By Nick Newman
It can be said that attributing success and talent to deity is an over-used clich? in athletics, that competitors 'just thank God' too much and don''t really mean it. Those critics have never met BYU men''s cross-country runner Chandler Goodwin.
Goodwin, a junior from Pleasant Grove, largely attributes his running success to divine assistance. Those successes, however, got off to an unlikely start.
Instead of being pushed into a sport, like some kids are when they''re young, Goodwin got into running because he used to race mountain bikes and had nothing to do during the Utah winters.
'While I was racing mountain bikes in ninth grade, I realized that you can''t do too much of that during the winter,' Goodwin said. ' So I decided to cross-train so I had something to do. Once I got into running, I actually sold my mountain bike so I could buy shoes.'
Cross training was only the start of things to come. Initially, he only ran on his own. His mother worked at Orem Junior High and noticed that Goodwin would hang around, waiting for her to get off work. Her solution to Chandler was another stepping stone in building a foundation for an impressive career.
'She told me that I should join the cross country team, (so he didn''t have to hang around after school) so I started running with them,' said Goodwin, one of only four BYU All-American cross-country runners under head coach Ed Eyestone.
In high school at Mountain View in Orem, Goodwin helped lead the team to national prominence. During his time at Mountain View, the Bruins won two national championships in three years, placing second the other year. In his senior year, Goodwin won the Utah 5A State Championship and was named 5A Runner of the Year.
Goodwin said his success in high school was 'surprising' and attributed it to his family.
'I owe a lot of what happened to them,' Goodwin said. ' They were super supportive, especially my dad. He would come to every meet, no matter whether it was in Oregon, North Carolina, California or Florida. Having someone familiar there always helped.'
Goodwin also said that training with former Bruin teammate and current BYU runner Dustin Bybee propelled him as well.
'Running with Dustin definitely helped,' Goodwin said. 'He was always the leader of the team at first, so I always wanted to run with him. It made me a better runner.'
The resulting championships and individual accolades led to recruitment by running schools like BYU, Oregon, Iona, and Southern Utah. Goodwin selected BYU primarily because of coach Ed Eyestone, a 10-time All-American at BYU and two-time Olympian.
'He really lets you do your own thing,' Goodwin said. 'He''s concerned about his athletes, very approachable, and he''s not a micromanager.'
Eyestone, too, has run a mile in Chandler''s shoes, so-to-speak.
'He knows what he''s doing and what needs to be done,' Goodwin said. 'What more could you ask for in a coach than one that has been through what he has?'
Like most LDS athletes at BYU, Goodwin elected to put aside the life of an athlete at a big Division I school and serve a mission. From 2001 to 2003, Goodwin served in the Czech Republic Prague mission.
'Forty years of communism really takes its toll on people''s religious interest,' Goodwin said. 'I remember meeting in places where the church had six people; four of them were missionaries.'
Goodwin said that even though the mission took a toll on his physical fitness, his experience changed his attitude toward life?an attitude that was passionate about running, first and foremost.
'It really helped me set my priorities straight,' Goodwin said. 'Before the mission, running came first. A lot of the time, my family would take a back seat to everything else. Running was life. Now, I''ve got it straight?church, family, school? and then running.'
Chandler''s mission, however, didn''t change who he has always been.
'He''s really feisty on the outside, and some athletes say he comes off as cantankerous,' Eyestone said. ' He uses his cynicism as a guard. Once you get to know him, he''s funny. He''d give you the shirt off of his back. His running style is a lot like his personality.'
His running style is one of not only leading, but following as well. But that is exactly what BYU coaches have asked of him as the Cougars try to close the gap between runners two through five and senior Josh Rohatinsky, BYU''s top runner.
'He''s a steady presence with a steady temperament. I have no worries about him,' Eyestone said. ' He''s a force to be reckoned with. He really has taken to his role of being a support to Josh.'
Goodwin''s unselfishness?a trait Eyestone loves about his runner?is the main reason why he draws so much praise from his coach and others.
'He realizes the faster he can be, the better the team will be,' Eyestone said. 'Chandler''s unselfish. He could be a number one runner almost anywhere else, but he understands his role and accepts his position. When you have a number one guy like Josh, you need your number two to close the gap.'
Goodwin says after his career is over, he''d like to use his language skills and work in Eastern Europe for an American company. His plans are to excel in the learning of languages, as he aspires to learn Russian, Ukrainian and Polish in addition to his Czech and Slovak.
All that planning can wait for a couple years, Goodwin says, because he still has a lot of running to accomplish.
'I love running,' Goodwin said. ' It gives me meaning. It affirms to me that I can do whatever I want to accomplish. I truly believe God gives us talents for a reason, and it gives me satisfaction to use those talents.'