The past discussion over the many failures Team USA has had the last couple of Olympics and World Championships sent me back to this blog( excuse the different type face...forgot which one it was :-D ).There was been a heated discussion on Facebook on the ReaL Deal Track and Field page with no end of opinions. It is at best difficult as all get out to put together a quality relay team.The problem,as Jon Drummond Team USA Relays coach is trying to put a good team out there when you have the athletes,their coaches,agents and everybody else lobbying for a spot.Let me give you a peak into what is happening the HS level where I am.
When you ask folks what they come to see at any track meet,it's the RELAYS. Doesnt matter if its college,high school or age group, EVERYBODY wants to watch that stick move round the track. And when I say relays I'm talking about the sprint relays.........4x1,4x2,4x4,sprint medley...they are the reason folks go to the Penn,Drake and Texas Relays every year. If relays are so popular why is that some HS coaches dont know how to teach proper relay technique? Unlike football and basketball coaches who guard their playbooks like Ft Knox, we who coach track will give ya little peak into this is how we do it( Cue Montell Jordan please). So why is it some coaches INSIST on doing things their way,even though its wronger than two left shoes.
In order to have a successful and effective relay you need chemistry,timing and technique. You just cant throw 4 people together 5 days before a meet and expect it to be good. Let me jump on the TEAM USA thing for minute.Just a sentence ago I mentioned chemistry....that aint something that comes together in a fortnight( ooo how velly British of me guv'nor). This is not a knock on Drummond but a suggestion. Look at the most successful relay teams from the US that have worked what did they have in common? For the women in the Olympic years from 1952-1968 either all or 3/4ths of the team was comprised of ladies from Tennessee State University-The Tiger Belles(thank you Dr Temple).On the Mens side-The Santa Monica Track Club,1984-1993(includes the first World Championships-and guess who was part of that crew ? ).
The "wait until the last minute" attitude seems to be prevalent at my level.That kind of attitude means you dont give a rats backside,ya dont know what you are doing or both. When I coach the relay,we always us the blind pass-downsweep,snatch or modified snatch,no verbal command and we use all of the zone. There are a couple of other wrinkles involved but I'm not giving away the store here( Have to have some secrets now). I will say this if you want to learn how to execute a good relay watch Baylor,Texas A&M,LSU or any relay team Carl Lewis was on...oops I gave part of my formula away :-)................... I start teaching relays concepts on the first day of practice. The last school I worked with, they let the kids decide who was going to run the relays and teach them some stuff that kids in the PeeWee group in AAU/USATF would look at you and laugh. But we let these folks continue as coaches......puhleeez.... Have I been successful-yup.....no state championships( although my good friend Peter McCreary says I can claim the Parkway South 4x1,4x2 State Champions....all of the Divas got their basics with me) but EVERY relay coached by me has been ranked in the top 25 in the metro area.
Coaching relays is a science and it needs a technician/scientist..........not a English Lit prof......see ya
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Thursday, March 29, 2012
BONAFIDE,QUALIFIED and CERTIFIED
When I first started coaching I was the quintessential know-it-all. I thought I knew everything about track and field. I had some small success coaching the kids at Parkway South Jr High,so naturally I thought I was GOOD. From there do something. I became the consummate student of the sport. I watched countless hours of video,read every book,listened to every great coach and asked endless questions.I thought I was soo good I started my own AAU/USATF team -The RENEGADES-in 1996. When a couple of my kids didnt make the nationals,I became the consumate student. I read every book,watched every video by every great track and field coach. By the time I started coaching high school track in 19998, Mr Know -it-all re-surfaced.I was at Rosati-Kain,Incarnate Word Academy and Webster Groves-and was successful as all get out,the kids and their parents loved me but hatas do come out and play. It wasnt until I arrived at Marquette High School,did I realize that I needed to take my game to the next level and get real serious and professional about my coaching.
The thing that disturbs me now,is all of these Carbon Based life forms out there who know absolutely nada about how to teach/coach track and life lessons,but still keep a position. Sectionals are this week in Missouri,and some CBLF is gonna mess a kids life up. We put our kids at risk, mentally and physically ,letting people like that coach. AD's would NEVER let a unknowledgeable person be the Basketball,Football,Baseball or any team sport coach for that matter,but track -WTH....I know of a school where the head track coach played baseball(and its a college ) I feel every person who coaches this sport should have at the least USATF Level 1 certification( not a guarantee they will be good) and in order to be a head coach should have the USATF certification plus certification from USTFCCCA( which is the much better course...lets call it USATF 1.5). When I took the USTFCCA course a couple of years ago there werent that many coaches from the metro area. The same can be said for attendance at the USATF annual meeting-it was just me and my buddy Hosea.
