And the wiiner is............

The last couple of years I have been away from track I have had time to re-think a few goals.I always wanted to coach a state championship team forgetting my mentor Dr Edward Temple's mantra-"I want to create as many individual champions as I can and if a national title comes about in the process,that's just icing on the cake"( I'm paraphrasing a wee bit here) Sometimes we let our ego get in the way and forget why we are there. It's about teaching life lessons to young people. So I'm still working on being a better coach and a better person.....1 champion at a time

MY FIRST COACH

This past March was my  mothers' birthday.Everything that I do and say now came from her. Your first coach in life are your parents. They set the foundation for you being you.Some folks are not as blessed to have a great mother and grandmother like I did.If they ever coached a sport I would hate to go up against them.they palyed by the rules,but adapted them to fit what ever situation they had faced and knew that I would eventually They planned their work and worked their plan. Always knew what I was going to do before I did ." I brought the monkey to town" was Reece's favorite saying when she peeped may game. Abraham Lincoln said it best-"All that I am and all that I ever hope to be I owe to my mother" Maureece L.M.Currie showed me the way to be the best person I could be,and that carries over into my work as a coach...couldn't ask for more.....Ciao

Time to make the donuts

Alright sports fans ,I am working on my new venture,private coaching and instruction. You can check out my profile on COACHUP.COM. I decided that there are only 4 people in the metro area that I would take a back seat to and be an assistant coach. So I decided to step out and try something new.It will take a while to build up my client base,but I know GOD can make it happen. Special shout out to Keisha Malone and Anne M Fontenot Franks,for their testimonials. I need  help to set me above the competition..(and rake in da bucks ). If I have been your coach,coached your children,or if you've seen me at work,please be so kind as to write a testimony for me and send it to my FaceBook inbox.....time for me to take it to the next level with your help

PLAYA PLAYA HATER

As anyone who has read my blogs knows ,I don't particularly care for track in Missouri and even less for some of the coaches. Why then does a coach wait til 5 days before districts to make changes in a relay lineup and tell a senior who is ranked in all three sprint events,that she cant run four events at district." You have to take one for the team and be a team player"......never mind the fact that this young lady has been a team player since day one, does not mind running the 4x4,but still wants the opportunity to pull off the sprint trifecta-something that very few folks have or can do.


What this is about is petty coaches who only care about themselves under the guise of "being a team player" As I have said before and paraphrasing Dr Edward Temple of Tennessee State University- "Track is an individual sport,not a game like basketball or football.The purpose is to create as many individual champions as you can,and if a team championship comes about in the process.....GREAT..Why should this  young lady put a mediocre relay on her back and sacrifice what she has worked so hard to accomplish. Why should a  head coach who said  in response to my saying I wanted to make him look good-"I don't care about looking good or winning meets", now all of a sudden wants to win one for the team? The logic is as old and racist as in olden times....put 4 blacks on the floor/track and we can win-sorry
........never mind the fact that 4 other teams clocked better times than you and have better athletes at their disposal.......why are these folks doing what they do.Oh well c'est la vie

WHATSAMATTA U or BUST

Well as I right this a title has not come to me,but give me time. I have been involved with education for 24 years and track just as long.It baffles me as to how some people are allowed to coach when they do absolutely NOTHING for the young people they work with.One of the reasons John Wooden was a success was that he got to know his athletes as people first, Dr Edward Temple had 3 simple demands for his TigerBelles...........now here is what I know about the vast majority of HS,and age-group coaches in my sport:

1) They are all mashuggah( Yiddish look it up)

2) Most of them can spell sprint mechanics and dynamics and they sure as hezmanna don't know what they are

3) Not everybody who was a great athlete in HS/College,will be a great coach....unless of course your coach was someone like Norris Stevenson or Houston Chandler(my icons/role models)

4) Why are you asking them about what college to go to? They only know the ones in your backyard,and do not understand the admissions process at all.

