Perseverance pays
JACKSON TWP — The meet kept no team scores and served as an effective season preparation tool for most of the athletes involved.
But forgive Isaac Busler for failing to repress the smile from his face at Saturday’s Butler County Classic.
This was a long time coming for him.
Busler, a Butler senior, ran the first leg of the Golden Tornado’s meet record-setting 4x800 meter relay. He ran the third leg of Butler’s 4x400 relay, handing the baton to teammate Raine Gratzmiller with his team in the lead. The Tornado won that race as well.
Busler is not a regular on those relays. Gratzmiller is the only regular who competed for Butler in those events Saturday. Busler’s performance was meaningful, nonetheless.
“We want to have six runners who we can pull in and out of those relays once we get to the state meet,” Butler boys track and field coach Mike Seybert said. “Run four guys on Friday, then replace two of them on Saturday to keep ourselves fresh. Some other programs have been doing that for years. But you have to have the depth.
“Isaac is healthy and he’s worked his way into that mix. The best part is, all six guys would get state medals if we win or place. That kid definitely deserves a shot at one of those.”
Busler missed his freshman track season because of a growth plate issue in his knee. He lost his sophomore season to the COVID-19 pandemic, when all of Pennsylvania high school spring sports were shut down. Last year, a hip injury prevented him from competing.
“I didn’t know if I’d ever get out there,” Busler said of running in a track meet. “I just had to keep working toward it.”
That day arrived Saturday and Busler took full advantage.
“I was impressed by the splits he ran,” Seybert said. “He ran a 2:05 split (in the 4x800) which is pretty darn fast. Isaac is adding to our depth in those relays and that’s something we need.
“This meet is perfect for someone like him. It gives him a chance to show what he can do and he’s using that opportunity.”
Busler said his goal this year is to drop his 800-meter time to 2:02 and his 400-meter time down to the 53-second range.
He is not at all intimidated about finding his niche on a Tornado boys track team loaded with talent.
“I’m pretty happy with this,” he said of his performance Saturday. “I’ll take it, for sure. While we’re a team, track is an individual sport. I don’t have to beat out anybody to get my time on the track ... just go out and do my best.”
At the same time, Busler respects the team aspect of the sport.
“I want to be there when the team needs me,” he said.
Seybert respects what Busler has done to reach this point.
“Isaac has stuck it out,” the coach said. “He’s had all those setbacks and he’s still here. He is going to help us this year.”
He’s not doing a bad job of helping himself, either.
Carrying a 4.4 grade point average, Busler is weighing collegiate opportunities at Penn State Behrend and Grove City College. He is considering a major in computer engineering.
As for track and field?
“I’m not done yet,” Busler said. “Whichever college I go to, I’ll be joining the track team there.”
