A $1,000 scholarship grant went to Jazz Tomassetti, who was the youngest member of AIR when the club began six years ago. Jazz went on to become a key member of the FBHS cross-country team, recruiting other runners and raising awareness of the team among the student body. The boys’ team culminated its season this past year by earning a place in the state championship finals.

$500 scholarships were awarded to four other outstanding student-athletes, all of whom ran cross-country for FBHS:

Bradley Bunch, who has competed in every AIR race for the past 2 ½ years.

Landon Kovalick, Most Valuable Runner on this year’s boys’ team.

Christina Strasser, co-captain of the FBHS cross-country and track teams, who placed 17th at cross-country Regionals last fall.

And Stephanie Strasser, 2008 and 2009 Florida Times-Union Runner of the Year, who placed second in the 2009 state cross country-championships and will be running for the University of Florida.

The grants were presented at the FBHS senior class awards ceremony by Deborah Dunham, who chaired the club’s scholarship committee. This is the third year that AIR has presented scholarships to outstanding graduating high school seniors who were members of their high school cross country or track teams. The award funds are raised through AIR's three annual races, and the scholarships are intended both to recognize and reward outstanding runners, and to encourage other students to participate in cross-country and track.

All of the candidates submitted excellent essays as part of their scholarship applications. Here are excerpts:

Jazz: “I clearly remember the day I became passionate about running. I was 12 years old and I was sitting in a folding chair at the Atlantic Recreation Center. The room was filled with adults to the point where more chairs had to be brought in. The chatter of running jargon was overwhelming. Finally, the room became quiet and the meeting began.

“Each person stood up, gave a self-introduction and said the reason for being at the meeting. Too soon it was my turn. I remember looking up at my dad nervously when I was asked, "Why are you here?" I replied, "I want to become a better runner." My response surprised many people because not many children my age have the determination and discipline to run. That meeting of the Amelia Island Runners Club fueled my desire to run better, and that would affect my life immensely.

“As with everything in life, we never know what we will be passionate about. Luckily when I was young my dad realized that I really enjoyed running. He brought me to the first AIR meeting in hopes that the experienced runners at the club would teach me how to run better. I didn't just learn how to run better, I also learned what it means to be a runner.”

Stephanie: “Running has taught me to realize what it is like to truly push yourself to the edge of your own physical, mental, emotional threshold.” It has also “taught me the value of hard work, dedication, and resilience with a ‘never-back-down’ attitude that has come to be very useful in overcoming the adversities of everyday life.”

“Running is not just a thing I do to stay in shape or do with a friend to catch up on a Sunday afternoon, it is my lifestyle that has made me the person I am today.”

Christina: “I decided to give up soccer and focus on real running: distance running. From this decision, I not only became a much more healthy young woman, but I developed a sense of hard work and discipline that allowed me to become the successful woman that I am today. Running gave me focus and meaing through the often hard and confusing years of high school, and I really cannot imagine what my life would have been like without it. I met some of the best friends of my life, experienced team and individual success, shared a common interest with my siblings, and kept myself focused on what is truly important.”

Bradley: “Running has helped me mentally and physically. It gives me a time to be at peace with myself and to just think about life. Nothing is better than those hour-long runs on the weekend where you just have time to reflect on all that has happened during the week. On those bad days it gives me the time to cool down and think positively, not worrying about the past.

“Of course there are those times when you get incredibly sore, but that just makes you stronger by being able to push through the pain. I have made a lot of friends through running; from the people at AIR (the local races), and teams at school, I have met people I have come to love and will never forget. My only regret is that I wish I would have started sooner, but with no doubt I will continue running for the rest of my life, and will compete in every race hosted by AIR!

Landon: “Running means so much more to me than ribbons, fast times, or even the races themselves. In fact, I like to think of my legs as my sixth sense because without them my world would not be complete, and without running I would not have become the person I am today. Thus, I have written this poem to symbolize the importance of running in my life and to essentially thank running for giving me the opportunity to meet great people and experience great things and for teaching more about life and myself than anything else ever could.