InterComInterComJanuary 2014 Newsletter Published by College Communications: Contact Lee Rasizer at (303) 360-4728 or [email protected] The Bloomer daughters from Newark, N.Y. (left to right), flanked by mom Violet in the middle: Ellen, Margaret, Nancy, Jennifer, and Betsy. The five siblings have an older brother, Sherman. LEADER OF THE PACK It was just another race in small-town Dr. Betsy Oudenhoven The more accurate ‘chip timing’ that is Wisconsin, one of many for which Betsy spent more than three now common had yet to be in vogue. Oudenhoven would lace up her running The end result back then was lost time in shoes, affix her competitor’s number to her decades in higher catch-up mode before hitting the starting tank top, and take off into this joyful ath- stripe. The further back, the worse the start. letic mix of serenity and insanity through education before Only this time there was no time to 26.2 grueling miles. becoming CCA’s fifth waste lagging behind. Oudenhoven needed At this particular competition, the Fox to finish this particular marathon in three Cities Marathon held in and around her president. The road to hours, 45 minutes in order to qualify for husband’s hometown area of Appleton, the her new post began Boston, one of just two marathons in the personal stakes were higher than most. United States (along with Olympic Trials) At numerous other long-distance races with large-family roots that require a set qualifying time. And, for she’d previously run, Oudenhoven found this 1995 race, the prize was a ticket to the herself in crowds well behind the start in upstate New York. 100th Boston Marathon, making the stakes line. That meant the timing process may before moving through even higher. have officially begun for the masses when Oudenhoven ensured on this particu- the gun sounded, but, for individuals, that several states – often lar morning that the front of her big toe process only began when the first step ac- in 13.1- and 26.2-mile hugged the start line; that her head was tually hit the course. increments. See Oudenhoven / Page 2 InterCom January 2014 Newsletter Page 2 Above, running in a sprint triathlon in Pleasant Prairie, Ill., around July 2010. Below, celebrating with two other women who placed in their age bracket after the Joliet (Ill.) Junior College Foundation 5K Run/Walk. Late JJC president Dr. Gena Proulx is far right in that photo. look familiar – too familiar. his hometown course, had his own would eventually go on to participate Oudenhoven Wasn’t that Oudenhoven’s relatives cheering contingent of college bud- in that historical Boston jaunt. From Page 1 residing in lawn chairs a few miles dies, too, and by that time in their But the answer to the question down the course? lives together knew Betsy and added runs much deeper. even with the sign above draped Wasn’t that those same folks, again, its support. Well-wishes seemed to “Who is Betsy?” She was the one across the street. waving and shouting encouragement, rain down with each Oudenhoven until age 50 playing pickup basketball The marathon was relatively small, chairs moved to another prime view- mile or two. just for fun. She was the one just crazy so getting as close as possible was do- ing position? “Half of Wisconsin was there,” enough in graduate school in Boul- able. Yep, it was, and the process kept Oudenhoven recalled with a laugh. der, Colo., to play one season of rugby Oudenhoven already had surmised repeating itself, with her family and “Finally somebody that was running on a city-organized team, learning in entering that race that she could at- friends seemingly able to navigate the near me was like, ‘Who is Betsy?’ the process that “drinking beer after- tain the official clock time necessary behind-the-scenes areas as deftly as For starters, she’s the one that fin- wards doesn’t resolve every ache and for Boston, if the head start for other the runners did the course. ished that race seven seconds under pain.” runners was removed. Husband Arnie, given that it was the necessary qualifying time and She was a woman who managed She’d certainly put in the physical to currently juggle full-time work, the work to match her mental calcula- care of two children back home, and tions. As cross-country coach in Os- without a sabbatical or time off, com- wego, N.Y., a job that supplemented plete her doctorate over a seven-year her higher educational duties at the span. state university there, the miles she She’s also was the woman who not logged with those women racers dur- only inspired her own sister to run ing their training routines was aug- a marathon but was a guiding force mented by roll-out-of-bed