Coaching Management 12.8

Coaching Management VOL. XII, NO. 8

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HURDLING TITLE IX The law's effect on track and field ■

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CONTENTS

Coaching Management Track & Field Edition Postseason 2004

Vol. XII, No. 8

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2 LOCKER ROOM

Bulletin Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Regionals medical waiver procedure trips up NCAA Division I teams …

Indiana examines status of special education student … Study finds anemia testing deficient in college athletes … Another look at pole vault numbers … High-tech testing yields an array of benefits at one high school.

Q&A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Western Athletic Conference Coach of the Year Mike Maynard discusses the keys to putting Boise State University on the national radar: setting audacious goals, managing time, and building relationships.

ADVERTISERS DIRECTORY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Publisher Mark Goldberg Circulation Director Mark Shea Art Director Pamela Crawford Art Assistant Dina Stander Business Manager Pennie Small

Editor-in-Chief Eleanor Frankel Associate Editor Dennis Read Assistant Editors R.J. Anderson Kenny Berkowitz David Hill Greg Scholand Laura Smith

Production Manager Kristin Ayers Asst. Production Manager Kristi Kempf Prepress Manager Adam Berenstain Prepress Assistant Steve Rokitka Ad Materials Coordinator Mike Townsend

Cover photo: Jeff Harwell/Zips Sports Photography

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COVER STORY

Hurdling Title IX

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Title IX has been both a positive and a negative for the track and field world.

We take an in-depth look at the ups and downs of this important law for both high school and college programs.

SPORTS MEDICINE

In the Shadows

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They’re rarely discussed and just starting to be researched, but body-image disorders among male athletes are real—and they’re a growing problem.

PROFESSIONAL GROWTH

Good Connections

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No matter what your communications system, your athletic director is a person you want to hook up with. Here’s how to partner with this busy, behind-the-scenes boss.

Track Facilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Conditioning Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Training Aids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Uniforms & Apparel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

IT Manager Mark Nye Production Assistant Jonni Campbell Special Projects Dave Wohlhueter Administrative Assistant Sharon Barbell

Catalog Showcase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Team Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Web News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 More Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Advertising Sales Associates Diedra Harkenrider, (607) 257-6970, ext. 24 Sheryl Shaffer, (607) 257-6970, ext. 21 Business and Editorial Offices 2488 N. Triphammer Rd., Ithaca, NY 14850 (607) 257-6970, Fax (607) 257-7328 info@MomentumMedia.com Mailing lists for Coaching Management Track & Field are provided by the Clell Wade Coaches Directory.

The Coaching Management Track & Field edition is published in January and September by MAG, Inc. and is distributed free to college and high school coaches in the United States and Canada. Copyright © 2004 by MAG, Inc. All rights reserved. Text may not be reproduced in any manner, in whole or in part, without the permission of the publisher. Unsolicited materials will not be returned unless accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope.

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bulletin board Regional Road Bump Four Division I student-athletes and their coaches have learned the hard way that advancing to the NCAA national championships may require competing while hurt.

The lesson, a sign that the regionals-based NCAA qualifying process remains clouded, grew out of this spring’s Mideast Regional meet in Baton Rouge, La. The athletes were initially told that if they were certified as injured by the meet physician and didn’t compete, they could still be eligible for advancement to the nationals based on their seasonal descending-order list position.

They stayed out of the regional only to find out the next day that the NCAA has no provision for a medical waiver. They were told there’s no avoiding the requirement to compete in a given event at their regionals if they want a chance to advance to the national championships.

The outcome was understandable, given the NCAA’s emphasis on the regional format, but that didn’t make it any easier emotionally for the athletes, says Lance Harter, Head Women’s Coach at the University of Arkansas.

Harter’s affected athlete was junior sprinter Veronica Campbell, ranked No. 1 nationally at the time in the 100 meters and No. 3 in the 200. She injured her hamstring in a 400meter relay preliminary heat the Friday of the Mideast Regional.

Campbell was evaluated by the Arkansas athletic trainer and the meet physician, who was the team doctor for host Louisiana State University. The doctor confirmed a hamstring strain, and the meet referee ruled that Campbell did not

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have to compete. He referred to the NCAA track and field rule book, which outlines the medical-waiver procedure, and told Harter that Campbell would be eligible to advance.

Given her high ranking on the descending-order lists in her top events, it was reasonably clear Campbell would get an at-large berth at the nationals, so she and Harter decided to forgo the remaining regional races. Another consideration was Campbell’s status as a favorite to make the Olympic team from her native Jamaica (which she did). There was too much at stake to risk worsening her hamstring.

NCAA Assistant Director of Championships and liaison to the Division I Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Committee.

and student-athletes of the necessity of regional competition and of how medical issues are handled, Bockleman says, but the rule itself is firm.

