http://www.d3rankings.us/common/Week.aspx?key=22
Track Rankings came out this week and Claremont is ranked first in the mens and 3rd for the women. My 4 years there all we did was win, they are on to something like 17 straight conference titles. This is division three, it is the only division that cannot give out athletic scholarships. Which means the program/sytem philosophy is extremely important. In division 1 or 2 if you need a thrower you just recruit one.
When I went to Live Oak we would win 2 or 3 meets a year just like the team this year and years past. We would pin point some meets we thought we could win and then throw everything we could at the team. I remember having to run the 300 hurdles at some meets just to try and score some more points. We spent a good amount of time talking about winning and losing meets.
Then I went to Claremont, we never talked about winning or losing; only PRs. It didn't matter if you got first or last it was did you improve? Well in my 4 years we won 4 conference titles.
Then I came back to Live Oak. We had Medal Monday and that was it, people who won medals would get recognized. Distance runners would triple jump in dual meets for points. it was the same old story. Nobody knew anyones PR and we are still winning a couple meets a year. I tried to make PRs a big deal but scoring points and getting medals was reinforced. I only worked with the sprinters and jumpers and those were the ones who learned to appreciate PRs, and if you notice they are the alums that visit after they have graduated, they are the ones who do track all four years and they are the ones that set an example for the rest of the team . If you notice the team is made up of many sprinters (25) and few distance (5) and throwers(4).
Now that I am in charge of the program, I can run the full team the way I like. It may take a while but my goal is for the distance crew and throwing crew to grow as well. I know this program will work, it will take sometime. We have a coaching staff who are former athletes and understand what our goals are and I am really happy with them, they have been awesome.
Anyways I just wanted to show you that this program does work, in fact it is the only type of program that I have experienced that has been successful. I still have a long ways to go to be the coach I want to be, (need to find the balance between being trusting and being taken advantage of, Fridays and spring break are a painful reminder) Just like the theme of the day I am trying to improve.
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I don't know if track is different, but the same idea applies to nearly every other sport imaginable. Some sports, ie. D1 schools and professional teams, are able to use scholarships to get you to practice, but when you're a walk on or not a starter, everything changes. You've got to be more when you don't have a game to look forward to or you're having double days when you could be studying.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if it was who I was, or if it was something that Coach Mike was, but those four years of track and field are the biggest years that affect who I am and what I do. The job I picked was because I missed being around athletes. And now, I'm around athletes all the time and it makes me really appreciate the special type of people that make up "the team."
Every sport has them. Football, softball, track and field, swimming, water polo. Those people that coaches reference, athletes talk about. They're the people who give every day of themselves, always wanting more. They don't play for their head coaches, they don't play for the fans, or even their school. They play for themselves, their teammates, and the people who believed in them before they became amazing.
These are the people who aren't willing to be hard and tell you to stop screwing around. These people won't take less their your hardest work and expect as much out of you as they do of themselves.
Take responsibility for yourself, your teammates, and what you stand for. Every action reflects you.