practice behind one of her administrative as- runs Oudenhoven had done almost sistant’s obtaining a master’s degree by habit. (and also making her own 26.2-mile All those crazy miles had put competitive trek). Oudenhoven’s body in the best pos- Who is Betsy? Another easy an- sible position to succeed. But this was swer is that she’s the new permanent as much about body positioning than president at Community College of anything. Aurora, as of mid-December. Bang. The gun sounded. And off And at the heart of it all, she’s this: she went. Oudenhoven was cruis- a small-town girl with big-family ing, checking the splits in her jour- roots from Newark, N.Y. ney against the times she had written in marker on her arm to ensure the See Oudenhoven / Page 3 proper pace. But then things began to InterCom January 2014 Newsletter Page 3 and ‘Red Rover,’ filled many hours nado shelters where you could climb then had occurred to Hackettstown, Oudenhoven outdoors. underground. It was just a great old N.J., when Mobil Chemical trans- “But we also grew up in a very place to explore.” ferred her father. Everyone went From Page 2 large, very old home,” said Betsy’s sis- Excursions outside of Newark al- along for this detour in normalcy for more than a year. Sports as an outlet By then, Betsy was in high school, Oudenhoven grew up just outside and her participation in sports gradu- Rochester as one of six children born ated from small-town ‘play days for to Cornell graduates. girls,’ the sixth-grade community Dad Sherman worked for Mo- softball league and ‘killer basketball bil Chemical in its plastics division. games’ on the family hoop in Newark Mom Violet stayed at home to tend to more serious business. to the kids. The family’s first five chil- In New Jersey, she learned to play dren – brother Sherm followed by field hockey, something she contin- four girls, with Betsy coming first – all ued in college – where her Division were born in a relative cluster. Young- III St. Lawrence University team est sister Jenny is the outlier, 14 years eventually beat her parents’ alma ma- younger than Betsy. ter in the state tournament during her One of the prime tenets of the senior year. household was hard work. Every- Oudenhoven played basketball one was expected to carry his or her competitively, eventually breaking own weight. Betsy took on a great away from the ‘six-man’ team games deal of responsibility as babysitter, popular at the time and merging into dishwasher, and, many times, family the five-on-five, man-to-man style peacekeeper. better known today. “I loved growing up in a large The Bloomer children pose for a family photo, before youngest Even though sports weren’t par- Jenny is born. Sister Margaret is sitting on Betsy’s lap. family. I loved it. We had a blast,” ticularly valued by her parents, her ef- Oudenhoven said. “And it’s funny be- The Betsy Oudenhoven file forts on the court and field managed cause we’re all over the country now to open the door for her siblings to Born: Elizabeth “Betsy” Bloomer and we’re not big phone talkers or experience these kinds of extracur- Hometown: Newark, N.Y. anything. But we get along well, and ricular activities themselves. Family: Married to husband Duane, who goes by nickname “Arnie,” for growing up, all of us kind of helped “She was a tomboy. There was more than 30 years. out. My mother had these elaborate no doubt about it,” Margaret said of Two children: son James, 28, and daughter Mollie, 26. James lives in chore charts she would put on the re- Betsy. “She’s definitely not ‘girly-girl.’ frigerator. And then she’d always have Iowa City, Iowa, owns a master’s degree in American Studies and works To this day, she’s not ‘girly-girl.’ Her a scheme during the summer where for local public library. Mollie is in her third year of medical school at the daughter took over that role. But it’s she’d say, ‘You wanna make some University of North Carolina. an interesting combination, because money?’ - trying to provide incen- Two pets: a Golden Retriever “Zoey” and a cat named “Kitty Cat.” while she’s a tomboy, she always had tive. Like, ‘If you clean the garage out, Siblings: Second of six children: older brother Sherman is former dean that motherly instinct and looked out you can make 50 cents.’ And it kind at the School of Sciences at Oregon State University and now is director for us.” of worked out, because it was hard to of the college budget; four younger sisters – Ellen Mitchell is a lawyer The peacemaking quality came in find places to make money.” in San Antonio; Nancy Bloomer is a librarian in Maryland; Margaret handy during family fights over who Newark, N.Y.