“The fundamental premise of the regionals is head-to-head competition. That is what the Committee and the Championships Cabinet said with this decision,” Bockleman says.

“That’s why there’s the rule that you have to run in the regionals. There’s no free pass so someone can skip the regionals

“It’s such a new process for everyone that there are going to be some unforeseen scenarios,” Harter says. “Unfortunately for Veronica Campbell, she’s a victim.”

Harter would like a clear statement that there is no medical waiver into the nation-

That was Friday afternoon.

Around noon on Saturday, Harter got a call from the meet referee, informing him that the NCAA said there was no medical-waiver provision and that Campbell was out of the nationals. Arkansas coaches appealed to the Track and Field Committee, which stood by the ruling. “Unfortunately,” says Harter, “the NCAA Track and Field Committee has a technical manual for the regional meets that does not say anything about a medical situation. That’s where the gray area appeared.”

Meanwhile, a similar scenario played out with three other athletes at the Mideast Regional: senior sprinter Sean Lambert of the University of Tennessee; Louisiana Tech junior sprinter Shandra Freeman; and Alistair Cragg of Arkansas, who had an existing injury and sat out the 5,000 meters, an event in which he was the defending national champion. All four appealed to the NCAA Championships Cabinet and were told the Cabinet was not going to overrule the sport committee.

The Mideast situation was unfortunate, but the meet referee has no authority over advancement, says Mark Bockleman,

University of Arkansas junior sprinter Veronica Campbell was one of four NCAA Division I athletes barred from the 2004 national championships after sitting out regionals due to injuries. The athletes initially believed they could receive medical waivers to compete. while the rest of the world has to go out and compete pretty hard at the regionals to advance.”

The Track and Field Committee is discussing ways to better inform coaches, meet officials,

als added to the regionals technical manual. “The modification would be, ‘If you don’t run an event in the regional championship, you don’t have a chance to advance to the national championship,’” he says. “I think there should

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bulletin board be wording to the effect that no one—no doctor, no referee, no meet official—can exempt anyone.”

In the future, Harter says he’ll tell an athlete in a similar position to line up and do the best he or she can under the circumstances. The athlete will have to try not to worsen the injury, and may have to visit the medical tent to try to avoid a not-best-effort disqualification, he adds.

Special Athlete, Special Case

THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR/GREG MOORE

Sam Gambrel hasn’t won any points yet for his cross country or track and field teams, but he’s still a big part of the program at Shelbyville High School in Indiana. He’s also the reason the state is revisiting its rule governing special-education students’ participation in high school athletics.

Gambrel’s disabilities, which stem from oxygen deprivation at birth, do not prevent him from training and entering meets with Shelbyville’s cross country and track and field teams. He’s not eligible to earn team points, however, because his special-education plan leads to a certificate of completion rather than a high school diploma as required

by Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) eligibility rules.

So far, the rule has not hindered Gambrel or Shelbyville, but there’s concern that could change. “Sam’s not certified to compete at the varsity level, so he has competed at the junior varsity or freshman level,” says Harry Larrabee, Shelbyville’s Athletic Director. “Let’s say Sam is our eighth or ninth runner in terms of times. He would not have counted in our scores anyway. But as he continues

to improve, next year he may fall into that category of earning points.”

Gambrel’s family has filed a federal complaint over his eligibility status. Laws designed to guarantee equal educational opportunities for children with disabilities generally include extracurricular activities, including athletics, according to the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. For that reason, the Indiana Department of Education has taken an interest in the case, with its legal staff advising that schools that follow IHSAA dictates could violate disabilities law.

Kevin Marlowe, a lawyer for the Indiana Department of Education, explained in a memo to the state education superintendent that students in special education typically do not take part in interscholastic athletics because they lack

prowess in most sports. But on cross country and track teams that do not limit rosters by ability, barring students with disabilities could violate the law.

Marlowe has suggested an amendment to IHSAA rules modeled after policies in Delaware and Iowa. State high school associations there give eligibility to students in special-education programs that don’t lead to the traditional diploma if the students are making satisfactory progress.

That determination is made by the educators who develop and carry out each student’s plan—usually a committee in each local school system.

A draft amendment developed by Marlowe would allow eligibility for students who are in special education and not pursuing diplomas.

They would have to receive passing grades in the most recently completed grading period in at least 70 percent of their subjects or their equivalent as reflected in their individual educational programs.

That echoes current IHSAA eligibility standards, which require regular education students to have passed 70 percent of their classes during the most recent grading period and to take 70 percent of a full academic load.

IHSAA Commissioner Blake Ress says he appreciates Marlowe’s help, but that lawyers for school systems in Indiana remain skeptical that the amendments drafted so far would avoid opening a loophole ripe for abuse—they fear that students perfectly capable of earning a regular diploma may seek “certificate of completion” status to gain easier sports eligibility.

