15 minutes with Courtney Goode

When did you graduate from Bluffton High School?

It seems like a lifetime ago; 1992.

Describe how you painted your name on the street when you were a senior. Where was it located?

I painted my name outside of Dan Rumer's office window on College Avenue. I wanted it to be something he could admire daily and opted for a gallon of eggshell white and a roller in lieu of the spray paint.

Since the street was recently repaved, I went during halftime of one of the early football games so I could be the first to get my name down, and I remember the sophomoric sense of pride at having done so. Kelly Standridge painted her name above mine after the game - and ours were the only two names there for a week or so - and I'm still a bit upset by it.

What was the absolute worst grade you received in school - who as the teacher?

I remember receiving a 'D' in psychology during the winter of my freshman year in college. I never much cared for winter, or psychology for that matter, so I wasn't too terribly surprised.

I can't quite recall the professor's name, perhaps Dr. Marvin Monroe? I had never earned such a grade before, or since, and was a bit embarrassed by it. After that I re-focused myself and ended up doing quite well.

What do you remember from your grade school days?

Without question, my teachers. From a very early age I loved school and that all started because of Mrs. Riess, Ms. Basinger, Mrs. and Mr. Shelter (he came to read to us on occasion), Mrs. Hostettler, and Mr. Shaner.

That trend of quality people continued throughout my days in Bluffton. Mrs. Buroker, Mr. Bollenbacher, Stitz, Bruss, my mom all contributed so significantly and meaningfully to my life - beyond the Pythagorean Theorem or when the War of 1812 was fought - and for that I am forever grateful and appreciative.

What car did you take your driver's test in? Did you pass the first time?

It was a white, 1986 Dodge Aries Stationwagon lovingly known as "the grocery-getter." I did indeed pass the test the first time. Despite starting out with one strike against me (the car was ghastly) and suffering strike two during the test itself (I crossed a railroad track without stopping or slowing down), I was able to successfully parrallel park her and avoided strike three. A week later, I got my first speeding ticket.

You went to ONU and majored in what? Did you ever switch majors?

I started out as a Health and Physical Education major and ended up dropping the PE. I finished with two majors: Health and History. Sure it is an odd combination, but it helped me land my first teaching job in California.

What are are you doing now and where do you live?

For the past five years I have been a high school and middle school Assistant Principal. Tomorrow will be my first day as Principal of Roosevelt Middle School. Going in, I know it will be a huge undertaking and enormous responsibility, but I feel confident and well prepared.

I am very excited with the direction I've gone in my career. Eventually I see myself moving back to the high school and then hopefully to a district office. That would more than likely require me to pursue my Ph.D., something I've considered seriously over the past year and a half.

I'm not sure I'm ready to devote the time and energy to that yet, but I see that as a goal for myself in the next five years.

We live in San Diego and absolutely love it here for the climate alone, but throw in the culture, beaches, mountains, running and cycling scenes and it makes it all the more remarkable.

When we moved out here in 2002 shortly before we were married, my brother predicted we would be back in Ohio within five years. It's never going to happen.

Tell us about your family.

My wife, Jo, and I have been married for 8 years. We met while we were both coaching track in Columbus, Ohio. We were engaged in three months time and married eleven months after that. We share a great deal in common and really balance each other well.

We have two wonderful daughters and given the fact they come from the same gene pool it's quite remarkable how completely different they are.

Erin is 6 and will start first grade in a few weeks. I'm teaching her to ride her bike now and she gives me daily updates about her loose tooth. Bridget is 2 1/2 and will be starting preschool soon. We were at the beach the other day and for the first time she ran in and out of the waves squealing and giggling the entire time.

I try to consciously enjoy these moments as much as I can, because I know it will all go by so fast. Parenting is a such an incredible responsibility and it can be overwhelming at times, but our ladies are an absolute joy and we feel very fortunate to have them in our lives.

Who is the most famous person you ever met?

I guess it depends on what you're looking for by "famous." If you're looking for widely known, I'll say Tony Hawk. Or if its esteemed, I'll go with Clarence Thomas. Either way, they're both pretty good stories:

Unbeknownst to me, Tony Hawk's mom works with an organization that buys shoes and school supplies for needy kids throughout North San Diego County. I had taken a busload of our school's kids to the shoe store, and she and I got to talking.

Apparently we were name-dropping and she decided to one up me. She gave me her phone number, got Tony to autograph some photos for our kids, and then eventually put me in contact with her daughter who runs the Tony Hawk Foundation.

After some relentless nagging on my part, his sister agreed to donate a few skateboards to our school. After picking them up at the Foundation office, I was carrying them back to my car and he happened to pull into the parking lot. I talked with him for a while, he signed the boards and a few more pictures, and invited me to bring a few kids to his next Foundation gathering.

I don't think I'll ever forget the look on the kids faces that got the shoes or the boards and photos. It's amazing the joy that others can so effortlessly bring to people.

A year or two after joining the Supreme Court Clarence Thomas was holding a small speaking engagement at Ohio Northern. I knew where he was going to be speaking, so I figured out the back route they would use to bring him in.

I showed up a few minutes before he was due to arrive foolishly wearing my bulky winter jacket with my hands stuffed into my pockets. When he and the U.S. Marshals who were escorting him turned the corner of the hallway and saw me standing there, we all froze.

Apparently, they were thinking "is this an assassination attempt?" and I was thinking, "I wonder if he'll shake my hand?" One of the Marshals came unglued, so I just said hello and left. He just kind of scowled at me. Goes with being a judge I suppose.

What's the worst movie you ever saw (would like your money back)?

I recently posted on Facebook asking for movie recommendations for my summer break and one of the school secretaries suggested "Before Sunrise." The movie should have never been committed to film. It was wretched. I think I shut it off after 15 minutes and "de-friended" her.

While I never asked, I'm quite certain Netflix wouldn't refund my money. Anyways, she has been known to bring in donuts and always has a fresh pot of coffee, so I think I'm still coming out ahead.

Even though you no longer live here, is there a part of Bluffton that is still inside you?

Most definitely. There are definitely a core set of values my parents, and the community itself to a certain extent, instilled within me that are certainly unique to Southern California.

After getting to know me, people will oftentimes comment that I must be from the Midwest. When I tell them I'm from a small, midwestern town, they usually respond, "I could tell." I haven't the slightest discernible accent, so it's got to be the values.

Let's see you were a runner, right? Do you still run? What was your best-ever time that you can recall.

Even though I was on the cross country team in high school, I was never serious about running until I started doing it on my own mid way through college. I trained pretty hard and built up enough confidence to try out for the track team the spring of my third year. I ended up running varsity cross country and indoor and outdoor track for my final two years.

While I value what I learned about myself from the training and competing, I haven't run at that level for 6-7 years. I have since taken up cycling and ride between 150-250 miles a week depending on my schedule. I love pushing myself physically and find the time alone or with the group adds a great sense of balance to my life. I find I sleep remarkably well at night too.

I recall my fastest time was a 16:30 5K and am not embarrassed to admit Jo holds all the family records. She is quite an accomplished runner and athlete and still competes at a very high level.