Cal Simons is something of an unsung hero within the sports community. While most people prefer to remove themselves as far from their occupations as possible outside of working hours, the West End Primary physical education teacher simply changes hats, steps up a gear and goes on about the business of being a positive role model for scores of young people.

For almost two decades Mr. Simons has been involved with track youngsters as coach of the Pacers Club, preferring, as he put it, to work at the grassroots.

And if that isn't enough the father of three -- who has been awarded a Queen's certificate Badge of Honour in 1997 as well as a Sports Citation from the Bermuda Government in 1988 -- also serves as a Grade I football referee, an executive council member within the Bermuda Track and Field Association and often as a race director for local road and track events.

And while it's an honour to receive the recognition, Mr. Simons will quickly tell you that isn't the reason why he does what he does.

"The awards are just a plus, it's nothing I went out to try to earn. I just take it in stride,'' said Mr. Simons whose list of achievements also include back-to-back Referee of the Year awards in soccer.

It isn't a coincidence that some of the people who impacted the most on Simons' early life were school teachers, people like Dudley Burchall, Winton Williams, Roderick Pearman, Randy Benjamin, Earl Hart and Gerry Swan.

"I was fortunate to have two very good gym teachers, Mr. Suddard and Mike Billington at Elliott and Warwick Sec., but I wasn't that athletic and that was probably one of the reasons why I ended up getting involved in sports,'' said Simons.

"Sometimes teachers tend to focus on those kids who were very athletic but for me it was to deal with the average athlete or average student. The main objective was to reach those kids who I consider to be average.

"I've been around kids all my life. At the end of this year I will have taught for 20 years and I've just had a good time. In physical education -- education period -- you really have to enjoy being with kids.'' There was a time when Simons was even busier than he is now, when he used to be involved in something just about every day of the week. He spent his first year back from university coaching the Somerset Trojans 10-12 year olds and then joined PHC where he spent 14 years with various junior teams.

"At university (University of Tuledo in Ohio) I used to do a lot of work with kids at community centres,'' he said.

"Once I decided that was the direction I was going to go I just went gung-ho into it. I got involved in track and field accidentally.

"Cal Dill (former top Bermuda sprinter) and I were good friends -- we both went to Warwick Sec. -- and he used to go up to the National Stadium to train under Clive Longe -- I just used to go up there and train with the shot and discus.'' Mr. Simons, one of the founding members of the Pacers and a former president as well as the club's first official coach, has been taking that group to the East Coast and Russell E. Blunt meets abroad now for almost 20 years.

"When I came back from school I took my school team to the national championships and that's how I got started going to the East Coast Invitational,'' he recalled.

"The next year the BTFA took a group to the East Coast at Towlson University and Clive Longe couldn't make it and they asked me to take the team.

"That was 18 years ago and the following year there were some founding members of the Striders -- Clarence Smith, Kavin's father, Winfield Todd, my mom Joan Simons, Sandra Whitter -- who wanted to start the Pacers. For a long time Kavin's father was the president and then I took over the presidency and the coaching for about seven or eight years.'' The Pacers had promising youngsters like triple jumper Brian Wellman, Devon Bean, Kavin Smith, Jay and Michael Donawa, Jarita Dill and Troy Glasgow spend time in their programme.

"At the Russell E Blunt, Gina Cann still holds the record for the 9-10 girls long jump, 15-feet, five inches,'' says a proud Mr. Simons.

Many of the youngsters Mr. Simons influenced in both soccer and track and field, and even former students at West End, have now grown up into productive members of society.

Despite the demands on his time away from home Mr. Simons still finds time to be a father to his three daughters, Calvina, Kaleah and Jakea. And he says the support of his wife Joan has enabled him to continue to do his good deeds in the community.

"I used to have school practice on Mondays and Wednesdays, training with Pacers on Tuesdays and Thursdays and then was at PHC on Fridays, all after school,'' Mr. Simons explained.

"On Saturdays I had the PHC junior team and then on Sundays I was involved with the first team as medic. Cal Dill got me involved in that and then he left, but that was fun.

"Now I have given up the football, I've been away from PHC five or six years and now concentrate my efforts on the track programme and the kids at school.

My wife has been extremely supportive in every area.'' Mr. Simons still has plenty on his plate, as a referee, race director and track coach.

"I'm organising a lot more events now, putting on road races as a race director and that's one of the things that has been very rewarding,'' Mr.

Simons stated.

"Jay Tucker, who coaches with me, is like my right and left-hand. He's with me at the Pacers at the coaching level and I've been trying to get him into refereeing but he won't take that bite.

"He and I have been the race directors for the Telford Mile and that has been a major success. It has grown in leaps and bounds, starting with 200 or 300 runners and now we're up over 1,000.

"One of the things we're trying to do is add an international flavour by inviting track clubs from abroad that we're in contact with and to take part in it.'' Mr. Simons admits there is a bigger demand placed on teachers these days, with male teachers having an important role to play in the lives of young boys, in particular.

"There is a lot more falling on a teacher's shoulders,'' he admits. "I don't know if it's because of a breakdown in the family structure, but a teacher's role is a lot greater than when I started teaching. For a while at West End I was the only male teacher but since Principal Livingston Tuzo has been there he's been trying to bring more males on staff.

"I really feel it is important for males in the system to get involved. We really need to focus on the positive. So much of the attention goes towards the negative but there are kids out there who are doing a lot of good stuff and somehow we need to put the emphasis not on the kids doing the negative but those doing the positive.'' Added Mr. Simons: "What we try to do at West End is to make a conscious effort to focus on the positive, to emphasise those kids doing positive things and making the right decisions.

"Peer pressure is great now and you have to be strong enough to say `I'm not going that way'.

"That's where some kids fall short.''