Shelbyville (Ind.) High School track and cross-country athlete Sam Gambrel talks to his father during a meet last spring. A special-education student not slated to receive a high school diploma, Gambrel is currently not eligible to score points for his team.

“This is sad to say, but there are people out there who would forego a diploma and forgo graduating from high school if they could just play sports,” Ress says. “We can’t

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bulletin board have a rule that would allow that to happen. If they were able to participate without that requirement, there are people who would just be interested in athletics.”

Marlowe has suggested specifying that the diploma-track exception would apply only to students who have been assessed as not capable of earning a high school diploma and thus are working toward a certificate of completion—not simply to any student receiving special services. Students with learning disabilities may have individual educational plans but still follow the diploma track, he explains.

Another option, Ress says, is having parents sign an agreement that their son or daughter is not pursuing a traditional diploma. “We’re working on wording that would apply to a very narrow group of students but could not be expanded to apply to anybody who simply wanted to play without passing,” he says.

In Shelbyville, meanwhile, school officials and the athletic department try to cope while

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“Sam’s a very positive young man,” Larrabee continues.

“He loves the activities that athletics brings and the competition. In high school, we are always looking to do what is best for any of our students, and Sam works hard and enjoys it. He has a smile on his face all the time and continues to improve.”

More Anemia Screening Needed?

Iron deficiency is reported to affect 60 percent of female athletes in the United States.

As alarming as that statistic may be, it seems most NCAA Division I institutions have a ways to go in detecting and treating the condition.

In a recent study, an anonymous online survey was sent to 94 Division I schools to determine current practices in regard to screening and treating athletes for iron deficiency.

Only 43 percent of the 54 respondents indicated that their institutions screened for iron deficiency in female athletes.

“We found that there really wasn’t anything consistent,” says Chris Rosenbloom, Nutrition Consultant for the Georgia Tech athletic department, an Associate Professor at Georgia State University, and one of the study’s authors.

“Across the board there were many differences—a lot of schools weren’t testing, and those that were testing were only testing women. Some

As many as two out of three female athletes in the United States may suffer from iron deficiency, and distance runners are particularly at risk. A recent study indicates that colleges need to work harder to detect and treat the condition in both female and male athletes by conducting annual screenings. were testing all female athletes, some were just testing freshmen, and some were testing but not following up. And different schools were using different cutoff values for what they defined as anemia.”

Rosenbloom believes all athletes should be tested at least once a year. “And it would be wise not to do just hemoglobin and hematocrit tests, but also to look at their iron and ferritin levels,” she says.

Female athletes—especially those competing in track and field’s endurance events—are particularly at risk, says Rosenbloom, because they usually are more restrictive with

their diets and may not get a lot of iron-rich foods. “A lot of female athletes are vegetarian or semi-vegetarian,” she says, “which cuts out a lot of good iron sources.”

One common misconception among athletes is that because iron is found in grains, breads, and cereals, those sources provide adequate amounts to satisfy a vegetarian diet. “You have to make sure that if you are eating iron-fortified grains, you are also getting a good vitamin C source to help with absorption,” says Rosenbloom.

“There are things that an athlete can do to make a vegetarian diet work, but it makes it a lot harder.”

STEPHEN NOWLAND/NCAA PHOTOS

Iowa has a policy that relies on the extensive documentation required to enter a student into an individualized special-education plan, says Budd Legg, Information Director for the Iowa High School Athletic Association and a former school administrator in the state. “There is a considerable amount of testing and paperwork that goes into determining whether students can be served through specialeducation programs,” he says. “A student who doesn’t need the help couldn’t get in just because they’re failing. I would not fear a crackerjack athlete in Iowa trying to get into a special-education program so he or she could participate. That just doesn’t happen.”

helping Gambrel participate.

“We’re not involved in the sense of promoting or making judgment on it,” Larrabee says. “We try to be proactive about our kids and certainly are sensitive to the situation.

But we’re a member of the IHSAA and have to go by their guidelines as they’re written.

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bulletin board The amount and type of training done by endurance athletes puts them at greater risk of iron deficiency. “Foot-strike hemolysis—which comes from all that pounding on the pavement—can cause minor losses of blood because as blood travels through the foot, the compression can break up some of the red blood cells,” says Rosenbloom. “Over time, with the mileage they put in, that really adds up.”

money. While no hard numbers are available to indicate how many schools have dropped pole vault, anecdotal information suggests that the number has not been excessive. For example, Tim St. Lawrence, Track Coach at Warwick Valley High School in Warwick, N.Y., told the New York Times that less than five percent of the schools in his state have dropped the event.

Plus, Rosenbloom notes, all athletes lose some iron in sweat. And when athletes take a lot of over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications like ibuprofen or aspirin, those drugs can cause minor gastrointestinal blood loss. “When you add all those things up, you can have an athlete who has iron deficiency anemia or iron deficiency without anemia,” says Rosenbloom.

