Sophomore Anthony Veroline bolts down the track at Butterfield Stadium in the 400-meter dash in pursuit of the finish line. From the track, views of Ithaca’s green hills and the deep blue of Cayuga Lake, reminiscent of his summers spent in Alaska, surround him. As the wind whips through his shaggy brown hair, there is no place the sophomore middle distance runner would rather be competing than in the great outdoors.

Four years ago, Veroline spent a week and a half in Fairbanks, Alaska, with his Boy Scout troop on an outdoor excursion that included backpacking and hiking. He enjoyed the Alaskan terrain so much that he expressed interest in working there. Before he boarded the plane back home to Tabernacle, N.J., he got offered a job as a guide.

“As I was getting ready to leave, the owner of the base camp handed me an application and told me that if I filled it out I would have a job there next summer,” he said.  

Veroline, who has earned the highest Boy Scout distinction of Eagle Scout, said his love for the outdoors comes from his family. He can still recall times when he was as young as 4 years old, when his father took him on canoe trips on the lake near their house. Tony Veroline said he always encouraged his son’s passion for the outdoors.

The Verolines have been on hiking trips in Acadia National Park in Maine and have a cabin in the Smoky Mountains in western North Carolina. Tony Veroline said the rest of the family sometimes has trouble keeping up with Anthony out on the trails.

“He had us hiking every day when we were in Maine,” Tony Veroline said. “He never lets us have any rest. Whenever we do things, he’s the one that pushes us to do more.”

Veroline is always on the move between New Jersey, Alaska and New York. This past summer, he skipped New Jersey all together and went straight from Alaska to Ithaca to start his sophomore year.

“I basically got off the plane, threw my gear in the back of the van and then went straight to college,” he said.

Despite the frenetic pace of his life, Veroline is able to approach everything with a laid-back attitude and enjoy every minute of it.

“I love being on the move like that and going from one thing to the next,” he said.    

From the base camp in Fairbanks, Veroline takes other Boy Scouts from around the country on 10-day hikes through the wilderness. He takes the Scouts backpacking, kayaking and white-water rafting.

“One of the key lessons I’ve learned while working in Alaska is that no matter what the situation, you have to grin and bear it, wear a smile and not let anything bring you down,” he said.

Veroline brings that same attitude to the track as well. He said both activities are physically demanding, and in order to succeed in both he has to adapt to all challenges.

“In both track and field and Alaska, you’re only going to get more comfortable with what you’re doing through experience,” he said.

This past summer, Veroline decided that he would combine his job in Alaska with offseason training. On a couple of hiking trips he led this past summer, he hiked up a mountain with rocks in his backpack, already almost full with camping gear.

“He’s an environmental freak, which is a good thing,” junior sprinter Jon Lin said. “It’s a great opportunity for him to do what he likes.”  

Veroline will be working his third summer at the base camp starting in June. His motivation to keep working in Alaska comes from his prior experiences, which he knows will remain with him, even when he’s too old to do the hard work.

“When I’m a grandfather someday, I want to be able to tell my grandchildren cool stories,” he said.