In 1980, the Elgin Sharks Track Club started when four students from Channing Elementary School asked Bob Pleticha to help them prepare for a summer track meet. When he started helping them, their friends started coming and there were soon 12. Bob chose the colors yellow and black, designed the shark shirts and gave them to the kids so they would have a sense of a team. Most of the kids were underprivileged. Since the park district and schools in Elgin had not provided a track program, more kids came. Initially Bob donated uniforms, shoes for some kids, as well as entry fees. It became necessary to raise funds for the club.

In 1990, Bob Pleticha connected with Race Walking Coach Diane Graham-Henry. He asked her to start a race walking program for the Sharks and she quickly agreed. Diane has been a competitive race walker since 1980 and brings her deep knowledge of the sport to her athletes. Her training has produced numerous national champions and has sent athletes as far as the Olympic Trials. With the help of numerous parents throughout her 30+ years of coaching with the Sharks, Diane  continues to train and mentor athletes for the Sharks into the 2020s. Diane has been assisted throughout the years by capable assistant coaches such as Gilbert Salinas, and current Assistant Race Walk Coach Mercedes Mancha-Gamboa. Mercedes grew up running and walking for the Sharks and now gives back to the program. Mercedes and her younger brother Emilio started walking for the Sharks at the ages of 11 and 8 respectively and went on to compete in college.

In 1991, Bob was lucky enough to come across three runners with a dad that had a great deal of interest in their success.  This father, Mark DuBose, had helped in the capacity of Assistant Coach.  Mark helped Bob out a great deal over seven years.  Together they established a Board of Directors in 1993, made up of parents and members of the community who showed an interest in the Elgin Sharks and helped to raise funds for the team.

In 1997, we added another important Coach, Terry Regul, the mother of six kids that ran or walked with the team.  She was the Racewalking Coach for 10 years, having a great deal of success in this event.

In 1999, Coach Pleticha went to teach at Fox Meadow Elementary and immediately started looking for runners. Bob never gave up in his search for runners. He believed there are many talented runners in the community; all they need to be a champion is the training and dedication.

In 2000, the Sharks hosted their first AAU Regional Multi Event and Track and Field Championship.  This event was held over a four-day period and was attended by over 1,500 athletes from Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky.  It took many hours and days to prepare for this meet but it went off as one of the best meets held by any Association in Regions VI’s history.  Athletes had to compete in this meet to continue on to the National meet that was held in Orlando, Florida.  The Sharks were fortunate enough to take 50 athletes to this competition.

In 2006,  Mr. Wolfe joined Bob as an assistant coach and was a great asset to the team.

In 2009, Coach Pleticha came up with a way to get awards for the Cross Country meet we hold in October every year and the annual awards picnic for the kids at the end of the outdoor season.  He constantly looked for individuals, schools and businesses that have dust collecting-unwanted trophies and encouraged them to donate them.  Bob took parts of old trophies and rebuilt them with track figures on them and the children were ecstatic when they received them.  For the first time, Bob made sure all kids received a trophy when they ran in the Elgin Sharks Fall Classic, over 160 trophies received a new life that day.

In 2010, we were glad to add a new Coach, Anthony “Butch” Peters.  Mr. Peters had four boys on the team. We were also very fortunate to have continuous leadership and guidance from Diane Graham-Henry with racewalking; she is the Race Walk Chair for USATF Illinois and the National Men’s & Women’s Race Walk Chair. Tom Henn also joined in as an assistant coach, helping to mentor athletes including his daughter.

In 2011, one of the Sharks Alumni, Jose Duarte, came back to help coach.  What an inspiration it has been to the kids to have Jose.  He saw what the team had done for him and wanted to give back to a program that has meant so much to his running career.

In 2015, the City of Elgin honored Coach Pleticha by declaring November 18th, 2015 to be “Bob Pleticha Day” in honor of his dedication to the health and fitness of Elgin’s young people as well as his Powerlifting Championships.

A number of kids who have run with the sharks over the years have earned college scholarships for running or race walking to schools such as Northern Illinois University, Eastern Illinois University, University of Illinois, Missouri State, Parkside in Wisconsin and Loyola University, as well as others. In addition, many athletes have participated, and placed, at national and international events.

Today, the Sharks are thriving and continue to work hard thanks to the wonderful support from our coaches and volunteer board. The help and dedication of the coaches, parents and community are all to be commended for the success of the Elgin Shark Track Club.