5) They do give a damn about someone with talent.Why......so they can say ride that kids success to a better job(and ya know I is right....think about it). So why would you trust ANYTHING they tell you.


My rant is triggered by a former athlete who went to a school,that I knew would not be a good fit academically and athletically because his mashuggah coach( there's that word again) told him that's where somebody of his talent should be. What this schmuck( more Yiddish...gotta stop watching Mel Brooks movies) didn't tell the kids' parents' is Mr Wonderful gets a kickback from the college coach for every kid he sends to Whatsamatta U( Hey Rocky ,watch me pull a rabbit out my hat). Now this kid is in limbo,because half his credits wont transfer, he may lose a year of eligibility and he owes WU some money............don't think I wont say I told you so( those that know me may chime in now). Here is what I am saying- If you are lucky to have a coach that knows you kid as a person first and is genuinely concerned about their welfare, I wont ever try to disappoint them or you.

OFF TO OZ

Last year around this time I had posted comments with regards to some teams safe scheduling and why other teams fare better when STATE comes around. Another coach and I have said on numerous occaisions,"We play chess ,while everybody else plays checkers( if I got to explain it then I'm talking about you ;-)  ) . If you are gonna be the best you have to run with the best.  I was told a few years back, by the head coach of my school,that we couldn't get into  a certain meet( Henle Holmes) because it was closed......pardonnez-moi ma Francais -BULL....  . The only reason we couldn't get in is because you didn't want folks to know how poorly you coach track. When I  started my HS coaching career at Incarnate Word Academy in St Louis,I had to battle with the AD,Principal and some of the seniors on the team to upgrade the schedule. I wanted to give the program the same level of respect that the BasketBall,VolleyBall,Soccer and even the CheerLeaders had  at the State level......but nooooooooo. The AD even said-"Track is easy to coach". Well I'm going to sit back and watch the schools that go to the KU Relays this weekend come back to Missouri and wreck shop on everybody else....ciao

DUNN DEAL

 5 years ago, Debbie Dunn,voluntarily dropped off Team USA,because her drug test " A"  sample came back positive for PED's. Dunn had aroused some suspicion due to her remarkable performances over the last year where previously she had been somewhat lackluster and mediocre at best.I posted an interview from REAL SPORTS/HBO with Kellie White, on my group Facebook page,who was suspended for testing positive for PED's and freely admitted that she did. One thing White said in that interview sticks with me.Paraphrasing here-"If I wanted to keep up and be competitive what choice did I have". That statement intimates that  she aint the only one or is she? A lot of noise was made about Florence Griffith Joyner and her sister in law Jackie Joyner Kersee during 1988.NO substantial evidence was forthcoming and they tested negative,but you still have folk dragging Florence's name thru the mud...remember it was Kellie Whites' coach who introduced her to Victor Conti,Steve Reddick was Debbie Dunn's coach...Bobby Kersee dont play that.Now we have Tyson Gay,Asafa Powell,Sherone Simpson,Veronica Campbell Brown( since vindicated).....etc

In any competitive arena,EVERYBODY is looking for an edge over their opponents,and I'm no different. For me my drug of choice is-wait for it-KNOWLEDGE. Yup good old fashioned brainwork.....I'm not giving away anything here,but I research successful programs/coaches and modify them for my athletes...and it works. From all of these cases involving PED's,the coaches are at the bottom of it...looking for the EASIEST,QUICKEST way to get an edge over their athletes  main comp. Why work hard when all ya gotta do is take a little blue/red pill,inject yourself,or smear on some cream-PRESTO CHANGEO-you've changed into the INCREDIBLE HULK or THE FLASH( depending on your event-there have been more weightlifters,throwers and wrestlers busted for taking PEDs than track folk @ the Olympic level).

Let's face it cheating is nothing new and  as long as their is competition it's not going anywhere.But as a coach,if I have to cheat to win,then its time for me to quit and do something else........ciao