Running rivalry hits close to home: Rupe brothers find success

By Jon Moffett

Maplewood and McDonald have benefited from the friendly competition.

YOUNGSTOWN – The Cleveland Browns battle the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday night, but there is another rivalry with roots closer to Youngstown.

Ted Rupe and his brother, Chris, both coach cross country programs at area high schools. Ted coaches Maplewood and Chris leads McDonald. The brothers are responsible for two of the better cross country programs in the area.

“It’s been a nice competition between the two of us,” Ted said, “and I think that we both would agree that our programs are better because of each other and not in spite of each other.”

Chris added, “it’s definitely been a lot of fun. I think both teams have certainly seen a lot of excellent running come … over the years. It’s fun to watch that.”

Ted is seven years older and is the main reason Chris got into the sport.

“He was my early mentor in running, as well as in coaching,” Chris said. “He got me going in the whole running thing, and I have him to thank for getting me out here in the whole thing in the first place.”

Both brothers ran cross country at Maplewood. Ted’s team won a state championship during his tenure while Chris’s team was a state runner-up. Their personal success motivates them to have successful teams. Ted said the individual element is what makes the sport exciting.

“I think it’s a great sport because I think it gives the kids a chance to perform individually and on a team,” Ted said. “If you don’t have a team, you can do well individually, and you see a lot of kids out here that do that, and a lot of kids with team support do well with that, so it gives you a lot of options.”

Programs like Maplewood and McDonald have seen success recently, but Chris also sees an alarming drop in the sport.

“In our sport, as sad as it is to say it, there are teams who seem to be getting out more runners, having big numbers and having their runners do really well, and then there are schools where it just seems to be fading away as a sport, and that breaks my heart because I just have a love for it as a sport and a love for what it puts into the runners as people.”

From 1999-2004, Chris’ Blue Devils finished first or second in the state in Div. III every year. They placed second last season.

Ted, meanwhile, led the Rockets to four state titles from 1997-2005 and took second two other times.

Despite the rivalry between the schools, the Rupe brothers keep their own competition friendly.

“I think we support each other a great deal,” Ted said. “We get very competitive, and when it comes down to the meets where we need to be competitive, we’re very competitive. But I’m out there cheering for his guys, he’s out there cheering for my guys, and I think both teams pull for each other.”

The elder Rupe also added that rivals don’t have to be enemies.

“I think that’s a part of competition that we don’t always learn. You can go in there and compete against somebody as hard as you can, but as soon as you walk away you can shake their hand and still be best friends.”

Though Ted may have gotten the best of Chris in the past, both brothers acknowledged Chris would win in a race between them today.

“Those seven years I have on him have taken their toll,” Ted said. “Seven years ago it may have been a different story, but not now. There’s no question.”

Chris added, “I wish I could say that it would be close, because I wish he was still able to run the way he used to, I wish we both could ... there’s a lot of miles on our legs, and it’s taken its toll over the years.”

jmoffett@vindy.com