Yet in at least one pocket of the country, sponsorship drops have caused concern.

Coaches around Fort Wayne, Ind., have been alarmed by the loss of pole vaulting at schools that have been traditional pole vaulting powers.

There are also some misconceptions about how beneficial iron supplements are for people who are iron-depleted, but not yet iron-deficient.

“My philosophy is that if you know someone is already iron-depleted, have them take iron supplements to prevent a true deficiency,” says Rosenbloom. “But coaches and athletic trainers should avoid promising the athlete that just because they take an iron supplement, they are going to dramatically improve their performance right away.

Iron deficiency does not occur overnight, and the remedies also take time.”

Up and Down Pole Vault Numbers When new rules requiring larger pole vault landing pits were passed a year ago, some people feared that the increased cost would force schools to drop the event rather than spend the extra

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According to the Fort Wayne News Sentinel, only five of the 10 schools in the Summit

“We’ve seen some schools, and even conferences, that have dropped the event,” he says. “Some schools did so for financial reasons, and in some cases it was a safety decision—they wanted to have a qualified coach and felt they couldn’t find one so they dropped the event. But those losses have been offset by other schools where there has been increased interest.”

Coaches in the area point to the increased cost of safety measures as one reason for schools dropping teams. Difficulty finding coaches willing to invest in extra education for themselves on the event may also have had an effect.

“I’m not going to make a lot of friends saying this, but I’ve really been disappointed with many of the area coaches,” Brian Kimball, Assistant Coach

“We wanted to give our membership some time to adjust to having girls’ pole vault ... This two-year experiment accomplished that goal, and now we hope to see it get even bigger.”

Athletic Conference sponsor boys’ pole vault, and that includes a couple of teams that have just one pole vaulter.

Another Fort Wayne-area conference has dropped pole vault completely.

“Fort Wayne has long been considered the hub of pole vaulting in Indiana—at least since the 1970s,” Tim Richey, Pole Vault Coach at Lawrence Central High School in Indianapolis, told the paper. “The lack of current interest is amazing to me.”

Bobby Cox, Assistant Commissioner of the Indiana High School Athletic Association, says the number of pole vaulters entered in the state’s regionals has remained stable.

at Carroll High School in Fort Wayne, said. “When I was competing in high school, we had more veteran coaches who took the time to teach their athletes the event. I think, more and more, coaches are only doing it for a couple of years so they don’t want to take the time to learn a complex event like the pole vault.”

At the same time Fort Wayne is seeing fewer boys competing in pole vault, Indiana has become the most recent state to make girls’ pole vault a sanctioned event. The IHSAA added girls’ pole vault to its state meet in 2003 as a nonscoring event, beginning with 83 competitors at the regional level. Last spring, the number of girls competing in pole

vault grew to 206. Cox expects the number to increase again in 2005 as girls’ pole vault becomes a point-scoring event at both regular season and championship meets. Girls’ pole vault competition will also expand to the sectionals, which is the first level of state competition.

“We wanted to give our membership some time to adjust to having girls’ pole vault,” Cox says. “This two-year experiment accomplished that goal, and now we hope to see it get even bigger.”

Testing to the Max It’s the information age—in commerce, in education, and in athletics. Information is everywhere, but how you use it makes all the difference.

That’s the theme of the cross country program of Pennsylvania’s Council Rock North High School, where by happy coincidence, Head Coach Dave Marrington has a neighbor who’s building a fitness company. Stephen Van Schoyck, who lives two doors from Marrington, wanted test subjects for his work with a company that sells customized weightloss and exercise plans. He offered the use of new equipment that can test for max VO2 at a relatively low cost, about $40 per person.

Marrington took him up on it, paying for athletes’ pre- and in-season lab visits with funds raised at the school’s annual indoor and outdoor invitationals. Council Rock North runners now use lab-established parameters to modify their training regimens, using techniques that until recently were only available to elite athletes and well-funded college programs.

The results mostly confirmed Marrington’s existing methods, which are largely drawn on

The lab-based data also can help young runners approach their training more realistically, Marrington says.

He uses a few heartrate monitors, primarily early in the year to help teach self-pacing, but the lab data can show athletes that overtraining or pushing themselves beyond a productive and safe intensity does no good.

REPRINTED BY PERMISSION FROM THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER WITH LINDA JOHNSON

Physical Therapist Douglas Armstrong fits Council Rock North High School runner Trevor Knott with a mask designed to measure oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in his bloodstream. Knott is one of several Council Rock runners whose training plans are benefiting from data obtained during laboratory testing. According to Council Rock Coach Dave Marrington, test results help motivate athletes to fulfill their potential. the race result-based tables of coach and physiologist Jack Daniels of the State University of New York College at Cortland. Validation is a benefit in itself, but the VO2 information also allowed for some tweaking in certain athletes’ cases and, perhaps most useful, motivation in others.