One of the things that taints this sport is the CBLF,that say" This is how we do things here. We did it like that when we won the state championship in 1980"..........well bubba the times and technology have changed and as Vern Gambetta said" Are you a dinosaur or a cockroach".........and if you dont get what he meant,I already know what you are.......see ya in a couple...ciao
The thing that disturbs me now,is all of these Carbon Based life forms out there who know absolutely nada about how to teach/coach track and life lessons,but still keep a position. Sectionals are this week in Missouri,and some CBLF is gonna mess a kids life up. We put our kids at risk, mentally and physically ,letting people like that coach. AD's would NEVER let a unknowledgeable person be the Basketball,Football,Baseball or any team sport coach for that matter,but track -WTH....I know of a school where the head track coach played baseball(and its a college ) I feel every person who coaches this sport should have at the least USATF Level 1 certification( not a guarantee they will be good) and in order to be a head coach should have the USATF certification plus certification from USTFCCCA( which is the much better course...lets call it USATF 1.5). When I took the USTFCCA course a couple of years ago there werent that many coaches from the metro area. The same can be said for attendance at the USATF annual meeting-it was just me and my buddy Hosea.
One of the things that taints this sport is the CBLF,that say" This is how we do things here. We did it like that when we won the state championship in 1980"..........well bubba the times and technology have changed and as Vern Gambetta said" Are you a dinosaur or a cockroach".........and if you dont get what he meant,I already know what you are.......see ya in a couple...ciao
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Who am I
My coaching philosophy is athlete centered, my style is modeled after Norris Stevenson, Houston Chandler( both in the Missouri Track Hall of Fame),with heavy influence from Irving” Boo” Schexnayder,Dr Edward Temple, Pat Henry, Clyde Hart, Bev Kearney,Brooks Johnson and John Smith
Parkway South Jr High-Manchester , Mo
Head Coach-Cross Country/Track
Accomplishments:
4 school district championships (1991-1994)
7th/8th grade boys/girls track
1 school district championship (1993)
7th grade girls/boys cross country
Renegades Track Club (summer track)-St Louis , Mo
Head Coach/ Founder/ President
Emphasis-sprints/jumps/throws
Accomplishments:
42 AAU/USATF Regional Qualifiers
36 AAU/USATF Association Medalists (3 Gold, 17 Silver, 16 Bronze)
5 USATF National Qualifiers (Long Jump, Shot Put (2), Discus, Javelin)
Danielle Livingston Franks- MSHSAA 2A Champion (Discus)
Rosati- Kain High School-St Louis, Mo (1997)
Associate Coach-Cross Country
Accomplishments-:
JV Conference Champions (1997)
Incarnate Word Academy- Normandy
Head Coach-Track
Emphasis-sprints/jumps/relays
Accomplishments:
4-1 dual meet record
3rd place Districts-MSHSAA 3A
Top 25 Metro Area Performances -St Louis
Sarah Becker-100m, 200m
Joy Williams-100m, Long Jump
4x100 relay
4x200 relay
Assistant Coach-Track
Emphasis: sprints/jumps/relays
Accomplishments:
Top 25 Metro Area Performances- St Louis Post Dispatch
TaiIsha Williams, 100m, 200m
Diane Barton-400m
Sprint Medley
4x100
Marquette High School-Chesterfield, Mo (2009- 2011)
Assistant Coach- Track
Emphasis: jumps/sprints/relays
Accomplishments:
Top 100 Performances (Missouri-Athletic.net)-2010-2011
Zenova Harris-100m
4x1
4x2
Claire Kraeling, Vaughn Powell, Karyn Vilbig-LJ
Ofri Yaar- TJ
State Qualifiers-2010
Vaughn Powell, Karyn Vibig (LJ)
Sectional Qualifiers
Vaughn Powell-2009, 2010(LJ, HJ)
Karyn Vilbig-2010(LJ)
Ofri Yaar-2010(TJ)
Claire Kraeling-2011(LJ)
Harris, Cook, Thompson, Glaser, Horsford, Cook-4x 100-2011
District/Sectional Champions
Claire Kraeling-LJ – District 2/4A -2011
Karyn Vilbig-LJ- Sectional 1/4A-2010
Conference Champions
Ali Schaper-100m, TJ (JV Division Suburban West)-2011
Claire Kraeling-LJ (JV Division Suburban West)-2010
Certifications:
AAU/PCA Certification
USATF-Level 1 Certification
ASEP- Coaching Education Certification
American Red Cross First Aid Certification
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Welcome to the JUMP OFF
Hey there sports fans. After some prodding and praying I have to decided to enter the blogosphere. This blog is called the Jump Off and will deal with things related to track and field -the who,what, when where how and why as I see things. We may not always agree but I will make you think.
FCAB
FCAB
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