seconds. “It was amazing. I accomplished my goal.” Twenty years have passed, and McClurg’s completion time for the Ironman race has improved signi fi cantly. She has competed in over 350 variations of triathlons and Olympic long-distance races, married a fellow triathlete and became Arcadia High School’s swim coach. Her life, she said, has been built around physical health and a well-balanced diet. McClurg recalled spending afternoons with her father as a child, enraptured by the Ironman competition and the physicality that it required of its racers. This vigor was later transformed on the soccer fi eld in middle school. In high school it was in the pool and on the track. It was in college, however, where her childhood adoration for triathlons would become her reality. “To stay fi t in college, I signed up for a class called Triathlon Training,” she said. “As a part of the requirements, I had to compete in a race. “That was my fi rst triathlon.” The Bud Light Triathlon Series, McClurg’s fi rst race, was in 1990. She can’t remember where she placed. “It must have been good, because I kept on competing after that,” she said. It wasn’t long before the triathlete’s physical strength became contagious to all those around her. Chris McClurg, her husband of 16 years, began racing because of her coaxing. “We started dating and I started racing,” Chris said of his introduction to the world triathlons. Not only did she play a large part in the selection of his fi rst racing bike, a pivotal moment for racers, but also together they adopted a healthy lifestyle and an even healthier relationship. “Being in a healthy relationship has a lot to do with a healthy body and a healthy mind,” Chris said. “It’s about being health conscious and watching your diet. “You know, instead of going to the movies, Erica and I can go on a bike ride.” The couple shares a love for pasta, especially following a race, and when one isn’t competing, they’re each other’s biggest fans. McClurg also sought to give a dose of her athleticism to Arizona’s youth. She has been a science teacher for 12 years and a coach for 16. Continued on page 60 By Gerald Bourguet Arcadia High’s varsity baseball team has an advantage for the new season with the addition of a new assistant coach with a titanic amount of experience not only in the game of baseball but as an alumnus of the school itself. The team will welcome former Arcadia Titan and All-Pac-10 relief pitcher Jack Krawczyk to its coaching staff for the 2011- 12 season. Krawczyk, who is regarded as one of the best college relief pitchers of all time, will bring a vast amount of coaching experience to the Titans, including pitching coach for the Arizona State University team that fi nished third in the 2004-05 College World Series. Krawczyk said he is looking forward to returning to his old high school and moving closer to his roots. He is especially looking forward to coaching there, something he has found a profound interest in over the years. “It means a lot,” he said. “We just recently moved into the community and bought a house in the neighborhood. “I’ve been involved with the Arcadia Little League for a couple of years now, but it means a lot for me to go back to my school and to coach there and help them out.” After graduating from Arcadia as an All-American in 1993, Krawczyk played for the University of Southern California. He fi nished his college career with 49 saves, the second most in NCAA Division I history. In 1998, he helped lead the Trojans to a national championship. He was 13-8 with a 3.35 ERA during his time at USC, and holds the USC, Pac-10 and NCAA single-season saves record with 23. In his six years playing in the minor leagues, Krawczyk made it as high as Triple-A in 2002 before becoming a player/ coach in 2003 with South Bend Silver Hawks, an af fi liate of the Diamondbacks. It was during this time that Krawczyk began to make his transition into coaching. Over the past seven years, Krawczyk added several jobs coaching pitching to his résumé, including jobs with ASU, NorCal Basebal, Jaeger Baseball and the prominent Alaskan Summer College League. He helped his Mat-su Miners to the Alaskan League title and second place in the National Baseball Congress World Series in 2004. Krawczyk is currently coaching a high school scout-league team before the Arcadia season starts. Krawczyk has specialized in pitching in his coaching career, but he plans on helping out Arcadia in all facets of the game this season. However, the former pitching star known for his wicked change- up admitted he would have a slight edge in a few speci fi c areas. “I’m going to help with understanding how to get hitters out, understanding how to read a hitter, and understanding how to read (the other team’s) pitchers,” he said. “I’ll try to give what I can for the pitchers to be more effective. It’s not about strikeouts; it’s about getting guys out.” Arcadia’s future assistant coach seems to look forward to his new job not only because of his appreciation for his old school, but also because of what he can bring to the table after gaining a considerable amount of experience coaching kids from a diverse range of ages. “I just want to give back what I’ve learned over the course of time as a player and a coach,” Krawczyk said. “I want to see what I can do to pass it on to some of the (high school) kids right now, just to give back to the school that gave a lot to me.” Krawczyk said that things have changed since he left, but he also looks forward to coaching such a solid program. “They’ve got a great thing going over there,” he said. “They’ve got a coach (Ken Rudolph) who’s been there for quite awhile, and the school and the kids have a reputation of being a good program.” Stacey Benton and her Arcadia High School volleyball teammates had lost just once at press time, falling in straight sets to three- time defending state champion Sunnyslope. The Titans won their fi rst 11 matches, all in straight sets, before falling to the Vikings. They rebounded with a straight-set win over Camelback, meaning only Sunnyslope had won a set against the Titans. Photo by Dale Messmer. Page 58 October 2011 A RC A DI A SPORTS PAGE A RC A DI A SPORTS PAGE

Do you know a Mom who’s run a marathon, high school football player setting school records or a student earning their black belt? Tell us about ‘em! Do you know a Mom who’s of the of the Athlete’s Name_____________________ Athlete’s Phone/Email____________________ Describe the achievements and qualities that make this athlete a stand-out ___________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ How can we reach you if we have questions? ___________________________________ Starting in November we will be honoring one local athlete each month as the “Arcadia Athlete of the Month”. The winner will receive a $100 gift card to Arcadia Sports & Fitness, a great locally- owned sporting goods store. Entering is easy. Drop off the nomination form below at Arcadia Sports & Fitness, mail it to the Arcadia News - 3850 E. Indian School Rd., Phoenix AZ 85018 or Ű ll out a form online at www.arcadiadaily.com/athlete.pdf A winner will be chosen 10/14 at noon and announced in the November issue!