It made them more efficient as runners. It doesn’t raise their top end. It just helps them run close to their top end longer, which is what cross country racing is—it’s not the fastest guy who wins, but the guy who can stay close to his fastest the longest.”

“This gives me a more accurate picture, because I’m getting actual data from these machines,” Marrington says.

“It gives me the exact heart rate these kids are at when they hit the various thresholds, and it’s incredibly close to what Daniels had predicted.”

Marrington says the numbers, in print-outs that go to the coach and athletes, serve as benchmarks and motivational tools. For example, last year a freshman runner’s eyes lit up when he saw how high his VO2 max tests were. It told him he needed to run harder in his sessions.

The information helps finetune workout plans, Marrington says. “We had a couple kids this past year who had a bigger gap than they should have between their VO2 and their lactic threshold. They went to more tempo runs to elevate that lactic threshold.

“He was only a ninth-grader but he had a VO2 that was right up there with our best seniors,” Marrington says.

“When he realized how good he could be, he started coming to practice with a whole new attitude. By the end of this past spring, he ran some-

thing like a 4:48 mile, when he wasn’t even breaking 5:20 earlier in the year. Seeing those test results opened his eyes to what he could do.”

At the other end of the spectrum, senior Peter Heweins scored an efficiency rating of about 97 percent, one of the highest Marrington has seen, but one suggesting little room for improvement. So instead they focused on speed.

“With Pete we worked on mechanics, speed drills, and 30-meter runs up a pretty steep hill near our campus,” Marrington says. “We also did a drill on the baseball field where we timed everyone from home to first. It made it feel like a game, and they kept wanting to beat each other.

That helped Pete a lot because he never had a whole lot of speed, but as he got a little faster, it translated into 10 seconds over a two-mile run.”

“The way I look at it, more information can never hurt us,” says Marrington, “and it can really help some kids. The only drawback is sometimes they see that they don’t have very much potential. But even that’s not a bad thing.

They have to be realistic about their goals, and on occasion, these tests can help kids be a little more realistic.”

Marrington was surprised that his athletes had the ability to actually raise max VO2. Based on research he’d read, largely drawn on elite athletes, he had believed that the trait was strictly dictated by genetics, but he found the number could be raised quite a bit through training over a year or two.

Two seniors even did their graduation project on the testing. “They looked up the VO2s of elite athletes like Lance Armstrong and Frank Shorter and a lot of swimmers, wrestlers, and tennis players,” Marrington says. “These are kids who I think are going to continue running in college, going in with what I think is a greater knowledge base than most high school runners have.

They have a pretty good idea of what workouts will make them better runners. They know the chemistry and the physiology involved.”

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Q A

&

Mike Maynard Boise State University

In just four years at Boise State University, Mike Maynard has built the men’s track and field program into a national contender, finishing 15th in last season’s NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, winning its first Western Athletic Conference Indoor Track and Field Championship, and earning Maynard the WAC’s Coach of the Year award.

An NAIA champion for Azusa Pacific University in 1986 in the hammer throw and the weight throw, Maynard began his coaching career at Mesa Community College, spent the next 13 years as an assistant track and field coach at the University of Arizona, and arrived at Boise State in 2000, taking over a track and field program that had been finishing in the bottom half of its conference.

Since then, he’s been building both the men’s and women’s teams, and has seen his student-athletes break 14 school records (seven men’s and seven women’s) and win 14 individual WAC championships, and had seven athletes honored as NCAA All-Americans. Along the way, he’s partnered with community leaders and organizations to construct the $2.18 million state-of-the-art Idaho Sports Center, which opened in 2002 and is scheduled to host the USA Track and Field Masters Championships in 2005.

In this interview, Maynard talks about the importance of setting audacious goals, managing time, and building relationships.

CM: How have you approached the challenge of building a successful program at Boise State?

Maynard: When I started here four years ago, I brought in a new staff of like-minded, goal-oriented coaches—people who are driven to create a program that can compete at the top level—and we’ve made a series of daily decisions to create excellence. I have a philosophy that I talk about with my coaches and athletes on a regular basis: There should be no apologies for trying to win everything, and if we start out with the intention of winning less than everything, we’ve already lost.

We want to consistently win national championships in cross country, indoor, and outdoor, and we want each of our athletes to graduate with a 4.0 GPA— that’s the vision we’re trying to create.

The athletic director at Stanford talks about setting “big, hairy, audacious goals,” which is absolutely what we’re doing, setting these goals and striving toward them every day. There’s no shame in ending up second or 42nd, but I continue to preach a vision of success where we set out to win everything.

Initially, that may sound like a lot of pressure, but it’s not, because it gives our young men and women an opportunity to pursue their dreams without apology and without fear of being ridiculed.

