Waldron basketball scorebook keeper celebrates multiple anniversaries

Basketball scorebooks can be sloppy and hard to read. Crunching so much information on one sheet of paper can leave a mess.

Although keeping "the book" can be difficult, Jane Runshe makes it look easy. Color-coded by quarters, Runshe might have the most organized scorebook in the state.

“I like to keep it neat and precise,” she said. “I use four different colors of pens. To me, that is very helpful. It keeps me straight. I think it helps the officials, too.”

In February, Runshe completed her 20th season keeping the scorebook for the girls varsity basketball program at Waldron. She believes she started keeping it full-time for the boys varsity after the 2008-09 season. Before that, she would sub as needed. 

“The coaches really appreciate it,” Runshe said. “You go to other schools and they are grabbing some kid out of the stands who maybe doesn’t know how to do it. Me doing it gives them consistency. In a small community, people see you and get used to you. It is just one of those hometown things.”

Like other parents, this all started at the junior high level when she volunteered to keep the scorebook for her kids’ games. Her daughter, Adrienne, is a 2009 Waldron graduate who played multiple sports throughout junior high and high school.

Her son, Craig, a 1999 Waldron graduate, transitioned to band in high school after playing sports in junior high.

“Part of it was so that I wouldn't be yelling from the stands,” said Runshe, who graduated from Shelbyville.

In what has become a tradition of sorts, Runshe is the go-to source for gum and mints. It is common to see an athlete walk up to the scorer’s bench, grab a treat and give Runshe a hug.

“Now I am more famous for the mints,” Runshe said. “Before I made cookies for the teams. Then it was gum. All the girls on the bus always wanted gum. Now it is mints. All of them (athletes) are really nice about it. They always say thank you.”

Her scorebook skills were much-needed during a five-overtime girls game in 2019 against Jac-Cen-Del for the Sectional 60 title (scorebook photos above). The host Mohawks fell 67-61 to veteran head coach Scott Smith and the Eagles in an instant classic.

“I got it all on one sheet,” Runshe said with a laugh, noting that the game was one of her favorite memories over the years. “The girls gave everything they had that night. That was my biggest thrill and memory.”

Another memorable moment? Her only technical foul -- although technically it wasn’t her fault.

“It was a boys varsity game,” Runshe recalled. “It was a freshman who was dressing varsity and he couldn’t find his jersey, so he just put another one on. We didn’t realize it until the game started. But I am always very careful about checking the numbers.”

In addition to keeping the scorebook for both varsity teams, Runshe remains busy outside of the gym. One theme remains the same no matter what she puts her hands in -- extreme dedication.

Runshe and her husband, Dan, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in November. Together they attend First Presbyterian Church in Shelbyville where Runshe was recently honored for 50 years of service as the church administrator. That is a quarter of the church’s ministry in town, according to a Facebook post by First Presbyterian.

Although church and her family keep her moving, Runshe said it feels strange when basketball is not in season.

“I really miss the kids,” she said. “It is like having a bunch of grandchildren. I love them and that is really why I do it.”

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