Due to a series of late-season away football games, Spearfish High School’s homecoming celebration arrived a bit early this year. Scheduled for last Friday, the very edge of the end of summer, it was an auspiciously beautiful day for a parade. It was also a special day for Eric Santure, CSCS, Monument Health Performance Coach at Spearfish High School, who received the honor of being named Parade Marshal. The theme was “No Fly Zone.”
Eric, his wife, Jamie Santure, Associate Head Coach, Spearfish High School girls basketball and their nine-month-old daughter, Sadie, rode in a black Ford Bronco, driven by one of Eric’s former student-athletes. The school’s marching band accompanied the procession through the streets of Spearfish, which was lined with supporters in a show of enthusiastic spirit that has always been the standard for the community.
As a Performance Coach, Eric offers strength and conditioning training to every athletic program at Spearfish High School, including dance, cheer, football, basketball and track. He just began his fifth year with Spartan Athletics and Monument Health in the second week of September.
Because of his dedication to the student athletes and the high school sports program’s improvement, the Spearfish Booster club reached out to Eric and informed him that they would like him to be this year’s Parade Marshal. Eric gratefully and readily accepted.
“I met my wife when I came to Spearfish to work for Monument Health. We welcomed our daughter last December,” Eric says. “I do my best to help these kids reach their goals, and this community has welcomed and supported me from the day I got here. So the fact that the Booster Club and community think I deserve something like this means a lot.”
The gig of Parade Marshal is pretty simple, per Eric. “This is my first time doing this,” he says. “Besides wave and throw candy, there’s not much else to it. I don’t have to wear anything special, thank God. It’s too hot for that.”
There was still work to be done, however, as Eric was due on the sidelines for the Spartans’ evening football game against Aberdeen Central at Lyle Hare Stadium. As soon as the parade ended, he headed right back to the school’s athletic facility to help the team prepare.
“I’m just super appreciative of the community and Monument Health for giving me the opportunity to be here inside the school district and help these kids. The fact that the community is giving back to me as much as I’ve tried to give them is pretty special.”
Spearfish High School came away victorious, winning 21-6.
Story and Photo by Kory Lanphear