FORESTVILLE — If Energizer were ever interested in sponsoring a local race driver, there’s a certain Minersville sportsman driver-football coach-construction worker-hunter who would be worth the investment.
Mike Lisowski is one busy man.
“You wake up every day and try to take the challenge on for today. It’s pretty much day to day,” Lisowski said during a brief break from preparation for last Tuesday’s Anthracite Assault show at Big Diamond Speedway.
“I’m not a big planner, looking into the future. Plans change daily, hourly, minute-ly sometimes. You never know. We sit down and make up a schedule for work every week, but it’s never true
because you never know what comes up, or how times work.”
Somehow, though, Lisowski has managed to make sense out of a life which pulls him in many directions, often simultaneously.
Until Lisowski graduated from Minersville, life was much simpler.
The 25-year-old former quarterback and defensive back was an athlete who also played basketball and baseball. He also attended races as a fan and relative of a racer, his uncle.
But when Lisowski got his diploma, that life suddenly got more complex.
“The first year after I graduated, I started coaching there,” said Lisowski, Minersville’s junior high head football coach. “We started it a few years ago and it’s been growing ever since. The numbers have been great and I enjoy it.”
At that same time, Lisowski made another decision.
“With football and playing basketball and baseball, I never really got into it, but once I graduated high school, I decided that’s what I wanted to do,” he said. “We started racing the first year I graduated high school.”
During the summers, Lisowski drives the family-owned No. 15 sportsman Fridays at Big Diamond and Saturdays at Grandview Speedway, Bechtelsville. He is fourth in points at Big Diamond and 15th at Grandview.
During weekdays, Lisowski and his father also manage M&J Construction before both use their nights to work on the sportsman.
“I’m hands-on. It makes for some long work nights. It makes for some long weeks sometimes, especially racing on Fridays and Saturdays, but we ... do it,” Lisowski said.
Meanwhile, football is never far away from Lisowski’s mind. He said the summer is the time when the Minersville program is organized and when players take steps to prepare for the fall.
“My dance card is pretty full, “ Lisowski said. “We’re at work and racing. (Minersville head) Coach (Pat) Mason is pretty good. He runs the weight room for me. I’m not involved in the weight room stuff right now. As soon as school lets out, we go two nights a week and it starts picking up for football once the summer starts.”
At the same time, the coaches meet to determine the offensive and defensive schemes for the coming season, based upon the talent at hand.
“We pretty much do what the varsity does,” Lisowski said. “Whatever offenses and defenses and scheme-wise and philosophy-wise, we try and mirror as close as we can personnel-wise with what they’re doing. We kind of bounce ideas off each other and we kind of work that way.”
The task may be easier this year. Minersville played many seventh-graders last fall. Those players will return this year with the potential to give Mason an experienced group of underclassmen when it joins the varsity roster.
“Usually, you don’t know what you’re getting, what kid can do this or that, so we do a lot of work in the summertime,” Lisowski said of the junior high program. “We try to have everything in place by the time the season starts, as far as what kids can do and learning the kids, strength and conditioning stuff.
“My aim is we have our offense in place by the time the season starts.”
Finally, when football has settled into the fall routine and racing has concluded for the year, Lisowski said he takes time with his bow and arrow to hunt deer.
“It’s kind of my escape,” he said. “You can go and relax and sit in the tree stand and don’t have to worry about anything for a little while. You can collect yourself and work on your game plan for the next week of football, or something like that.”
Even in the still of the woods, competition remains an important part of Lisowski’s life, whether as a coach or as an athlete.
“Competition brings out the best in you,” Lisowski said. “It’s how you get better, it’s how you advance yourself, and I never shy away from competition.”
Even if the hours seem to continually come up short.
“It’s trying sometimes, especially when you’re struggling with the race car, when I’m not running as good as I want to be running,” he said. “At the end of the day, when you win one, it makes you realize why you do it.”
Today’s races
Where: Big Diamond Speedway, Forestville
When: 8:15 p.m. Gates open at 5 p.m.
Program: Slifko Fabrication Night for 358 modifieds, roadrunners, street stocks, 600cc modifieds
Admission: General admission, $15; Senior citizen general admission, $13; Active military with identification and children ages 12 and under, free