What is the team’s goal for this season?
This year, we moved up to the Watchung Conference Division, the most competitive conference, after winning the Mountain Division the past two years. A goal is to compete well in this new conference, despite graduating 17 seniors last year. Additional goals include having all athletes achieve a personal best time, jump, or throw throughout the season; setting new school records; winning races and earning medals at invitationals, conferences, counties, and states; and having athletes qualify for Nationals again.
How do you plan on reaching this goal?
Showing up day in and day out to put in the work: mileage, strength plans, throws, etc. There is no way around it: You have to put in the time to get better. I am also grateful to have Coach Sartori and Coach West, along with a great group of seniors, to help our team continue to improve.
What’s the biggest difference between Winter and Spring Track, in your opinion?
The biggest and most obvious difference is the weather. We finally get some nice weather days and no longer have the snow and freezing temps that we train through in the winter. But another major difference is that there are a few different events in the spring: the 400 hurdles, the 100-meter dash, the 110 hurdles, the javelin, and the discus.
How do you coordinate the differing goals and fitness levels of all your various athletes?
We are a no-cut team and have a range of abilities on the team. One of the best parts about track is that while we compete against other athletes, we are also competing against ourselves. Each athlete is trying to beat his previous best, no matter his ability.
Each of the coaches works to develop a training plan that works for individual athletes. On the distance side of the team, we have athletes running anywhere from 20 miles per week to 50-plus miles per week, all depending on their individual needs as runners.
What part of coaching do you find to be most rewarding?
For me, the most rewarding parts of coaching are when athletes achieve something they never believed was possible for them, from running a personal record to breaking 5 minutes in the mile to qualifying for a big meet, and seeing athletes experience new life things that they wouldn’t have otherwise, from making a new friend from a different grade on the team to running in a new area to seeing Hayward Field for the first time. For some, track and field is just a sport they do, but for others, it becomes something much more, and it is very special to get to be part of that.
Do you have any advice for any athletes reading this interview?
Here are 10 pieces of advice for athletes, many inspired by other coaches or star athletes from over the years. Shout-out to the great Steve Magness!
- You are not defined by one race, practice, or run. A bad day doesn’t mean a bad season or career. We are so much more than just that one moment.
- Every athlete’s journey is different. Don’t compare yours to someone else. Just because Athlete A might have gotten to point X during his ninth-grade year doesn’t mean you’re a failure if you don’t get there too. Everyone progresses at different rates.
- The name on the front of the uniform matters more than the name on the back. Team > Individual.
- You are capable of doing hard things. Sports aren’t easy, just like life sometimes isn’t easy. Running in the snow, pushing your body to its limit, and doing what we committed to do even when we don’t feel like it all show we are capable of doing hard things.
- How you do anything is how you do everything. Do the little things with intention.
- Hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard.
- Being great shouldn’t come at the cost of being good. At the end of the day, being a good person is more important than being a great athlete. Look out for others, lead by example, and do the right thing. The goal should always be to be the best athlete you can be, along with being a force for good in our world.
- Ubuntu: I am because we are. No one gets there on his own. We are developed as athletes and individuals by the people around us. Remember the people who shape you, and be that person for someone else.
- Find the joy and fun in the sport. Sports are meant to be competitive, but don’t forget they are supposed to be fun too.
- Compete for each other. OP brothers and Rams run together.
