Alex was born on November 27, 1981 and baptized at St. Jane Frances De Chantal Roman Catholic Church.   He grew up in Potomac, Maryland where his early passions in life were shaped by his summers in Nantucket and weekend winter ski trips to the mountains of West Virginia.  He became an avid and accomplished fisherman and a powerful and versatile skier.  He tackled every activity fearlessly and with complete abandonment.  He loved life and he loved living it.

As with his father and grandfathers, Alex was drawn to the military and chose to attend Fishburne Military School in Waynesboro, Virginia.  He was a member of the School’s elite and highly honored Color Guard, and rose through the Corps of Cadets to become its Battalion Commander, the highest leadership position at the school.   In spite of his ever increasing responsibilities, he fully participated in the Fishburne athletic program, lettering in at least 3 to 4 sports each year and earning many athletic awards including Most Valuable Player in soccer and basketball.   The faculty at Fishburne cultivated his love of history, economics, and English while the military faculty honed his leadership skills.   Seizing and excelling at every opportunity during his four years at Fishburne, he graduated with a strong commitment to further serve others, a keen understanding of the responsibilities of leadership, a deep appreciation for the opportunities he was afforded and a desire to live each day to the fullest.

Alex enlisted in the Army in 2005, attending Basic and Advanced Individual Training at Ft. Rucker, Alabama.  He was selected for Warrant Officer School, and later Rotary Wing Flight Training, where his excellent performance enabled his choice of aircraft: the Apache Attack Helicopter.   Before leaving Ft. Rucker, Alex attended the Survival Escape and Evasion School, one of the most physically demanding courses in the Army.  Unknowingly, the cancer had begun and was blocking the blood flow in his heart, making it much more difficult for him to operate physically, yet he persevered and excelled.

He was commissioned as a Warrant Officer in 2006, and assigned to the 101st Airborne Division.   During his first week, all the seasoned pilots in his unit were required to take a mandatory written exam for flight re-certification.  His commander thought it would be good for Alex to experience this very difficult test even though he had no preparation.  To everyone’s amazement, Alex passed the test with the highest score, a performance for which he was later cited.

The following year while Alex was waiting for radiation treatment at Walter Reed Medical Hospital, he met a flight instructor from Ft. Belvoir, Virginia, who was also being treated for cancer.  During their conversations, the flight instructor told Alex the story of a new Apache pilot at Ft. Campbell who out-performed even seasoned pilots on a written test hours after reporting to his unit.  The instructor had often used this story to motivate his pilots to use every opportunity to study, even when out of the classroom.  At the end of this story, Alex confessed he was in fact this “legendary” pilot but that in fact he never had opened the books before taking that test.  They agreed to keep that “detail” a secret.

What wasn’t a secret was how much Alex loved the brief time he had flying with the 101st.  He loved it all—the unit, his fellow soldiers and all the challenges of flying and combat tactics. He was anxious to complete his year’s chemotherapy and return to his unit in time to be deployed to Afghanistan.  His return to the cockpit was terrific, all his skills were recovered and everything was on track for Afghanistan.  It was not to be, as only days before deployment he learned that his cancer had returned and that his would be a far different fight.

For Alex, truly “…nothing in his life became him so much as his leaving it”.  In this time he met and married Jennifer A. Schrader of Crestview, Florida, who was the love of his life and stood by him in every hour those long days and nights.  Their time together was too short but their every moment was filled with a type of happiness that some never experience in a lifetime.

Throughout his struggle, Alex supported others in their battles at Walter Reed or in his hospitals in Boston.  His many doctors and nurses were amazed by his grit and courage, but even that was not infinite.  On May 25th Alex asked to go home and he, with his family, flew from Boston to the family summer home in Lewes, Delaware.   There, at home and at peace and surrounded by those who loved him, he left this world.  For his bereft family Juliet’s words apply best: “When he shall die take him and cut him out into stars and he shall make the face of heaven so fine that all the world will be in love with night and pay no worship to the garish sun.”

Alexander Moore Bayer is survived by his wife Jennifer A. Schrader, his parents Michael J. Bayer and Dr. Barbara M. Bayer of Washington, D.C., his brother Andrew M. Bayer of Washington, D.C., and his grandparents, Mrs. Dorothy Bayer of St. Marys, Ohio and Mr. and Mrs. C.W. Moore of El Paso, Texas.   He is also survived by many aunts, uncles, cousins, nephews and nieces.

Alex will be buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery following a Solemn Funeral Mass at the Old Post Chapel at 0830 hours July 13, 2010.  The family asks that contributions in lieu of flowers be made to the Alexander Moore Bayer Scholarship Fund at Fishburne Military School P.O. Box 988, Waynesboro, Virginia 22980.

Kipps has extensive basketball coaching and management experience at the high school, collegiate and professional levels. His resume includes work as the Manager of both the University of Kentucky and University of Virginia Men’s Basketball Teams while attending college. Kipps spent his freshman year at the University of Kentucky before transferring to UVA. Also during college, Kipps was the Asst. Girl’s Basketball Coach at St. Anne’s Belfield, and the Staff Assistant Intern for the Memphis Grizzlies NBA team.

Everyone at Fishburne is thrilled to have Coach Birckhead as part of the team.

Again, if you haven’t already done so, please check in with me so I know I’ve got the right e-mail address for you.  You can also reach me on my cell at 540-910-3031.

Q:  What am I supposed to do this summer?