There’s a great amount of freedom in whole-heartedly chasing a dream, and once they buy into that vision, it creates self-perpetuating success.

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How do you find athletes who will buy into that vision?

We go to meets, we observe, and when athletes are good enough to rise to the top, we’re willing to engage in a recruiting battle. I enjoy recruiting, and having competed in a very tough conference at the University of Arizona, I don’t have any fear of getting into a recruiting battle with the top schools.

As the head coach and the throws coach, I spend the majority of my time recruiting throwers. But we also have recruiting meetings for the entire coaching staff, where everyone sits down and talks about the athletes we want to consider. Who should we pursue? Where can we make the most impact? What’s our plan? How does this person fit into our vision as a program?

We do relationship-based recruiting, and I urge my coaches to take the time to get to know potential student-athletes and their families. We need to know where they’re coming from, because that tells us whether or not we should continue to recruit them. Given the choice between an athlete whose character is exactly what we want and another whose performance is exactly what we want, we’ll always take the one with character.

We’re looking to develop a sense of resiliency and an attitude of being able to overcome obstacles. There have been times in the past when we’ve stopped recruiting someone—not because they

Maynard watches weight thrower Abbey Elsberry, a four-time Western Athletic Conference Champion, an NCAA All-American, and a two-time first team academic All-American.

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weren’t suitable academically or athletically—but because we felt they did not fit the psychological profile we’re looking for here. Sometimes the most important part of recruiting is knowing when to stop.

How does a hammer thrower get to be a head track and field coach?

General Patton said that foot soldiers make the best generals, and if there’s

create a vision in the minds of your student-athletes, which is the most important thing that I do. So why not have a hammer thrower, really?

Why not a hammer thrower with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy?

Why not? People ask me about that, saying, “That’s not a degree you can use every day.” But really, it’s exactly the opposite.

I believe part of every day should be set aside to build for the future, which isn’t just planning—it’s executing a part of your plan every day. There are going to be things you don’t think you have time to do … you need to make time every day. anything like a trench in track and field, it’s the hammer. Too many people think you need to be a running coach or a sprint coach or a cross country coach to be an effective head coach in track and field, and it’s simply not true.

The leadership skills required to administer a program are separate from whatever event a coach competed at in the past.

What matters is the ability to lead and

Every single day, I use my philosophy degree. The study of philosophy is important because it teaches you how to think, how to analyze a situation, and how to hone your persuasive skills. The only difference between manipulation and motivation is intent, and coaches have to motivate their athletes every day.

Philosophy has definitely helped me motivate other individuals, and heck, I have to do that all the time.

What are you proudest of in your first four years at Boise State?

Competitively, for our men’s team to finish in the top 15 in the nation after only four years is a very positive sign. It’s a road marker that says we’re heading in the right direction. This past season, winning an indoor WAC championship was quite fulfilling, and being chosen as coach of the year was very gratifying.

Another really exciting thing was helping put together the Idaho Sports Center.

When I came here for my interview four years ago, Athletic Director Gene Bleymaier asked what it would take to bring this program to the next level. So I told him, “You’ve got a great institution with a great reputation for hosting championships. But you’re not going to be able to win until you can create a really positive training and competitive environment in indoor track and field. You need to have perfect training conditions.” And Gene just said, “Okay, your first job is to make that happen.”

But we didn’t just want to create an indoor facility. We wanted the very best—we wanted the indoor facility. So instead of

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&

going for a non-banked facility with a short track, which wouldn’t have allowed us to host a championship, we opted to go after the best banked, 200-meter surface available. We bought it from the Georgia Dome, and it’s a world-class track—one that the USA Championships have been held on. And through the cooperation and commitment of individuals in the city, we were able to work out a deal with the Nampa Urban Renewal Agency, which built this facility around the dimensions of our track.

The deal essentially allows Boise State Athletics to have the building for four months of the year, from mid-November through mid-March. So we now have one of the finest indoor facilities in the country, and the process of bringing the community and the university administration together laid the groundwork for the success that we’ve enjoyed in the two years since it was built.

That illustrates our philosophy, because we really did shoot for the top. To decide to go from having nothing to having the very best is a big, hairy, audacious goal.

And though that vision is about increasing

the opportunities for our program, it’s also about creating a recreational opportunity for the whole community. So I was able to go out into the community and talk about including everyone from grade school to grandma.

We have open community hours Monday through Thursday from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., and we have community meets on Friday nights, where we invite all age groups, from six to 96, to come in and compete. After we finish our practices, I get to see a couple hundred kids enjoying track and field at a world-class facility, and it gives me a great sense of pride in what we’ve been able to achieve in fulfilling our role in the community.

How can coaches at other schools build those kinds of partnerships?

I believe a portion of every day should be set aside to build for the future, which isn’t just planning—it’s executing a part of your plan every day. There’s always the tyranny of the urgent, all the things you have to do next. There are going to be things you think you don’t have time to do. Well, you need to make time every day.

