New cross county uniforms honor memory of former Comets

By John Burbridge | sports@charlescitypress.com

CHARLES CITY — They gathered around Ryan Rahmiller’s truck like kids around Santa’s sleigh.

But this wasn’t Xmas, this was Xcountry. And the Charles City boys team was anxious to see if its new uniforms were stylized for speed.

The colors were somewhat expected. An orange base somewhere between blazing and burnt with black and white script. There was something else … a thin black band wrapped around the right shoulder strap with tandem initials “TJ/TS”.

“We going to display these (bands) at every meet,” said Rahmiller, the team’s head coach. “They’re in memory of two runners who’ve done a lot for this program.”

The initials represent Thomas John “TJ” Houdek and Trent Allen Smith, two former Comet cross country teammates who died in automobile accidents this summer that occurred less than a month apart from one another.

Both were 23 years old.

“Several students who I had taught have passed away, but since I’ve been coaching I’ve never experienced the loss of any of my former athletes,” Rahmiller said. “It’s been a sad summer for us.”

Houdek died on July 17 when his motorcycle collided with a semi-truck while crossing the now infamous Floyd County Intersection.

“He ran for us for two years,” Rahmiller said of Houdek, who was an Iowa State student studying dairy science. “He didn’t always run varsity, but he came to every practice and he always brought a smile to the team.

“He really represented what cross country is all about. You may not be the fastest runner on the team, but you share the same pain with everyone else. TJ always gave it his all, and that meant a lot to the team.”

On Aug. 9 near Rudd, Smith died in another accident involving a truck. An aspiring artist, Smith’s work was due to be on display at Art-a-Fest less than two weeks later.

“One thing that Trent did was help bridge that gap from the Isaac Wendland era until we were a state contender again,” Rahmiller said.

With three consecutive individual state titles from 2005-2007, Wendland helped the Comets thrice finish third as a team throughout that span. Smith placed eighth as an individual at state in 2010 and helped the Comets place 11th as a team in 2009.

“Trent helped us continue that competitive culture and set an example for the younger runners,” Rahmiller said. “After he finished every race, he would shake hands with his competitors and encourage the remaining runners on their way to finishing the race.

“He was a great role model.”

While the Comets returned as a top-three state finishing team after his graduation, Smith went on to become a two-time U.S. Citizen All-American cross country runner at Northern Iowa Area Community College, where he holds the school’s indoor track record in the 3,000-meter run.

The Comets boys and girls team will open their season today with the Charles City Invitational at Wildwood Municipal Golf Course. It is due to be the first CC Invite to be held at Wildwood — last year’s race was canceled due to excessive heat.

“It’s supposed to be 74 with a low of around 50,” Rahmiller said. “I’m going to hold Mother Nature accountable in sticking to that forecast.”

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