UTF

Sorry to all for the radio silence. This is Eric Evans. Most of you know I am the primary contributor to the UTF page. Since my dad passed I have not had time to join the meets or publish any content. The email thread below is from a group I manage called Friday Night Tennis. Some of you also know that in addition to my love for Track and Field and all of you. I have deep love for tennis and my tennis family. The thread talks about one of the FNT nights and my father and your track friend Jef Evans' Celebration of life ceremony. I hope to see you all on the track by the end of the season.

Hi all,

This week at Pride FNT was beyond expectations! We had a total of 20 athletes attending, and along with perfect conditions of 70º sun/clouds and dry air, there was that beginning of summer glow that people can have here when what we have been waiting for all winter has arrived. That thing that Northeastern US people always say about not being able to live somewhere that doesn’t have seasons has a ring of truth for me. My sister lives in the Bay Area of California, and it almost never has oppressively hot or numbingly cold temps. It is mid-70s a lot of the time. It is also a bit of a Groundhog Day situation with one day blurring into the next. It is tough to remember a life event by the weather in places like this. “Oh yeah, I skinned my knee really badly, and I remember because we had that big snowstorm and lost power for three days” is not something you would say there. I think that is why in Maine we can savor this special short time of year a bit more than in some places. I love traveling and going to new places, and part of that excitement is coming back to Maine and remembering why I have come to love it so much. This past Friday felt a little bit special, and people seemed to be extra patient with themselves and others, and perhaps I am projecting, but an ease about them that reflects the beauty of this time of year.

My father Jef Evans’ life celebration was on Saturday, and my siblings were in charge of the whole thing. I am so appreciative of this as I am very busy with work right now. I am also too tapped out mentally and emotionally to have been one of the chief architects of the festivities. I don’t mean that I don’t have anymore to give or to say or even spend time in thought about my father and his passing; I have plenty of space for that. I just am too worn out for the logistics of something like that. We thought that we might get 20 - 25 people at the celebration, which was held in Daggett Lounge at Bowdoin College. The venue and staff were amazing to work with, and we ended up with 45 - 55 people coming to express their love and admiration for Jef. The amount of people that testified to a life-changing experience from my father’s openness and kindness was frankly far beyond my knowledge or expectation. I did not speak because although I can take the embarrassment of crying in public, it would not be a momentary event, and I would have no way to pass on my thoughts and feelings to others. My siblings, along with my nephew, cousin, and a few special colleagues and friends, did, however. I was mesmerized by not only the content of these speakers’ words but the delivery was as if they had been practicing with a professional writing staff work on these for weeks. I got up after my nephew Liam (17) spoke just to tell folks that we had a buffet and hoped people would stay and swap stories for a while. I was still crying from all these amazing sentiments that were expressed and kind of was able to convey my requested 12 words with only a little clarification needed from my sister. Along with FNT, I have a second family of athletes from the Corporate Track and Field world where my father was a standout runner with many records both for Unum (our team) and MECTA (the governing body of our league). Jef and I spent many hours competing together in Maine at MECTA and around the country at USCAA (United States Corporate Athletics Association) National Track meets. I knew one of my friends from UTF (Unum Track and Field) was going to be able to make it, but 4 ended up showing up, which touched me deeply. With family in town from around the country, we decided to go to Brunswick High School and run or walk a few laps in Jef’s honor. I brought a small polished stone with my father’s initials with me that was part of the ceremony and that I will keep on my desk here where I write all these communications. At the ceremony, everyone that wanted one was given one of these stones, and we had a moment of silence in which you could hold the stone and think of a good memory you had with Jef and take the stone with you. I cannot tell you how much I love this. My cousin Randy was the one who suggested this trip to the track to honor Dad, and I was so in agreement. Randy brought doughnuts as a pre-workout carb load, and many were caffeine loading as well. I have not run on a track since last year, and with all that happened caring for Jef before he passed away, I have had no time to train for the 25 UTF season or indeed to attend any meet yet. However, as I made each corner of the first 400 meters, I felt excited to be back out there and held on to that stone and thought of some of the amazing times we had running together. After I recovered a bit from the 400, I decided to run a 1200 to complete the metric mile, which Randy did in one continuous run. The support of everyone in my life, including FNT friends, UTF friends, MNT friends, family, and countless others, reaffirms my belief in the world at a time that has me scratching my head more than most.

Love you Dad ❤️

I am sorry to let you know that one of MECTA's and UTF's finest athletes and people Jef Evans has passed away. My father was (this is Eric Evans) pretty well universally loved and respected by people from all parts of his life. Jef passed away May 3rd of cancer and Alzheimer's disease. Although he struggled with the realities of dementia, he was amazingly resilient in his positive outlook and his never give up perspective. Although the cancer was pervasive he did not go through a prolonged suffering. One of the strongest concepts that jef held onto all the way through his passing was creating "a lifting". As his ability to communicate concepts dwindled he worked with his speech pathologist to find new ways to get his message out. "Lifting" became his new mantra. Jef was a great runner in High School and College. He told me once he was the slowest runner on his team at Stanford, but what he failed to mention was that several of those students were some of the best his division had to offer with at least one going on to the olympics. After he graduated college and went on to get a masters degree and he became a teacher of mathematics and a track coach. He coached for at least a decade before going for his P.H.D in psychology. I never ran in school or at all until my early 30's when my dad asked me to run some road races with him. I did this for a bit but my passion was tennis. When I was suffering from severe tennis elbow, I quit tennis and joined UTF. Being part of the MECTA community and specifically UTF has informed my life in ways I can't begin to communicate. So many beautiful people with so much good intention and passion. People who are unsure of themselves to the point of real discomfort, overcoming those fears, and proving they can do it, and that the risk is worth the reward. I partially owe this to my Dad for encouraging me run those road races. Jef had an amazing way with people which everyone seems to respond to. Almost to a person people feel like they had a connection to him that others couldn't possibly have. I was lucky to spend so much time with my father competing, relaxing, working, adventuring, eating, and "Lifting" as often as I can with the support of my community. Some of Jef's final words were "that's wonderful, Thank you very much that is so kind, and that is lovely"

You may notice that Jaylen White, who is one of our youngest and fastest runners understands the value of restoration when available. It's not just the old guard. Victor, Tricia, and Lisa are also relaxing between events. GO UTF!

Mike Martin getting a few minutes rest between events. Just as important as getting amped up for competition is staying centered and resting when it's available. Mike has been not only a great athlete for UTF for over 20 years, but also a mentor for dozens of our younger athletes.