That means contacting people in the community, rebuilding old friendships, and creating new ones. Too often, coaches only call people when they need something. It’s important to call without having a specific request, just to talk. Because once people get to know you, they’ll want to help, and that’s what happened here in this community. Taking part of every day to make phone calls, just to say hello, is the best thing you can do for community support, fundraising, and development.

It puts relationships foremost, and that’s really what I try to do.

What’s the hardest part of being a head coach?

This is the best analogy I can give: I grew up on a dairy farm, and anybody who has done that knows there’s never an end to the work—just like being a head coach. Some of the stuff I do here is daily care and feeding, and some of it is planting seeds for future growth. Having done both of those growing up, both literally and figuratively, has prepared me for being a head coach, knowing what to do, when to do it, and when to take a day off. Though I have to admit, I’m not so good at that last one.

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HURDLING TITLE IX Title IX has been both a positive and a negative for the track and field world. We take an in-depth look at the ups and downs of this important law for both high school and college programs.

BY LAURA SMITH

COVER STORY

D

ennis Mitchell is the Head Coach of the men’s track and field team at the University of Akron. He’s also Head Coach of the women’s track and field team. But as far as Mitchell is concerned, he coaches only one team.

“I coach the track and field team,” he says. “We treat everyone equally here. There is no dividing line between our male and female athletes. Men and women work together with mutual respect and equal support.”

The philosophy isn’t unique to Akron, of course. Throughout the sport, many men’s and women’s teams share coaches and co-ed track meets are standard. At the NCAA Division I championships, the women’s events generate at least as much attention as the men’s and the same often occurs at the high school level.

“Track and field has traditionally been the most gender-equal of the sports,” Mitchell says. “It has consistently provided equitable opportunities for both men and women. It’s a model of what you’d like to see in terms of gender equity in all sports.”

Gender battles over treatment and resources commonplace in other sports are notably absent in track and field, where equipment and facilities are generally shared equally among men and women. “What’s great about our sport is that a track is a track, a pole vault is a pole vault, and a hurdle is a hurdle,” says Vin Lananna, Athletic Director at Oberlin College and former Director of Track and Field at Stanford University.

“Equity issues that have become significant in other sports are just not present in track and field.”

So, in a sport where gender equity is second nature, why has Title IX, a federal law addressing discrimination based on gender, recently taken center stage?

The answer lies in a discussion swirling within the track and field community amid a rash of cuts to men’s teams at the NCAA Division I level. Some blame Title IX for the cuts, pointing to interpretations that they believe create women’s opportunities at the expense of men’s.

Others call that explanation an oversimplification, bringing factors like football and basketball spending into the discus-

sion. What everyone agrees on, however, is that the time has come for track and field coaches to educate themselves on an often-misunderstood piece of legislation that is playing a bigger role than ever in the future of their sport.

Title IX Basics Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 makes it illegal for educational institutions receiving federal funds to discriminate against students on the basis of gender. The statute dictates that male and female students must have equal opportunities to participate in all educational programs, including athletics, and that they must receive substantially the same treatment and benefits when they do participate.

The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) of the U.S. Department of Education is charged with interpreting the law and ensuring that schools comply.

Schools can meet the law’s requirements by passing any one of three tests— commonly referred to as Title IX’s “three prongs.” A school is considered in compliance if it can illustrate that: ■ the ratio of its male to female athletes is substantially the same as the ratio of males to females in its student body; ■ it has a history and continued practice of expanding opportunities for the under-represented sex; or

■ the athletic program fully and effectively accommodates the interests and abilities of the under-represented sex.

The law sounds simple in theory, but as a matter of practicality, it confuses even veteran coaches and administrators. “As much as I’ve talked about Title IX in various circles, I’m still not an expert,” says Terry Crawford, President of the United States Track Coaches’ Association and Head Coach of men’s and women’s track and field at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo. “Whether you’re a coach or administrator, Title IX can be difficult to grasp. Interpretations vary, and that creates problems.”

As Division I men’s track and field programs find themselves the targets of cuts, Title IX’s first prong, often called the proportionality test, is the focus of the debate. At many schools, budgets have been cut and athletic directors have responded by eliminating teams.

Since most schools do not meet the proportionality standard, if they try to cut a women’s team, it’s very easy for that team to successfully sue the school for reinstatement under Title IX, even if they cut men’s programs at the same time. However, when schools cut only a men’s team, they can justify the move because they are improving their maleto-female ratio. Men’s wrestling and gymnastics have been hit the hardest while more recently men’s swimming, tennis, and track and field have also endured program eliminations.

Cuts to men’s track and field programs have been sharpest in the MidAmerican Conference. Three years ago, 12 of the league’s members sponsored men’s programs. By 2004-2005, nearly half of those programs will be gone.

