Resources - Race Walking Club Contacts

Parkside Athletic Club - Race Walking Page

The PAC mission is to promote racewalking for competition and fitness.

Because racewalking is a U.S. Track and Field sport with competitors attempting to set Masters' time records in various distances and age groups or college and open competitors working to qualify for national and international competition, race organization, promotion, and participation is crucial. In addition to members working to improve their own fitness level or competition performance, members also get involved at the level they can in supporting racewalk competitions.

Sometimes members choose to help at college and open competitions by serving as lap counters, recording split times, manning the water station or other volunteer efforts. Many members also compete in local, regional, or national events to strengthen the sport of racewalking, ensuring racewalks continue to be held.

PAC members are active in regional and national USATF organizations and in efforts to encourage people of all ages to participate in the sport of racewalking.

Parkside Athletic Club Weekly Workouts

PAC holds year-round workouts Wednesday evenings. While there are slight seasonal differences, workouts generally get started around 6:30 p.m. A $10 coaching/program support fee is charged each session. Depending on the facility used, there may also be a small facility charge (see below).

 

April-October: The PAC works out at or near the University of Wisconsin-Parkside campus. Exact location varies--call to verify before coming out to your first workout UWP can be found 5 miles east of I-94; exit at Kenosha's Highway "E" and travel east. Turn left at county highway "JR".

• Outdoor track: When you turn onto JR, the athletic building and parking lot is directly on your right. Turn in and park. The track is east of the parking lot--walk down the hill, past the tennis courts.
• Petrifying Springs Park Volleyball Pit: If you continue along JR, past the athletic buildings and down the hill, JR will swerve left. Follow JR past a small parking lot to a main entrance to Petrifying Springs County Park. Follow the park road past two main parking areas until you see the volleyball net on your right. Park in the lot.
• Comm Arts Parking Lot: Generally during the month of October, it becomes too dark to conduct workouts in the above locations so we switch to the parking lot. As you take JR past the athletic buildings and down the hill, turn right onto "Outer Loop Road". Turn right into the first drive to the parking lot and head to the far right corner.

November-March: PAC holds most of its winter workouts at the Pettit National Ice Center near Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis. The Center is located on South 84th Street about four blocks north of Greenfield Avenue. Or you can exit I-94 at 84th Street and travel south about a block.

Coach Mike DeWitt

Mike De Witt is the PAC Coach and Mentor. Since the mid '80s Coach has helped well over 100 Master racewalkers and runners improve their fitness, motivation, as well as their outlook on life. Along with becoming more fit, many PAC walkers have won National Master Championships and set National Age Group Records.

Not only does Coach work with the Master Athletes of the PAC, but he has been the Race walking Coach and Women's Track and Cross Country Coach at UW Parkside since 1981. He was also the first racewalker at UWP, competing in his first race in 1970 and earning All American in 1972. In '72, he also competed in the Olympic Trials at 20km. Coach also competed in the 1984, 1988, and 1992 Olympic Trials, placing in the Top 10 three times, competing at the 50km distance. He cites his greatest race as the World Cup in 1989, in Spain, where he walked his personal best of 4:22:23 placing 54th out of 133 starters in the event.

At UW-Parkside, Coach has been able to guide 5 walkers to the Olympic Games, including Jim Heiring (3 times), Michelle Rohl (3 times), Deb Lawerence (3 times), Andy Kaestner and Tim Seaman, once each. He has coached over 50 college All American Race Walkers, and more than 25 of his walkers have earned qualifying times for the Olympic Trials. 6 different UWP walkers have set USA Records at the Senior or Junior level.

Along with coaching the PAC and UWP teams, Coach is a full time elementary school teacher, currently teaching 5th grade in Racine, WI. He began his teaching career in 1974.