Continent-trotter Verburg finds a home on Glass track team

David Verburg is a man on the move, in more ways than one.

The E.C. Glass senior indoor and outdoor track standout was born in Oklahoma but didn’t live there long. His family moved to Tennessee, Kentucky, Wyoming and back to Kentucky before arriving in Lynchburg last spring.

He was competing in the Nike Indoor National meet in Maryland last March when he and his parents met E.C. Glass coach Rodney Smith and informed him they were moving to town. His mother, Dr. Vicki Verburg, had accepted a job in Lynchburg General Hospital’s emergency room.

“He’s moved around so much,“ Smith said. “We were definitely excited about getting him here. He is a kid I wish was at Glass from his freshman year. He fit in right with us and has been rolling ever since.”

“I’ve been to three different high schools in three years,” Verburg added. “It hasn’t been a bad thing. Getting used to new places is not a big deal anymore. I’m able to make friends pretty fast.”

He was accepted right away by the Hilltoppers, who designated him their team captain this winter.

“As a new kid, it’s really nice that they respect me that much and expect me to be the captain,” Verburg said. “Especially the coaching staff. You would think that they might want to pick someone who’s been there all four years.”

This season, Verburg has emerged as one of the area’s fastest mid-range sprinters, along with Seminole District male athlete of the year Dakota Pellman of Heritage, and will be one of the favorites in the 500 meters at today’s Northwest Region Meet at Liberty University’s Tolsma Indoor Track Center.

He placed fourth in that event at the Jan. 24 Virginia Tech Invitational in a personal best and Group AAA state qualifying time of 1 minute, 5.85 seconds.

“Of the kids that beat him at Virginia Tech, 1 and 2 were from North Carolina (Anthony and Andrew Hendrix of New Bern, N.C.),” Smith said.

Zachary Vrhovac of Albemarle, the boys team favorite in today’s meet at LU, finished third in 1:04.82.

“He ran a smarter race than I did,” Verburg said. “He just kicked at a better time than I did and when I realized it, it was too late. I’m looking forward to the rematch.”

He is excited about the opportunity to run at LU, one of three Virginia schools recruiting him along with George Mason and Lynchburg College.

“I’ve run there enough times, at least I’ll know what to expect,” Verburg said. “I know what the track’s like. It should be a good home-field advantage. I think I should be able to edge him out. If not, it’s going to be really close between first and second.”

“(Vrhovac) is very good and Verburg is very determined,” Smith added. “He’s looking for a little bit of revenge. It’s going to come down to who wants it the most.”

After an injury slowed him down at the start of last spring’s outdoor season, Verburg didn’t get downcast, but kept a positive frame of mind and qualified for the Group AAA state meet in the 400, the event Smith shifted him to after starting out in the 100.

“The state meet in Virginia (at Christopher Newport) was incredibly hard,” Verburg said. “It was a good experience. The competition there was amazing.”

That motivated him to work even harder in the offseason, and he has stayed in the fast lane and continued to accelerate in indoor track.

Verburg also is seeded in the top eight in the 300 and will anchor the Hilltoppers’ 1,600 relay, following David Lundeen, Eugene Davis and Jermaine Waller.

“He’s been peaking at the right time,” Smith said. “The indoor season’s so long, you don’t want to peak so early that you’re not there at the end. I’m looking for him to put up his fastest time.”

“I want to keep training and keep PRing,” Verburg added, noting he tries to keep his teammates motivated by his example on the track. “I try to push it extra hard at practice (and) to set the standard for everybody else. I wouldn’t say I’m a role model (but) I stay positive on the track, not yelling. I give advice for other kids (and) cheer them on.”

After this month’s state meet at the Boo Williams Center in Hampton, Verburg and Smith will fly to Boston, with tickets paid for by his parents, for this year’s Nike Indoor National meet, where he has qualified in the 200 and 400, but plans to focus on the 400.

“My dad wanted to go, but he thought it would be more helpful if my coach was there, in case I needed some last-minute tips,” David Verburg said. “Hopefully, by the time I get to nationals, I’ll be in tip-top shape, running the fastest times of the year. I think I can make it to the finals.”

After college, Verburg would like to follow the footsteps of both his father, John, a professor who plans to teach at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg next fall, and coach Smith.

“I plan on majoring in college education with a minor in coaching,” said Verburg, who is currently getting college credit for a teaching class through Lynchburg College, serving as a teacher’s aid at Linkhorne Elementary. “I want to be a track coach.”