ROUNDING THE BEND

When Max Kleve entered track and field in seventh grade, at the behest of his journalism teacher Amber Schroetlin, the sport did not place high on his list of priorities; at the time, he considered it something to dabble in, before exiting its arenas of hurdles and sand, and packing up for the road to college. Five years later, and now a senior at Holyoke High School, his life has taken a different turn: He is set to become the first sprinter at Fort Lewis College’s indoor track program in Durango, Colorado.

“It’s surreal,” he said. “I’m so blessed to receive the opportunity.”

He began track as a long-distance runner, which, according to Kleve, “is way different than what I do now.” Upon reaching high school, however, former Holyoke Coach Corey Koberstein noticed his potential in a different direction and told the distance coach, “I was going to take him for the day.” Then, Koberstein added, “He ended up beating everybody.”

Though Kleve continued to favor long distance, Koberstein said, he kept pulling the freshman to his side of the field, eventually proving to Kleve his own abilities at shorter distances. This adjustment, Kleve said, would prove to grow his “love for the sport.”

“He saw in me what I didn’t see in myself,” Kleve said. “He saw a sprinter.”

The idea to “go some more distance” in his running career began in June 2021, when – as a sophomore for Holyoke’s Dragons – he finished third at the 2A state track championships in the 100-meter dash. He also managed to place eighth in the 200. For the first time, he began to reach out to recruiters.

Fort Lewis College, meanwhile, found him in its search for runners to head its Skyhawk team’s indoor push. Kali Barber, assistant athletic director for the college, said her institution aims to “graduate champions” both on the field and in the classroom. The college awarded Kleve scholarships both for his accomplishments in sports and academics.

According to Barber, the Skyhawks’ Head Track and Field Coach Shawn Jakubowski brings in “fantastic student athletes” and she remains optimistic for the program.

“For the future, it’s just going to go up from here,” she said. “We’re excited that Max has decided to join the team.”

Having gained his current goal, “college,” Kleve said he wants to “work hard and see where it takes me.” He intends to become a history teacher, then earn a master’s degree to pursue the job of school counselor. In addition, he said, Fort Lewis has a “great coaching minor,” one he plans to earn and utilize to become a track and field coach.

Dani Jablonksi, who serves as one of Kleve’s track and field coaches in Holyoke, was not surprised when he attained a spot at Fort Lewis, calling him “one of the best leaders we have at the school.” In track, she said, a leader compels fellow team members to show up every day, put in the work and further their skills. This encouragement continues, she noted, even when other members are not feeling their best or competing to their potential. Both she and Barber agreed leadership on the field could easily translate to leadership in other walks of life.

“He just has that charisma about him, that natural leadership that comes so frequently,” Jablonksi said. “He’s a big motivator, he’s a big encouragement for the whole team.”

During his junior year at the third game of football season, Kleve experienced a setback when he tore an anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL, at the center of his knee. Recovery would take nine months, directed via physical therapy by Holyoke High School graduate Dr. Justin Neuman, an orthopedic surgeon. To get Kleve back into running shape, Neuman designed a program specifically for him, allowing Kleve to remain in town for his treatment.

“It started off no weight-bearing for six weeks, just some bending…to get the range of motion back,” Kleve said. “Once that happened, I started immediately into weight training. Not super heavy, but getting the resistance in.”

Building from there to his current form, he said, proved difficult, but he is “grateful to have done it.” While he did not have “much of a track season” for 2022, only competing in the last two meets, he managed to help Holyoke’s 4x100-meter relay team qualify for state.

Sprinting, Kleve said, involves a “never-ending” cycle of training, both on- and off-season, if one wants top the competition: that, and commitment.

“Max is a hard worker and a dedicated worker,” Koberstein said. “He put a lot of work in to make himself where he is today.”

More information on Fort Lewis College may be found at www.fortlewis.edu.