Thurston County Track and Field History: The Legacy of Modris Petersons

Modris Petersons with one of his star summer athletes, Patsy Walker-Pointer in her high school years. Patsy won the state high school track and field championship by herself for her high school team and went on to win the collegiate national championship in the Heptathlon. She once finished ahead of Jackie Joyner-Kersee the Olympic Heptathlon Champion and World Record Holder.

Every generation has its unsung heroes. Often, it takes many decades to appreciate the impact of individuals who have profoundly influenced others' lives. While these individuals may not receive the recognition they deserve during their time, their long-term influence becomes evident as we reflect on the past.

I remember those sunny summer nights from over 50 years ago when we were teenagers involved in our summer track program. We had one of the best track and field programs in the State of Washington and even the nation, largely due to the influence of several dedicated coaches.

Although we didn’t fully grasp their impact at the time, names like Bill Collins and Dennis McDonald and the one I want to focus on today—Modris Petersons—stand out in my mind.

Now, it’s important to note that Coach Modris Petersons was not my coach. I specialized in mid-distance running and was trained by another talented but often overlooked coach, Bill Collins. I will share his story one day. However, today is dedicated to a man whom I, along with many others, admired from afar: Mr. Modris Petersons.

Coach Petersons was responsible for coaching the sprints, jumps, hurdles, and the Heptathlon, referred to as the pentathlon in the 1970s.

I watched in awe as Coach Peterson trained his daughter, Astrid Peterson, along with Patsy Walker-Pointer and other athletes during their high school years in the summer months. Patsy was on her way to becoming the Heptathlon high school champion in Washington State and the collegiate national champion. She once finished ahead of Olympic gold medalist and world record holder Jackie Joyner-Kersee and was also an alternate for the Olympic team.

One of our local track and field heroes and a friend of mine, Dwight Midles, recalls watching and admiring Coach Peterson during the summer months over 50 years ago, just as I did. Dwight was a top seven finisher at the USA Olympic Trials in the hammer throw and placed fourth in the NCAA Division I Championship for Washington State University, earning All-American honors.

Dwight shared with me that his coaching style truly stood out when he saw Coach Petersons frequently at Timberline High School. It seemed like Coach Petersons had a vision for the future and understood what it took to propel athletes toward greatness. His methods were unique and remarkable, and his belief in his athletes remained steadfast.

Coach Petersons Background Before Coaching in Thurston County

Understanding even a small part of someone else's history can provide insight into why they have significantly impacted others as coaches. I would like to highlight a few key points from Coach Peterson's life story and discuss in more depth how his knowledge impacted his coaching in Thurston County, where I live.

Coach Petersons story in our county began in the late 1950s when he was an athlete competing in a major track and field event known as the Olympia Games. The Olympia Games featured high school, collegiate, and open athletes in the State of Washington during the 1950s and 1960s in a large style AAU meet.

Modris Petersons was a remarkable athlete in his time. He held the Pacific Northwest record in the 440-yard hurdles, now known as the 400-meter hurdles. He was mentioned in "The Northwest Athlete," a prestigious track and field magazine of that era.   

The Northwest Athlete magazine highlighted outstanding athletes from the Northwest, including Oregon Olympian and legendary University of Oregon coach Bill Dellinger, who won a bronze medal in the 5000 meters at the Olympics. Additionally, it featured stories about the incredible sub-four-minute milers from Oregon, such as Jim Grelle and Dyrol Burleson.

It was quite an honor for Coach Petersons to be mentioned as the Pacific Northwest record holder in the same era as Bill Dellinger and others. Dellinger held Pacific Northwest records around the same time. Petersons was mentioned many times in the Northwest Athlete Publication.

Even while competing as an athlete, Modris began attaining coaching experience in his track and field club, the Seattle Olympic Club. The Seattle Olympic Club existed well before Club Northwest, a tremendous long-time running and track and field club in our area.

Coaching and competing were no easy tasks, yet this selfless man did both. His coaching foundation was laid in Seattle before he moved later to Thurston County to work and coach.

This tiny slice of Coach Peterson's history gives some background as to why he was such a great coach for the Thurston County Striders in the 1970s. He was a great athlete and started coaching long before moving to our county. Our Thurston County Striders team benefitted greatly from Coach Petersons background and presence. You can read more about the Thurston County Striders' history here: Dennis McDonald Left A Legacy To The Thurston County Community.

Impact With the Thurston County Striders

Patsy Walker (Pointer now) has high praise for Coach Petersons and how he helped her in his role with the Thurston County Striders. She attributes some of her early success to his coaching. He was a people person who connected easily with the youth of our era.

Coach Peterson also helped many of our era's sprinters, hurdlers, and field event athletes, including Janet Henrich-Knight, who won the regional Junior Olympic title in the 400 meters.

In the 1970’s, the 400-meter hurdles were not a Junior Olympic event, or Janet would have likely done well at nationals. Janet married Jon Knight, the highly successful and now retired North Central High School Cross-Country and Track and Field coach.                                                         

Julie Shattuck, another athlete from the Thurston County Striders and a former athlete of Coach Peterson during that time, ultimately went on to high jump for Washington State University. During our summer track seasons, he also coached his daughter, Astrid Peterson. Many other athletes from the area also benefited from his guidance.

I can still picture Coach Peterson coaching the sprinters and hurdlers as they practiced using makeshift cardboard hurdles. He was committed to preventing injuries among his athletes, so he developed his own unique training tools and techniques for hurdling. He calmly and patiently explained the training methods, demonstrating professionalism throughout. He was an excellent teacher and coach on the field.

Coach Peterson left us far too soon. He passed away in his 50s, but his memory and impact still resonate with many of us today. He was an amazing coach and even better person.

Final Words

Coach Peterson’s legacy lives on through the many lives he touched. I will never forget those warm summer nights when he and others dedicated their time each week to helping us pursue our dreams and goals. His selfless help made us all better athletes and people.

I know I speak for others of that era when I say, Thank you, Coach Petersons, for your care and love of others.

Your reward is in heaven.

Blessings,

Coach Weber

Philippians 4:13                                                                               

Many thanks to Sally McMillan who provided some past history of Modris Petersons accomplishments. 

                       A story about Modris and his wide Herta in The Olympian.

Modris Peterson was mentioned in the Northwest Athlete Magazine as the Pacific Northwest Record Holder in the 440-yard hurdles with other Pacific Northwest Record Holders at the time including running legend Bill Dellinger. Modris also was a great decathlete.

                       There is more about Modris at the end of the page.

Coach Petersons was also indirectly connected to some Olympia Sports Legends in Thurston County through his participation in the Olympia Track and Field Games as an athlete, including Chick Rockey (Olympia High Gym is named after him), Art Acuff (Saint Martins’ College local coach and athletic director legend), and George Morris, a well-known football and track and field coach from Olympia High School, through his association with the Olympia Games. All were involved at some level in the organization of the Olympia Games. Coach Petersons competed in our area long before moving to our county to coach.

The Olympia Track and Field Games were a large AAU Track and Field Meet held in Thurston County back in the day.