THETFORD — Reading poetry out loud and running long distances for track and field can flex the same muscle, even if the connection isn’t so obvious on the surface.
It’s not something Eloise Van Meter, a sophomore distance runner for Thetford Academy’s track and field team, thought about before signing up to read selected works of poetry in front of a group of strangers. It makes a lot more sense now with outdoor track practice underway.
Van Meter placed third at the recent Vermont Poetry Out Loud state championship at the Vermont PBS studios in Colchester earlier this month. Created in 2005 by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, the competition is a national recitation contest that gives high schoolers a stage to perform selected works of poetry. South Burlington’s Vera Escaja-Heiss was named Vermont’s state champion; she will travel to Poetry Out Loud’s national championship held in late April at George Washington University in Washington.
“I’ve always liked poetry, writing poetry, reading poetry,” said Van Meter, taking a break from practice on Monday. “At the semifinals in Barre, there were a lot of people. I went into it with no expectations of myself or what was going to happen, which I think was a good mindset to have. But it was definitely a totally new experience. It was eye-opening and inspiring to see a bunch of kids who knew what they were doing.
“The whole time I was like, ‘I don’t belong here.’ These people have worked for years. It was definitely an exciting experience.”
The sophomore is used to something of a spotlight, working her way through problems over extended periods of time with a mix of patience and persistence.
Van Meter comes from a distance-running family: Her mom, Emily Silver, is in her eighth season as co-head coach of Thetford’s track and field team and ran cross country and distance races for Dartmouth College before graduating in 1989. Her brother, Malcolm Silver-Van Meter, was a four-year distance runner for the Panthers and is currently a freshman running cross country and distance races for New York University.
“My mom has been coaching for a very long time. My brother did it, too,” Van Meter said. “I kind of knew the deal (coming into freshman year). It was cool to finally be the one on the track instead of watching the older kids.”
It also helps that Thetford track has developing distance runners down to a science.
Over the last three years, the Panthers have placed at least one runner in the top three positions for both boys and girls in the 1,500 and 3,000 meters at the VPA Division III state meet, thanks in large part to multiyear standouts Silver-Van Meter and Meaggie Balch, both of whom graduated last year. Thetford is coming off of a cross country championship this past fall and a strong showing in at indoor states over the winter.
“Emily Silver is the biggest ingredient there,” said Joel Breakstone, Thetford track’s co-head coach with Silver. “We’ve certainly been fortunate to have a number of very good runners. But Emily has been a consistent thread throughout. … Distance runners, that’s her specialty. It’s not a coincidence that they’ve had a lot of success.”
It’s a strength that Thetford is counting on this spring in particular. Now that perennial powerhouse Bellows Falls — whose boys and girls teams have swept the D-III state meet since 2016 — has moved up to D-II, the Panthers see an opening to finally bring home some hardware.
Easier said that done, especially with the departures of some of its top scorers (Balch, Malcolm Silver-Van Meter, Morgan Lavoy, Grace Clement, Clifford Ransom, Dylan Thorburn) to graduation and Macy Lawson, who transferred to Hanover.
But the vacuum created by Bellows Falls’ departure has created a sense of urgency.
“The window seems be open again, but we lost a lot of kids in terms of point scorers,” Breakstone said. “In terms of distance runners, we lost the best that has come through in a very long time. We lost a lot of points, but we have some good additions. … (Bellows Falls moving up) will certainly shift the competitive landscape in D-III.”
Owen Deffner, the multi-sport senior in his first outdoor season, will certainly help after winning a cross country title in the fall and earning wins in the 1,500 and the 3,000 during the indoor season. Veteran junior Tad Darrah also returns after finishing second in both the 1,000 and 3,000 in the winter. Grace Davis is poised to lead Thetford’s efforts in the jumping events, and Layla Hanissian could make some noise in middle distance for the Panthers.
“I think if there was a year (to go for a D-III title), it would be this year,” Davis said on Monday. “We’re also going to lose a lot of people next year. So if there was a year, I feel like it would have to be this year.”
Van Meter was third in both the 1,500 and 3,000 as a freshman at outdoor states. A little bit more time under the spotlight — albeit on a stage reciting poetry, not the comfortable confines of a running track — has her feeling a little bit more comfortable this time around.
“I think (distance running) can be a bit more mentally challenging,” Van Meter said. “I think I can grow more from it. And it’s kind of fighting of that battle in my mind, in some ways, that’s really a rewarding experience.
“Through my running, I can tell a story of what I’ve worked for. (Poetry) is the same approach. ... (Reciting poetry is) something I want to continue doing. I like being able to tell other people’s stories through how I internalize them.”
Thetford is scheduled to open its regular season at the Fall Mountain Opening Meet from Fall Mountain High on April 12.
Josh Weinreb can be reached at jweinreb@vnews.com or 603-727-3306.