Tatum David’s transfer from Illinois to Florida came down to family love, not running

By Michael Newman

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It came as a shock to most of the Illinois running community when the news came out Saturday evening that Illinois Class 2A State Cross Country champion and two time All-American Tatum David of Olney Richland County High School would be transferring to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida for her sophomore year beginning this fall.

It was announced at the Illinois Meet of Champions, where David had not planned to make that announcement at first.

She was there to watch her friend Ava Parekh win the Girls 1-Mile Run at the meet. Rumors started to fly around on social media over the next 24 hours that she left because of the guidelines that were made public July 28 by the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) and from the State of Illinois could wipe out her sophomore year not allowing her to race.

On August 3, her father Rob David offered up the reasons why his daughter will be attending school in Florida.

It came down to family. The decision came down to three factors where the David family felt that they needed to make a move.

The first was Tatum’s education.

The second was the heath of Tatum’s mother, Stephanie David.

The third was the flexibility for Rob David to have a second business home.

It is not a story about greed and finding a good situation for their daughter to run in. It is a story of how family love brought this all together.

Before Tatum started attending Richland County last fall, she attended a four-day camp at IMG Academy. Members of the academy saw the promise of Tatum’s athletic ability and asked her parents if they would consider sending their daughter to the school.

The Davids said, 'no.' Tatum is their only daughter. There is a close bond between all three of them, especially her mother. Conference calls would pop up with the academy and with Rob David asking if they would reconsider.

“It was never the plan to attend IMG Academy for Tatum,” Rob said. “Not at first. We wanted her to go to school at Richland County. That is where all of her friends were.”

Both Stephanie and Rob David attended and graduated Richland County (then Olney-East Richland) when they attended high school and where they met.

Rob David understood the situation that they were in with Tatum.

“I grew up in Charleston where I was a member of the IESA Eighth-Grade State Championship basketball team,” Rob added. “So when my parents decided to move to Olney, it was tough to leave my friends.”

He could understand the situation for his daughter if he decided in moving his family.

There was the concern of Stephanie David and her health. She was diagnosed with allergy-induced asthma. Where they were living in Olney, it would flare up causing a daily medication prescription.

When the family would go on vacation in a southern climate area like Florida, Texas, and Hawaii, the asthma would not bother her. Stephanie was a runner when she was in high school. She enjoyed on Tatum’s recovery days where she could run side-by-side with her daughter. That was something that she could not do when they were back in their home in Illinois.

Stephanie would go to her doctor for the asthma. The doctor gave her two options: live like she was now or move someplace where she could live normally.

It was around the middle of March when things started to happen with the family. The pandemic hit changing the daily lives throughout the world. On March 17, his office where he worked at Edward Jones as a financial advisor shut their doors. He would not be able to work there instead setting an office at his home.

Richland County was closed down like all other schools in Illinois due to COVID-19. Tatum realized that her track season would be over. She took a little time off and then started working on base work.

Things were adding up for the David family on making decisions. There were the emergency moments were Rob would have to rush home to tend to his wife. How would COVID-19 affect Stephanie? All this time there was not a thought of Tatum’s running. Virtual learning was going on the high school during the spring semester. The family had concerns that it might continue the following fall. They wanted in-person teaching for Tatum.

There was a comfort level for Rob that made him feel at ease. The family had toured IMG Academy and Tatum had grown to like it. During the first visit in September 2019, Rob had met the Academy’s distance coach Dustin Spanbauer. He talked again to Spanbauer at the Foot Locker Nationals and developed a good comfort level.

The family had decided in April to go to Florida and look for a house near IMG Academy. Rob got approval from his job that he would be able to set up a second business office.

They finally found a home in Bradenton that fit their needs. On May 30, almost two months before the IHSA made their statement, the David family finalized the sale of their new home.

The move could be tough on Tatum leaving all the friends that she has grown up with. It was something that her father went through when he was her age. She has built up friendships with Carly McNatt, who finished ahead of Tatum at the Foot Locker Nationals.

It was a move that was best for her family. Her mother will be in a warmer climate. She will be close to her daughter also. There was that concern after the first visit where the parents would be in Illinois and their daughter in Florida. It is now a better fit.

She will live with her mother and not on the campus. The COVID-19 rules set forth by the academy are tough were Tatum will have her temperature taken daily as she enters for classes. Those classes begin Aug. 31. She will also get face-to-face instruction in her classes with sizes of 12 to 15 students.

Rob had the opportunity to set up a second office in Florida. He did not sell the house in Illinois. He will commute back and forth from Florida and Illinois for three-week periods.

It will be tough for Rob. But when it comes to family, what kind of sacrifices have you made for your children? What kind of sacrifices did your parents make for you? It is all about love with your family. This story shows just that.

Tatum will miss her friends. After she won the state cross country title last fall, the next two finishers behind her, Parekh and Brooke Stromsland, approached her and congratulated her. They then asked her to come and meet their parents. Parekh, David, and Stromsland left the day after the meet in Chicago and headed to Colorado where they would train together in Telluride at an elevation of 8,750 feet. Those are the kind of bonds that will never leave the three of these runners.

The one regret that Tatum has with this move is she did not get another attempt for the state and course record at Detweiller Park in Peoria. Judy Pendergast’s 15:53.8 record will be out of reach at least for this year.

The Davids not selling their house in Olney could leave the door open for their daughter to return to run high school cross country and track in Illinois.

“Tatum’s running has nothing to do with our move,” her father concluded. “We like to think that we have the flexibility to return to Illinois, but there is no way to predict that at this time.”

So, good luck on your next adventure in Florida, Tatum David. We hope you find happiness and fast times in the Sunshine State. We also hope you get a chance to run for the record one more time at Detweiller Park to reach one of your dreams.

©2019 Laura Duffy Photo