1. PAGES 1-35 - Texas Track & Field Coaches Association

DEVELOPING YOUR HIGH SCHOOL TRACK & FIRLD PROGRAM
so the athlete does not get mixed messages.
•Head coach needs to meet with different event kids periodically
so they hear the same message from different people
(not just their event coach).
•Have a coache’s social with spouses before/after season
•Meet weekly with your coaching staff or communicate with them
about goals for the upcoming meet (emphasize individual events
vs. relays…moving kids up, trying to win the meet, using it as
a workout, dealing with Prom…)
•Must allow asst. coaches to be their own head coach and make
their events their own, but they should clear new strategies/
techniques with the head coach first so that it is consistent
with the team’s philosophy.
•Insist that they continually better themselves by attending
clinics/speaking at clinics.
•Volunteers…Make sure they know their role in the program and
that they have the same philosophy. Make them feel important and
include them. Treat them as one of the paid coaches and recognize
them as often as possible.
ACKNOWLEDGING ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Everyone likes to be recognized. Take the time to give an
“atta boy” as often as possible. It doesn’t cost anything and
goes a long way to make the athlete feel good about themselves.
•Recognize PR’s (in team meeting after a meet by a show of hands)
•Send weekly e-mails to parents about all the great things that
happened at the last meet, including Gray Shirt winners.
•Display Record Boards
•Post top 10 performances in each event (all time)
•Post State Meet Placers (all time)
•Post results and/or top marks for the season (weekly) on the
bulletin board
•Get names of athletes in daily announcements if possible when
they win or break records
MEETS
During the indoor season, Wheaton North runs 1 meet/week
and during the outdoor season 2 meets/week. We have a
Tuesday dual/triangular meet where everyone competes and
the weekend meet is an invitational with limited entries. Many
of our meets are “non-scoring.” The only meet we try to win
every year is our conference meet.
•Our goal for EVERY meet (including the state meet) is for
everyone to get a PR. Team points will take care of themselves
if everyone gets a PR.
•Get as many kids into meets as possible…your stars will shine
anyway and you won’t overuse them (they need to get to the end
of the season healthy).
•Enter meets/develop meets that have a lot of participation
(we developed a Best 4 Invitational where each team enters their
“Best 4” in each event (except relays, only one relay) and treat each
level like a separate meet with one grand team total). This way the
#3 and #4 athletes (which usually don’t get into invites) feel that
they’ve contributed to the teams performance.
Surround yourself with good people and let them help you
develop and maintain your program. You cannot do it all by
yourself. It takes a lot of time and energy to develop and maintain
a quality program, but the lives you impact by teaching
them lifelong lessons are well worth it.
GRAY SHIRTS
We started this tradition 27 years ago. We bought simple gray
t-shirts that said “Wheaton North Track and Field” on them and
gave them out to athletes who really distinguished themselves
in one way or another. We only awarded about 12 year. When I
became head coach, I decided that I would get a lot of them
and have every athlete (or most) try to earn one. We developed
a criteria for the boys to earn a Gray Shirt (see below). They
wear them as badges of honor around school, at practices, and
meets. They cannot buy them, they must earn them. Every year
I have one of the varsity athletes design the shirt so it’s different
every year. We award them at team meetings after each meet.
Each coach talks about the shirt winner and how they’ve
earned the shirt.
GRAY SHIRT CRITERIA
•Good week of practice, good meet effort
(usually a Personal Record (PR)).
•Represents Wheaton North Track and Field in a positive
manner both in and out of the classroom
•Allows themselves to be coached
•Unselfish with their talents (puts the team before any
personal agendas)
46 techniques AUGUST 2011