A:  Send me an e-mail once per week to let me know how much you’re run.  I’ll respond with some guidance for the following weeks, but this will not be complicated and overly involved.  Simplicity is at the heart of this program.  Also, follow the guidance below.

Q:  What’s the program?

A:  A relaxed commitment to run most days of the week, building up to 45 minutes or 5 miles.  You can go by time or mileage.  That was easy, wasn’t it?  Run on the road, on trails, do some power-hiking on trails, over hill over dale, wherever your heart takes you that day.  The key is a RELAXED approach and COMMITMENT to at least four days of running per week.  You can run more if you want, but take at least one day off per week, preferably two.  This program allows for enough rest to build endurance while minimizing the chances for injury.

Q:  When do I start?

A:  Today.  What are you waiting for?  You may need to start with nice, easy 30 minute/3 mile runs at first, and then gradually build up to 5-mile runs over a period of several weeks.

Q: Who is involved?

A: Everyone that isn’t reaching their full potential, and you know who you are. It’s for runners that have been THINKING about finding out how good they can really be and exploring their limits this fall. It’s for you runners that have been THINKING of jacking up the mileage and haven’t yet started

Q:  Who is it for?

A: Any runner who wants to be better than before. This “program” is a springboard for the cross country season. A relatively easy way to prepare oneself for the real training to be done in the fall.

Q: What about a schedule?

A:  You want a schedule?  I’ll send you a schedule.  But the key is to run as outlined above.  Simple, relaxed, and committed.  You have choices about the when and where of your workouts, so have fun and take advantage of it.  In the fall, I’m the benevolent dictator when it comes to workouts.

Q: How do I run on vacation?

A:  You can’t be serious!  My most memorable and enjoyable runs have been on vacation, running in a new place and exploring the area on foot.  The best time is the morning before it gets too hot.  Evening is another option after the heat of the day has dissipated a bit.

Q:  Where do I run?

A:  Wherever you want.  Soft surfaces like we run in cross country are best, like trails, dirt roads, grass, and so forth.  If the road is working for you, that’s alright, too.

Q:  What if I get injured?

A:  If you’re listening to the signals from your body, then you should not experience a serious injury.  If something is tight or hurting, move to cross training, such as cycling, hiking, and swimming.  Any sharp pain means, quite simply, to stop running.  Absent injury, it’s best to run as outlined in the program.  Great cyclists get that way by riding bikes, and great runners run, a lot.  One option is to throw in alternative training on your non-running days.

Q: What if I get tired?

A: You will get tired.  You also have 2-3 days off per week!  C’mon.

Q: How many miles CAN I run?

A: I don’t know, but more than you’ve been doing in the past. The time is now to find out exactly where your personal sweet spot is. The main goals are to increase your mileage safely to a minimum of about 20 miles per week. Some of you may be running double that mileage by July.  If that works for you, fine.   The bottom line is this program will accommodate EVERYONE, regardless of ability.

Q: Any specific workouts?

A: Since you asked, yes.  Beginning in July, run 90 minutes or 10 miles every other weekend.  This run is at a conversational pace and its purpose is to build aerobic capacity and endurance.  If you want to do a trail run, fine.  By the time we begin cross country practice in late August, you should have completed at least four of these runs.  Some of you may be ready for your first ten-miler in late June.  It’s up to you.

Q: How fast?

A: Whatever is comfortable. Not once should you come off of a workout with your eyes rolling back in your heads, that’s not the point.

Q: What should my heart rate be?

A: I don’t have a clue.   Run a pace in which you can maintain a conversation, except running up a steep hill.

Q:  What can parents do to help out?

A:  Being supportive and joining in runs whenever possible.  Remember hiking is a good workout, too.  My grandfather used to ride his bike alongside of me when I was running in high school.  Participate as much as possible in any way you can.  Help find local 5K runs/walks.  It’s not particularly effective to sit on the couch watching TV, and say, “Son, you need to go running.”

Q: What about hill repeats and speedwork?

A:  Everyone should be including hills in at least some of their workouts, if possible.  If you want to jump on a track and do some 200s, go for it.   A better method would be to do some pickups once a week, where you push the pace for 1-2 minutes, then recover for 2 minutes, and then repeat a for a total of 5 pickups.

Q: What if I want to push it?

A: If you’re out on a run and are feeling good you just might rip into a tempo run, which is basically a race pace effort for 15-20 minutes. One favorite: “run to the barn”, that is, the last two to three miles of an easy run just let it rip. Go into orbit.

Q: I want to run some summer road races; can I?

A: Sure, why not? It gives you something to look forward to during the summer, when fall cross country is still a long ways off.  They’re fun, and many of these events are run/walk, so the family can participate.  As long as these races are not the end-all and do-or-die situation. You’ve got bigger fish to fry in the fall so take it easy. Who are you trying to impress in the summer anyway? Not me. Save it for later.  Just don’t make it a weekly habit.   E-mail me and I can locate fun runs and road races close to your home.  Or use these links:  http://runnersworld.com/channel/0,,s6-239-0-0-0,00.html and http://active.com

Q: Can you summarize all of this?

A: (1) E-mail me once a week and let me know what you’ve been doing (2) Build up to running at least four days per week, now, for 45 minutes or 5 miles per day (3) beginning in July, add a long run of 90 minutes or 10 miles every other week (4)  look for local road races and run them for fun (5) run as many hills as you can fit into your workouts, and push them once in awhile if you feel like it (6) include parents and family in your running  (7) relax, the real training doesn’t begin until late August.  Remember the key terms for the summer, RELAXED and COMMITTED.

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