Blue Devil Alumni Spotlight: Tracy (Oostdyk) Dexheimer

Name – Tracy (Oostdyk) Dexheimer
UW-Stout graduation year –  May 2004
Major – Graphic Communications Management
Sport(s) –  Cross Country, Indoor/Outdoor Track & Field
Years Played – Cross Country: 2001, 2002, 2003 & Track: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004
Hometown (High School) –  Shell Lake High School
Currently Reside –  Pine Springs, MN (Twin Cities)

 

Why did you choose to be a collegiate student-athlete at UW-Stout?

I was bored… After leaving high school I didn't think I would be able to run competitively at college for two reasons. First, I didn't think I would have the time to do school and sports. Second, I didn't think I would be good enough to compete. Part way into the first semester of school I realized how bored I was and how I needed something else to do. So, I went and talked with Coach Joe Harlan about joining the team. He would have put me on the team that day if I would have let him, but I decided to start at the indoor track season.

What did you like most about competing in collegiate athletics? 
There were so many things I enjoyed about being a collegiate athlete. It was one of the best ways to meet so many new people that shared similar aspirations in life. It was also so much fun to travel to different schools/locations.  I have so many great memories of road trips with fabulous people. It was also such a rewarding experience to be distinguished as a collegiate athlete. Not everyone can say they did the work to make it happen. For the ones that did, it was one of the most rewarding experiences.

What is the greatest lesson you learned from being a collegiate student-athlete?
Hard work and determination will always prevail… Don't give up, you never know just exactly how far your mind/body can go. I never thought I would be good enough to run at college let alone be a serious place contender in one of the best DIII conferences around.

Who was the most influential person in your athletic career?
I took great advice from so many different coaches/people. Coach Harlan was an extraordinary coach. He worked with each runner individually. He knew not everyone was going to be the super star, but he treated each one like they were. He made things fun and light hearted, while still pushing us beyond what we thought we could do. My career was blessed to have him.

However, my dad was sure the inspiration behind my running. From the day I started he was the one that I would turn to for advice. He knew just what to say… Famous last words, "run your race kid, don't worry about what anyone else is doing."  I could have the best race or the worst race of my life, and when I came across the finish line he had the same smile on his face. I didn't realize it so much at the time, but now that I'm a parent I recognize it as the proud smile. He truly inspired me to put my heart into every race. If it didn't amount to what I had hoped for, there was always tomorrow. 

What is your most memorable or favorite moment at UW-Stout, both on the course and off?
Wow, really stretching my memory here… Track: I would say my steeple chase time that qualified me for Nationals and also the time to hold the school record for 10 years now. I never got to run at nationals, but it was a very exciting feeling to know that my time qualified. Cross Country: Would be my 10th place finish at WIAC, earning all-conference honors. Since it was my senior year and Stout hosted the meet and ceremony, it was an even better celebration then if we would have been somewhere else.

Off Course: The girls… Sometimes when I'm out running today I start to hear some of the conversations we had while running for hours. They always make me giggle and miss the teams/girls that I ran with.  Even though you don't live next door or find the time to talk every day it's like a sisterhood for life.  You can pick up where you left off every time you see each other.

How did your teammates describe you as a person and a student-athlete?
I don't know… You would have to ask them ;) I would hope that they would say that I tried hard to get along with everyone, lead the team in a respectful manner, and was dedicated both to school and the team.

Are you in contact with any former Blue Devil student-athletes? (If so, who?)
Yes, I keep in touch with many former athletes. I actually see one of them every day, as he is my husband, Todd Dexheimer. In my experience, when you run at Stout you are not just a part of a team -you become a family. No matter the distance or time that goes by family still finds ways to talk and get together. The family even consists of people you never ran with. Our lives would not be complete without the friends/family we made while running at Stout.  There are too many names of people/activities to be specific. 

Outside of athletics, what other activities were you involved in at UW-Stout?
I worked on campus as a teacher's assistant, tutor, and computer lab supervisor. I also held leadership roles in the Stout Typographical Society; including Vice President, Production Manager, and Events Coordinator.

Give us a brief synopsis of your life since graduating from UW-Stout, include job and family?
Brief is not in my nature, but I'll try… I started my career a few days after graduation in St. Cloud, Minn., at Nahan Printing as a Customer Service Representative.  I married Todd in 2007 and shortly after that decided to change my career path a little. I accepted a position as a Sales Consultant for a printing and marketing company called Sexton Printing in St. Paul, MN.  I have been at this role for over seven years now and enjoy the challenges it has to offer, well most days! We had our first child, a little girl that we named Madelyn in June of 2009 and then in May of 2013 we had our second, a little boy named Carson. We have rehabbed and lived in several locations and have recently found a location that might keep us longer. We still enjoy getting out and running, even if it is rare and includes pushing a stroller. Overall we have been very blessed!

During your career, the WIAC and NCAA championship races went from 5000-meter to 6000-meter, eventually moving all of the women's races to 6K. What, if any, difference was in your preparation for the longer distances? What did you think about the extension of the distance?
Coach always tried to tell us that an extra 1,000 meters was no big deal. We wouldn't even realize we were running any further. After the first couple races I would have said he was crazy. However, the adjustments were made and I think everyone on our team handled it well. It was kind of like going from high school to college. The distance changed slightly, and after a few races you never looked back. I don't remember our training really changing at all. All things considered, coach was probably right. Once we mentally got over we were running further our bodies were always prepared for it. 

In track, you tended to run the 1500-meter, the 3000-meter and dabbled in the 3000-meter steeplechase. How did you make the shift from the longer cross country races to the shorter track races, and vice versa from the track season to cross country?
First off I would say that my main events were the 1500 and the 3000 meter steeplechase. I only ran the open 3000 indoors to prepare for the outdoor steeple-chase. The shift was easy!!!! I hated running long distance in a circle. My worst races in cross-country were courses that we had to repeat a couple times. There was just something I mentally couldn't get over about going around and around in circles for three or four miles.  Not my idea of fun and if I wasn't having fun my performance would show it.  Coach always said to be a good steeple chase runner you needed to have the speed of a 1500 runner, but the endurance of a 6k runner and that's why he converted me. I liked speed and I had a little bit of it, so the 1500 was a good place for me to avoid running to many times in a circle (oval) ;) Training wise… we just adjusted and instead of mile repeats I stepped down to 800 repeats and even had to run on the 4x4 team to get the speed to come out. No hour and a half long runs during track, but during cross country they were in full swing. I think it was a nice break/change…

The 2003 cross country team has had the highest finish at the WIAC Championship since that time, and only a few teams have finished higher than that in history.  Individually you finished 10th, earning all-conference honors. What was special about that team?
Hmm… That is a tough one. I ran with lots of great girls/teams over my college years. I don't believe that there was any one thing that made this team more special than the other teams. We always had depth and talent, but injuries/sicknesses could creep in at the worst times. Having your top 5/6 girls healthy is key with a team size/talent of Stout. The goal in team scoring is to keep the top 5 girls as close together as possible at the front of the pack. If I remember correctly we had 1 & 2 runners that finished usually very close to each other, and then our 3,4, & 5 runners were always close to each other. I just think everyone was healthy and ran their hearts out. They left nothing on the course that day!

Did you (or do you still) have any rituals or traditions that you do before you race?
Yes, I did! I loved having the team around to get pumped up for the race, but it was very important for me to take a few minutes during a stride out to just stop and be alone. During that time I would visualize the course and the race. I would practice breathing. Finally, I would pray… Thank God for allowing me to be a part of the race, to guide me, and to give me strength for the race that was set before me. Just like in life!