bonnie frankel - Bonnie Frankel

Colleges: At 51, Frankel puts a positive spin on Loyola Marymount’s cross-country program.

Bonnie Frankel is not your ordinary college coach, and she is proud of it. Just listen to runners she has coached at Loyola Marymount the last two seasons:

“I was ready to quit running because I felt burned out when I first met Bonnie,” said assistant coach Chuck Hernandez, who ran for Frankel last season. “But she really encouraged me and I turned around and set a [personal record] by over two minutes.”

Said freshman Lysandra Sapp: “She not only trains you but she tunes in on your mental aspect as well. She is able to key into your problems. She is just tremendous.”

Said freshman Malinalli Martinez: “Bonnie is so hyper with so much energy. She’s the reason why I decided to run here despite the fact Loyola does not have a track team.”

Continue reading “Coach Runs to Tune of Different Drummer”

Bonnie Frankel has a cold, an “emotional cold,” she thinks, from watching herself become a heroic symbol, so she probably won’t jump into the swimming pool until tomorrow at the earliest. Joan of Arc was burned for following her inner voice, so Frankel, who is not put off by the comparison, is willing to wait a few more days to get wet.

Bonnie Frankel is a 48-year-old senior at Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles. She was unable to compete on the varsity track team because she had originally enrolled in college in 1962. Under National Collegiate Athletic Association rules, the five-year period of eligibility at Division I schools begins the first day of enrollment. Bonnie had dropped out of school in 1963, but by 1967 she was out of luck anyway.

Continue reading “Colleges; Its Good Deeds Aside, N.C.A.A. Is a Culprit”