Isaac Frazier’s life has always been about getting over obstacles.

He is a star 110-meter hurdler, high jumper and even clears the bar in the pole vault. A standout track and field athlete since middle school, Frazier’s long legs mixed with a sizable vertical leap make him the ultimate combination of speed and agility.

But five years ago in March, as Frazier was finishing up his junior year of high school, he was faced with the most difficult obstacle of his life.

His mother, Cheryl, who had been battling breast cancer for months, died.

“It was so hard,” Frazier said. “But I’m a Christian, so I know that I’ll see her again one day.”

After losing his mother in high school, Frazier has overcome adversity to become one of the most prolific two-sport collegiate athletes in the state of Iowa. As a star defensive end for the Simpson College football team, Frazier was named to the All-Iowa Conference first team in 2015 as a junior. He’s also a decathlete on the Storm track and field team, reaching the Division III National Championship last season.

Frazier said after losing his mom his father, Maurice, was always there for the family. Maurice wanted Isaac and his two siblings, Elijah, 19, and Olivia, 18, to grow up strong and happy, so he made sure to keep a sense of normalcy around the house.

The family stayed in the same home, kept involved in its small local community and continued to participate in their sporting and musical activities.

“I always hated the fact that they didn’t have both parents in their life, at musical events or competitions,” Maurice said. “I just tried to make sure that (the kids) were really supported no matter what.”

Simpson College is about two and a half hours from the Frazier family home, but Maurice said he does his best to make sure that he watches Isaac play in person as much as possible.

Last week, the Simpson College football team had an away, non-conference game at the University of Wisconsin-Stout, in Menomonie, Wisconsin. Maurice drove nearly four and a half hours to watch his son play, then drove home the same night.

“I always tell myself, ‘I’m going to watch the game online today,’” Maurice said. “But I’ll get home, get out the computer, and before I know it, I’m in the car driving to the game.”

When Isaac qualified for the Division III Track and Field National Championship meet in Waverly, Iowa, Maurice was there. Isaac placed eleventh in the decathlon, despite a subpar showing in the high jump and hurdles.

“Had he had a little bit more rest, I think he would have been a top-eight and an All-American,” Simpson track and field coach Dave Cleveland said. “So that’s what we’re hoping for this upcoming year.”

For Isaac, the track and field national championship was nothing new when it came to overcoming obstacles. At the conference championship meet last season, he jumped 6 feet, 6 inches on his eleventh event, just twenty minutes after running the 1000-meter race.

Isaac’s life has always been about pushing beyond the problems in front of him and making himself better because of it.

“To see him overcome and still compete, I’m so proud of him as his father,” Maurice said. “I’m proud of a lot of things, but it’s the one single thing in my life that I’m the most proud of.”

Published on September 12, 2016 at 10:32 pm

Contact Matt: mjfel100@syr.edu