It’s fall, so many high school sports coaches are busy with their student athletes. Not every coach can say they’ve been at it for 25, 30, or even 40 years…but John Lober, Larry Nykerk and Jerry Stanek at Traverse City Central can.

“I so enjoy teenagers,” says Lober, the current track coach and former cross-country coach who’s been at this for 49 years in Traverse City -- and more than 50 if you include his tenures in Bellaire and Ohio. “Through track and field, I’ve been able to connect with hundreds of kids and families. It’s been such a joy for me.”

Nykerk and Stanek agree. “This is a chance to work with kids to try to make a difference, make an impact,” says Nykerk. He’s in the midst of his 50th year coaching tennis, giving him a one-year advantage on Lober, at least at TCAPS.

Stanek boasts only half that time at Central – only 25 years coaching – but his career as a downhill skiing coach also includes stints at TC West and at Suttons Bay.

The three have seen plenty of change during their tenures, from technology to Traverse City High School being divided into two schools. “One of the biggest (changes) was when the school split. That was a huge difference,” says Nykerk. “That was good and bad,” he says, noting that it allowed more students to participate, but also diluted the strength of the program’s competitive edge. “When we were one school, we were a force.”

The other big change for Nykerk was when the Michigan High School Athletic Association changed some sports’ seasons. “They put soccer and tennis at the same time for both boys and girls. Now they had to choose. It hurt both sports,” he says.

Obviously that was never a problem for skiing and Stanek, whose title is now interim head coach while the school searches for someone to take the program into future decades. “The goal is to find a young head coach that will look at it as a passion,” he says.

Stanek grew up as a ski racer and was a member of the Traverse City ski team himself. “In 1979 I called Lyn Salathiel (the program’s fourth head coach) to be a volunteer coach, and a couple years later Don Dunsmore and I took over. I’ve been coach on and off since then,” he says.

A glance at photos show quite a change since short 1970s shorts and wooden tennis rackets (Nykerk is pictured above at left with his 1979 team).

But undoubtedly the biggest changes have come in the ski world. “The equipment is so much different,” says Stanek. “You have shorter skis for slalom than giant slalom. Gates used to be made of bamboo, which would break. Today they’re plastic flex gates and are hinged. And the safety features, like helmets and faceguards – that’s great.”

He acknowledges that all those advances come at a price, however. “Ski equipment is very expensive.”

All three coaches boast plenty of conference, regional and state championships, but they prefer to talk about the students they’ve coached. Nykerk says taking overnight trips for gave him an opportunity to interact with students in a setting that classroom teachers seldom get. And his tenure means that some have become lifelong friends. “Those connections are huge in our lives. We still do things socially with some of the parents,” he says.

The three remain close with a number of their former athletes. Many of Nykerk’s former players now help out with his summer tennis program, which just concluded its 41st year. “Now former players bring their kids and they play as adults. That’s maybe the most satisfying thing,” he says.

The three agree that even after decades of work and competition and travel, they get just as much out of it. “I still love it. I enjoy coaching and being around kids,” says Lober. “It becomes so much a part of your life.” And with age comes wisdom. “I just turned 75 in March. I’m in the fourth quarter. As you get older, you get better at it.”