After an excellent summer of distance training with our summer running club, we are kicking off our school Cross-Country season tomorrow. We've been fortunate for several years to be one of the better programs in the state, and we hope this year is no different. This season will be my twenty-fourth coaching and my twelfth year as the head coach at Owasso. Based on how much work goes into each season, it feels like it was just fifty years ago that I started. During that time, I learned so much about what it takes to create a solid high school cross-country team. I know far more now than I did when I began, and I've also come to realize I will never figure this whole thing out! Running is an incredibly simple sport. We often say in our program, "It's just running." While that may be true, building a successful high school cross country team is so much more than just running.
The easiest place to start when discussing great teams is the training. It's the most fun and exciting topic for me, but I've come to realize that it's not the most important part of our program. Our kids work unbelievably hard. We practice four hours a day, three days a week, and three hours a day for three others. Based on my math, that's a whole bunch of time spent training in addition to school work, jobs, family time, and times with friends. During practice, we spend nearly every minute engaged in an activity. When new runners come into our program, it's not uncommon for them to be overwhelmed by the amount of work involved, but after talking with many other coaches from across Oklahoma and surrounding states, I think we are about average when it comes to practice time when compared with the better programs. We focus on four main components of training: 1. Volume, 2. Intensity, 3. Ancillary Work, and 4. Recovery. If we have the Volume cranked up as we do in Cross Country, we bring the Intensity down. During Track, we bring back the Volume and ratchet up the Intensity. Year-round, we focus on Ancillary work with core exercises, flexibility routine, and strength built in the weight room and with body weight work. We also always preach to our athletes the importance of sleep and nutrition. Training elements from the workouts we do can be seen in other strong programs all over the country. There are really no secrets anymore and thousands of ways to train, making the training important but nothing that will greatly differentiate one program from another.
Another common element among successful programs is a terrific culture within the team. As a high school program, we deal with 14-18-year-olds every day. Let me say that again: 14- 18-year-olds! Do you know the biggest difference in maturity between a 14-year-old boy and an 18-year-old boy? It's height. The 18-year-olds are generally taller. What is the difference between a 14-year-old girl and an 18-year-old girl? The 14-year-old will talk about you behind your back, and the 18-year-old will tell you what you're doing wrong to your face. Teenagers are not always the easiest crowd to work with, but when they buy into the program and each other, there is no other age group more rewarding to coach. We spend so much time discussing what it means to be a great teammate. Be unselfish. Hold yourself accountable. Focus on someone else first and yourself second. Find ways to encourage each other on bad days and celebrate each other on good days. I could go on and on, but if we know the training in our program is on par with most other programs, then we know our culture must be, too, and strong team culture is far more difficult to create and sustain than a training plan.
Another component of a successful team is communication. In my opinion, this is the area most often overlooked by many new coaches and something I still struggle with at times. Coaching really comes down to being an underpaid therapist and an overpaid bus driver. I spend more time talking with my runners and parents than I ever thought possible. By nature, I am very introverted. I don't love talking to people. My idea of a good time is a silent hike in the woods with no one around, but that just doesn't work when you're dealing with a diverse group of people while trying to lead a program. Parents want to know what's happening and how they can be involved. Runners want to know the workout, the meet schedule, and how we'll determine who goes where. Administrators want to know that you've taken care of everything in your program and assistant coaches need to know what you're thinking and how they can add to the program. I spend many hours a week writing, typing, posting, emailing, and talking to anyone and everyone connected to our program. Several years ago, we taped up a hand-written weekly schedule on a sheet of paper on the door to our locker room and called it good. That don't cut the bacon anymore fam.
Finally, the most important element to the success of any program is trust. Trust is built between the athletes, parents, and coaches when the other three components are done well. When coaches create and implement a training program that helps an athlete progress and improve they learn to trust the coach's advice and leadership. When athlete's learn how important their relationships are with each other and to the success of the program they begin to trust each other and push each other to greater heights without worrying about negativity bringing the culture down. When parents see how much time a coach puts into communicating with them and their kids they begin to trust that the coach has their athlete's best interest at heart. When there is a culture of trust between coaches, athletes, and parents then amazing things start to happen!
As we start our 2024 campaign at Owasso we know there will be ups and downs throughout the season. We know there will be a few bad races, a bunch of ok races, and we'll really celebrate when we get a great race! I know I will do something to make a parent upset. I know I will make a bad coaching decision and give an athlete the wrong advice. Runners will get sick or hurt (probably from club soccer.) It will be a constant battle each day to be the best version of ourselves and most days we won't get there. But when our athletes believe they will improve by consistently training day in and day out, when they spend time investing in their relationships with each other and their coaches, and when parents are fully invested in their child's success along with the coaching staff, when it is all said and done we can smile about it all because we'll know we have a successful high school cross country team in Owasso, OK.
Comentários