Schadlers — dad and two daughters — have Rio Rico poised for state success

As ultra-skilled long distance runners themselves, the last thing Steve and Toni Schadler wanted to do was force the sport on their two daughters.

Cross-country running is so difficult, it’s something you have to grow to love on your own, so it’s not as if Allie and Sammie Schadler’s first bibs had numbers on them.

Their first sippy cups were not performance bottles. They weren’t led to the track directly from the stroller.

Not by Steve, the on-and-off-and-back-on head track coach at Rio Rico High and assistant superintendent of the Santa Cruz Valley Unified School District. Nor by Toni, a middle school teacher and track coach for 20 years who assists with the Hawks squad.

Steve and Toni brought their kids along slowly. In elementary school, it was the fun runs Dad put on, mile-long jaunts that gave the girls a taste for running, and a taste for success.

But they also danced – ballet and tap – and played basketball and soccer and generally the rule was this: Just don’t sit on the couch.

By middle school, Allie was starting to separate herself from the pack.

As a freshman, she won the state cross-country title and the 1,600-meter track title and finished second in the 800. As a sophomore, she won all three.

Now a junior, she’s already taken home the cross country title and will seek more success this weekend at the track and field state meet in Mesa. Only this year, Sammie – a superstar freshman – joins in on the fun, and the two of them are a big reason why Rio Rico could win its first girls track and field championship.

“We tried to leave it up to them, if they were going to commit to being competitive,” Steve Schadler said. “There are tons of fast kids. No doubt there are faster kids. But not all are willing to commit to the hard work and lifestyle choices, going to bed early, giving up Saturdays. When I started to see they were, one at a time, starting to accept that challenge, it was all about their own desire to excel.”

Excel they have: Allie has some major schools coming after her — Stanford, Harvard and Georgetown are among her suitors — and Sammie is following on the same path.

With their bloodlines, it’s no major shock.

Steve was a runner at Stanford, and Toni ran for Indiana University.

“You can attribute it to genetics, but it’s not automatic,” Toni said. “We were very cautious to make sure they were exposed to sports other than running. We’ve seen it before – parents go overboard, start signing kids up for road races, track races, and knowing what we went through, we know there is a burnout in it. It was important the girls do other things.”

And they did. But no more, not with the success they’ve had on the track. Allie has been approached to join the soccer team but has rejected the advances. She’s found her lane.

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Plus, how could she reach her incredibly lofty goals with such distractions?

Her goal at this year’s track final is the Arizona state record for the mile, 4 minutes, 44 seconds. Her personal record is 4:43, but she hopes to break the 4:40 mark. She would also like to win the 2-mile.

Ho-hum.

“I set goals for myself and some of them might be a little hard to reach, but definitely coming off last year I know what I can do,” Allie said. “This year I haven’t hit a PR in the mile, and that’s driving me. A lot of people don’t like running because it’s so individual, but I like it because it puts pressure on me. Pressure to do my best. If I don’t get what I want, it’s my fault.”

If she doesn’t, mom and dad – and sis – are there to help.

The Rio Rico track team has become a family affair this season, though Toni tries to stay somewhat hands-off. Leave the technique to Steve for the most part. Be there to lift spirits.

“What’s great about it is the things they are feeling are things we felt at some point,” Toni said. “We can definitely relate to their ups and downs. Sometimes they want to hear it, sometimes they don’t. We can recognize that, too, because sometimes we didn’t want to talk about it back then either.”

Now don’t be fooled, Steve says, “This isn’t Mayberry.” The track talk tends to invade the dinner table.

“Sometimes it can be unfortunate because you come home with it,” Toni said. “They dictate the conversation. It’s something we share with Allie; it’s not humanly possible to think you’re going to have a PR every time, but as long as you can come out feeling good about the performance, that’s all you can look for.”

Above all, despite all the success, these girls sound grounded.

Happy, especially, to be running on the same team.

“In the seventh grade, I saw her become a state champion, have success, and I realized I wanted to be like that, too,” Sammie said. “We don’t really compete, we have a supportive kind of thing, and I’ve always looked up to her. When she supports me, it really helps me. If (Allie) believes in me, that’s the most important.”

And she does.

“In the beginning I was scared – no one wants your little sister to beat you,” Allie said. “But once I got over that, I was really excited. One of the reasons I run is because I want a good team, and I didn’t know how good she’d be. She’s putting us in a position to win.”