If you ever get the chance to coach something for a season, I would strongly recommend it. It does not even have to be something that you are sure you would enjoy or know a whole lot about. 8 years ago, a guy I taught with asked me if I wanted to come and help coach the track team. I had never been a part of track in my life, but he knew that and still asked. Chances are if you asked the head coach to volunteer and help coach just about anything, they would say yes in a heartbeat. I was a baseball kid growing up and it never even crossed my mind to see what track and field was all about. He had mentioned that they needed some help with the team and if I was interested, I should show up on day 1 and see what it was all about. Am I ever glad I did. It was an awesome part of my life that I am happy I had the chance to experience.
Year 1-
What an eye opener. I thought track was pretty much run hard and turn left. I didn’t realize all of the different things that occur during a track meet. From hurdles to high jump to discus to relays. My first track meet was an indoor track meet at a local college and there were over 1000 athletes there that day. It was pandemonium for me as kids were asking me to watch their starts, help them get their steps for jumping, where do we go for this and I was more lost than they were. I was like a fish out of water. We had 2 more meets at the same college that year and I got better as they went and had some better answers as they were asked. We had some phenomenal talent on our team as we had a distance runner who was already a state entrant in the mile and 2-mile and placed at state and some great sprinters as well. I worked with the varsity, junior high, and also our elementary program. That is an interesting feeling having about 10 5th graders looking at your thinking you know what you are doing and feeling like they maybe know as much as you do. It was a complete eye opener and I felt like the only tangible thing I contributed was being a positive cheerleader for our varsity and junior high team.
Years 2-5.
The next 4 years went by quickly. I learned a ton, went to coaching clinics, and started to get a feel for what it was like being a coach at the varsity and junior high levels. Our team consisted of about 50 kids grades 7-12, boys and girls. I became a slightly better coach and learned I really enjoyed the horizontal jumps, long and triple jump. I had some great athletes on our team and they were looking to me for advice and coaching strategies to get better. It was completely new to me as I never had done it in my life and only ever was a video watcher and clinic goer self-proclaimed expert. That was always the awkward moment when they would ask me what events I did in high school/college and I would tell them I pitched and played shortstop. “So what are you doing here?” was inevitably the next question. But over time they could see that I kind of knew some things and helped them get better as the year went along. So I got more confident as the years went on and actually started coaching them on technique and not just morale boosting. There were a lot of bumps in the road though. I had been telling my kids to do something as they went to start their jump and learned it is completely opposite of what you actually want to do. So… swallow the pride and move on. But that is how you learn and boy was it fun.
Check back next week for years 6-8 as it is when I became the “head” coach.
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