It was likely 1992 when I had my first Varsity Sports encounter, and I hadn’t run a mile other than once back in 1989 for tennis. I stumbled into Dream T-shirts, a screen printer located on Perkins Rd. across the street from Country Corner. A slight, grinning girl, Jane Swift, talked me through the first of thousands of shirts she printed for me. There were slinkys and puzzles on the desk, and a positivity in the air. It would always take me 30 mins to order shirts as I loved chatting with Jane. I didn’t know about any running, or any Jenni Peters or Dream Team running or anything. I was there for Meantree t-shirts, and bs-ing.
Fast forward to the fall of 2000. I was embarking on my first real running ever. Me of the 30+ lbs overweight. Me of the had just quit smoking a year or so prior. Me of the “manages restaurants and drinks too much.” I needed shoes, I heard there was a place called Varsity Sports. I went to get some shoes.
When I pulled up I noticed that Dream had relocated and shared a space with Varsity, or really, the opposite. Varsity had half of Dream’s space. I went in and hunted for Jane, I mean she had to be there, right?
She was, as were the slinkys and the puzzles. In one room was the braintrust for Dream, in another the art department and then Varsity proper. I got some shoes, said my farewells and went on my way.
Over the next few months I found myself popping in weekly, asking running questions, talking with the staff, learning, absorbing, and hanging out. I was new to the sport of triathlon and running and had a lot to ask.
It was during this period that I had started my own personal chef service and had some free time. Kristen Manske asked if I wanted to work. The pay wasn’t huge, but there was a discount and I was basically getting to hang out in the world I was absorbed with, as well as hanging with Jane and Joey and the rest of the Dream T-shirts crew. It was good work if you could get it. I think I was like employee 6 or 7. I ended up working there part time for the next couple years.
Over the next 20 years, Jenni, Kristen, and Jane have become great friends. They’ve supported my every endeavor and off the wall race idea, even when it bucked what was existing. They helped me become a running shoe rep and make the brand I worked for, the best in the territory. My mom invested in their New Orleans store, and I ran from the Mandeville store yesterday. It’s a part of who I am in the running community and a part of my running family. I still get a lot of t-shirts made, and spent 30 mins talking with Jane last week…
Hugs and high fives on 25 years!
Love y’all,
Patty (employe 7 or 7)
