Steve Christilaw: Familiar name in the news stirs memories

When you get to a certain age, you don’t need much of an excuse to feel old.

Like when you need to explain to your grandkids why you’re listening to a whole music channel dedicated to The Beatles. And then explaining to them who The Beatles were.

Don’t even start trying to explain to them who The Who were.

I suppose our parents felt the same way when they had to explain to us who Ish Kabibble was – as if there can be an answer to that eternal question.

So when I checked out the latest news release from Washington State University last week, that nagging feeling that age was creeping up on me settled in.

The Cougars track and cross country Coach Wayne Phipps hired a new assistant coach – former distance standout CharLee Linton.

“We are very excited to hire CharLee,” Phipps said announcing the hire. “As a student-athlete at WSU she brought a level of dedication, commitment and passion that is rarely matched, and as a volunteer assistant coach for us last year, she brought that same level. CharLee impressed me right away as an assistant coach as she has a great coaching intuition and a level of understanding of the sport that belies her age. It was very important to maintain a continuity with our student-athletes and to hire someone who is 100 percent dedicated to the student-athletes at WSU as well as being 100 percent committed to helping this program achieve success at the highest level. CharLee fits of all that perfectly: She understands our program and its philosophy and understands what it is to be a Coug.”

That hire, in and of itself, is no big deal. A smart hire, no doubt. But nothing to induce a round of self-reflection.

CharLee Linton, 23, was hired to replace Allix Potratz-Lee, who left to pursue other interests after three years with the program.

Linton came to Washington State after a stellar career at Shorewood High School, just north of Seattle’s University District, walking on with the cross country team in 2012.

She represented Washington State at the Pac-12 Cross Country Championships and the West Region Cross Country Championships for three consecutive years. She holds the indoor school record for 5,000 meters (16:34.89), and outdoors she broke a 12-year-old record in the 10,000 meters as a junior, running 34:03.69.

As a senior, Linton wrote her name in the book of all-time WSU top-10 lists in the 3,000 and the 5,000.

After graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology in 2016, she stuck around Pullman and served as a volunteer assistant coach working with the Cougar distance runners while she worked on a second degree in history.

She also volunteered as an elementary teacher assistant from 2010 to 2014.

That kind of a pedigree is more than enough of a resume to get you a job coaching at your alma mater.

“I am beyond excited to join the staff as an assistant coach,” Linton said in the news release announcing her hire. “It’s really special for me because I’m passionate about Washington State University and I know what it means to be a part of this team. To work closely with Coach Phipps means that I get to coach student-athletes through a program that I truly believe in and training that I know produces great results.”

I’ve been following CharLee Linton for years now, so her hire as an assistant coach came as no surprise.

Anyone who subscribes to the West Valley alumni page on Facebook has done the same thing.

Her dad, Todd Linton, keeps everyone posted.

Todd and his twin brother, Dirk, were part of the class of 1975 at West Valley – the same graduating class I belonged to.

The identical twin brothers both were runners for the Eagles young cross country coach – a guy named Jim McLachlan. I like to think they started giving out numbers during cross country races so they could tell which brother crossed the finish line first, Todd or Dirk.

I’m pretty sure I haven’t seen Todd since the graduation ceremony, but I run into Dirk frequently.

It turns out that CharLee Linton takes after her uncle.

Dirk Linton has been a West Valley soccer coach, for both boys and girls, for decades and a teacher at WV for even longer.

So while it can take you aback to see the next generation begin to come into their own, it’s comforting to think that the future is in such capable hands.