A Portage Life in the Spotlight: Tom Erickson

A Portage Life in the Spotlight: Tom Erickson

Tom Erickson is a Portage alumni who returned to his stomping grounds to inspire students the way that his teachers and coaches once inspired him.

“I’m a Portage High grad,” he explains. “Being around people I admired made me realize I really wanted to be a teacher. It really is a unique position, where you get to watch a student overcome something. The most important thing is to see and encourage growth.”

Tom’s subject of choice is Social Studies. He has always had a passion for history, and decided it would be that sort of knowledge he would pass down through the generations. It was a gift given to him by his grandparents and his father.

“I don’t really believe in history repeating itself,” Tom says. “But we still need to learn from the mistakes of the past. We live in this awesome democratic and pluralistic society. It’s important for [kids] to gain the skills to make up their own minds as to where our country should go next.”

During his time at Indiana University in Bloomington, Tom became fascinated with lectures about Northern European Communism in 1945. His favorite stories about the Cold War depicted people trying to make their lives better by rebelling against the regimes that oppressed them.

The concept of a group of people coming together to make each other stronger is probably what makes Tom a great coach.

“We’ve always tried to build a culture like this,” Tom explains. “We want them to compete and be for one another.”

He coaches the boys’ Cross Country team as well as assists in coaching for Track. 2016 has been their best season since Tom started coaching almost eleven years ago.

“The biggest thing, and this can’t go underestimated, is how together the guys were. While it is an individual sport to a degree, they were doing it with an intrinsic motivation that we haven’t seen in awhile.”

The Cross Country team was successful at the DAC Conference Meet, then won at both Sectionals and Regionals. Their season ended at the State level competition where they took 17th.

Tom ran himself when he was in high school. His coach, Bill Wilkie, gave him a passion for the sport and taught him the meaning of trust.

“He always told us we had to trust our training, trust each other, trust our coaches. It is easier when I have that level of trust between myself and my athletes.”

Between training and traveling to meets, teams and coaches spend a lot of time with each other. It builds a unique camaraderie between a people all working toward the same goal. Tom is grateful for their trust in him, and for the support of the families that keep the team going.

“I’ve got great athletes. I’ve got great athletes because they’re great kids, because they come from great families.”

Parents give their time, money, and emotional support. They drove as a caravan to State. They provide Thursday Spaghetti Dinner to the athletes, and host random cook outs and fundraisers.

Tom’s own family supports him as well. The season of Cross Country is almost non stop, and means that Tom often does get home until late. His children, still toddlers, do not realize the sacrifice they make for the good of the team. His wife carries much of the load of parenting, when he is away.

“It’s hard,” Tom says. “My family is phenomenal.”

He does it to be an important role model for his children, and for his atheletes.

“Athletics is not just about varsity, it’s about everyone involved. We are in a profession of not just educating, but growing a life skill. Athletics and extracurriculars offer students a place to find their voice, to find who they want to be. It’s an education they could not get in a classroom.”