Jerry LeVasseur is one of the toughest guys on campus, according to Cross Country Head Coach Peter Slovenski.
At 78 years old, LeVasseur is a volunteer coach with the cross country and track and field teams and still competes frequently in road races and senior games at regional, national and international levels.
“[LeVasseur] would run a road race on a Saturday, then drive somewhere else and be in another road race on a Saturday afternoon and then wake up and be in a road race on Sunday,” said Slovenski. “He’s just such an enthusiastic competitor and the students have been both impressed by what he does and they’ve learned from what he does.”
Often seen taking pictures of the team at practices and meets, LeVasseur is an integral member of the coaching staff and an unfailing source of positivity and inspiration for the team—for his present accomplishments and past struggles.
When LeVasseur was six years old, he and his mother were caught in the Barnum and Bailey Circus Fire, one of the worst fire disasters in United States history.
The circus tent had been waterproofed with a highly flammable mixture of paraffin and gasoline and the whole tent burned to the ground in ten minutes. One-hundred-sixty-eight people perished, including LeVasseur’s mother, and more than 700 were injured.
LeVasseur came out of the fire alive but in critical condition with severe burns on his upper body, head and arms. He lost half of his right index finger and the rest of his fingertips.
While in the hospital, LeVasseur recalled hearing someone say, “I don’t think he’s going to make it,” and he thought to himself, “Yes, I am.”
From that moment on, LeVasseur has continued to demonstrate immense resilience and determination, not allowing physical and emotional trauma to deter him from his passions.
According to the National Senior Games Association, the doctors who treated his burns said he wouldn’t be able to do anything with his hands, as many of his fingers were fused together. After three years of plastic surgery procedures followed by extensive physical therapy, LeVasseur proved his doctors wrong and regained almost complete ability.
As a high school student, LeVasseur played softball, basketball and football, and was captain of his basketball and football teams his senior year.
“Nothing stopped me,” said LeVasseur. “My upper body was badly burned and maybe it drove me a little bit more. I played softball for years and I’d put a glove on my right hand and take it off to throw.”
LeVasseur continued with these sports until he was 30 and looked to running to stay fit when he stopped playing football and basketball. At 35, LeVasseur and his family began training huskies and competing in dog sled races, winning 11 championships in his 29-year career. It wasn’t until he was 41 that he began competing in running and other track and field events, including the triple jump and his favorite, steeplechase. According to LeVasseur, having a variety of interests helps him be comfortable with change, especially as he gets older.
“I’ve seen people driven by running, but that’s all they did and when they started getting slower, they couldn’t handle it. You have to accept that. You have to do other things. You have to have a well-rounded life,” said LeVasseur. “You accept that you age. We all have that disease and you aren’t going to be able to do the things that you used to at one time although you’d like to. But if you stay fit, you’re going to be able to do them longer and be happier.”
LeVasseur has also dedicated his time to inspiring people to stay fit by serving on the Maine, Connecticut and National Senior Games boards, as well as serving as president of a number of running clubs.
“I got involved because I wanted to make sure the right thing is done for the athlete,” said LeVasseur. “It’s all about what the organization is for, and sometimes people lose sight of that, whether it’s egos or power or whatever. You’ve got to maintain why you’re here: it’s the athlete.”
Although LeVasseur describes himself as competitive, he is also deeply committed to furthering the sport and encouraging other athletes. He is known to help and coach other competitors even during competitions.
“It’s more satisfying to help someone do their best than one’s own accomplishments,” said LeVasseur. “There was a fellow I met from Czech Republic who didn’t speak English and he was going to do the steeplechase for the first time. So before we started, I showed him how to go over the barriers safely, stepping on them and so forth, and he ended up getting third place. I was fifth and he came over, gave me a big hug and what that results in is a friendship.”
A passion to help and share his wealth of knowledge brought LeVasseur to Slovenski’s office in 2004.
“[LeVasseur] understands how to have a great attitude in the face of adversity, and that came through very much in our first conversation and in his first assignments,” said Slovenski. “From his work ethic, his intelligence, his attitude, the way he hustles in any assignment, the way he’s positive about every situation, he has an amazing can-do attitude and he can do it all.”
Yet, as a volunteer coach, LeVasseur feels he has also benefited from and learned a lot through his time here.
“From coaching, I’ve gotten the satisfaction of helping people do better, but also maintaining my fitness,” said LeVasseur. “When I’m working with them, I don’t feel 78 years old; I feel like one of them.”
Fitness is an integral part of LeVasseur’s life and he encourages others to focus on incorporating exercise into their lives as well.
“Since I was 71 or 72 I’ve gone through four cancers and the reason I’m still alive today, I believe, is because I’m fit,” said LeVasseur. “I try to get that across to the athletes here because you don’t have to do the intensity you’re doing, but continue doing something. You’ll feel so much better about your life, your work and everything will be so much easier because you’re fit.”
LeVasseur’s accomplishments have earned him many honors and awards in addition to World Masters Champion titles. LeVasseur ran with the Salt Lake City Olympic torch and the National Senior Games torch, and was inducted into the Maine Running Hall of Fame and the New England 65+ Running Hall of Fame.
“My wife and I were both put into the Maine Senior Games Hall of Fame, which was special,” said LeVasseur. “She’s a swimmer and she took up the triple jump maybe five or six years ago. She’s reigning champion from the Games in Sydney seven years ago and Italy three years ago, so hopefully she can do it again next year.”
In addition to continuing to work with the Bowdoin teams, LeVasseur looks forward to competing in the National Senior Games in Birmingham, Alabama and the World Masters Games in Auckland, New Zealand next year.