Programs have been cut in other areas of the country as well, from Fresno State where the men’s indoor program was dropped, to Southern Methodist, which

Laura Smith is an Associate Editor at Coaching Management.

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eliminated its men’s outdoor program.

Many fear the trend will continue.

If proportionality becomes problematic because of budget woes, why aren’t schools using Title IX’s second or third prong, instead of cutting men’s teams?

Largely because those prongs are often viewed as too difficult to measure or seen merely as stop-gap solutions until proportionality can be reached. “Athletic directors have told us that they cut men’s

“Whenever I make a salad, I always toss in a handful of

dance, theater, drama, the physics department—could survive if it was held to a proportionality standard, so why should athletics be held to that standard?”

Chaudhry calls that argument flawed.

“You cannot compare athletics to other programs where spots are open to both genders,” she says. “In athletics, you have sex-segregated teams, so the school has to decide at the outset how many oppor-

“The courts said that nothing within Title IX forces schools to drop men’s teams in order to comply ... Individual schools choose to cut men’s programs, but those schools could make other choices. Instead of dropping men’s teams, for example, schools could add more women’s teams, and that would satisfy the law.”

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programs to get to proportionality because it’s the only safe harbor—they believe that is the only way to protect themselves from Title IX lawsuits,” says Mike Moyer, Executive Director of the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA).

The NWCA is attempting to sue the United States Department of Education, asking that the proportionality prong be abolished from Title IX, but so far, has not been successful. A U.S. District Court and a three-judge U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel have both dismissed the case, although the NWCA plans to appeal again. The courts have ruled that individual schools’ decisions, not Title IX policies, caused the cuts—an assertion that is at the heart of the debate.

“The courts said that nothing within Title IX forces schools to drop men’s teams in order to comply,” explains Neena Chaudhry, Senior Counsel for the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC). “Individual schools choose to cut men’s programs, but those schools could make other choices. Instead of dropping men’s teams, for example, schools could add more women’s teams, and that would satisfy the law.”

However, the NWCA maintains that proportionality is an unfair standard. “It is not an appropriate yardstick to hold athletic departments to,” Moyer says.

“No other educational program—

tunities it’s going to provide to men and how many it’s going to provide to women. Therefore, you need some way to distribute those opportunities fairly. I can’t think of a better, more equitable way than to say, ‘How many men and how many women do we have enrolled?’ and then divide the opportunities accordingly.”

Moyer believes there is a better way: eliminate proportionality and allocate opportunities based on interest. “Do surveys and interviews, look at high school participation rates and intramural participation rates, and then divide athletic opportunities according to interest,” he says.

Throwing out proportionality is a dangerous idea, Chaudhry believes, because lack of opportunities in the past may masquerade as a lack of interest now. “The NWCA says the fact that women are not coming out in larger numbers means they are not interested,” she says. “We say that it reflects the fact that they have not historically been given opportunities. When women were 10 percent of the athletes, people argued that girls and women just didn’t want to play. After Title IX began, women’s participation grew dramatically, but at every step along the way, people have said, ‘That’s it—that’s all the women who are interested.’ The argument was there at 20 percent, and 30 percent, and it’s still there at 40 percent. But as wom-

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en’s opportunities have grown, women’s participation has grown.”

Many believe the debate over Title IX and men’s cuts is simply a red herring, designed to take the focus off the true culprit: irresponsibly lavish spending on football and men’s (and sometimes women’s) basketball. Putting more money into the revenue-producing programs leaves less for adding women’s sports and increases a school’s

incentive to reduce overall budgets by dropping men’s teams.

Lananna, for one, believes this to be true. He points to the vastly different situations in Division I and Division III as evidence. “There is a perception that in all athletic departments in the country, we have dropped men’s sports,” he says.

“The reality is that men’s sports have been dropped in Division I. Division III and most Division II schools have not

dropped men’s sports. In fact, in Division III, we have added both men’s and women’s sports. But if you look at schools with big football and basketball programs, many are running into problems funding other sports for both men and women. Title IX is not the cause.”

“Those who are targeting Title IX are making a mistake,” agrees Mitchell.

“It’s a mistake to try to weaken a law that has been so beneficial to female ath-

ADAPTING FOR SURVIVAL

I

nstead of arguing over whether Title IX is to blame for cuts in men’s programs or complaining about larger women’s rosters, some track and field coaches have chosen to view the changes as a chance to review their goals. To help the sport survive, leaders in the track and field community urge coaches to work with their athletic departments to strengthen the sport from within.

“As coaches, we can’t afford to sit in a vacuum and say, ‘I’m winning and I’m graduating students, so I’m successful,’” says Terry Crawford, President of the United States Track Coaches Association (USTCA). “We have to get rid of the tunnel vision and become aware of what our role is in the athletic department and what the athletic department’s role is in the university.”

The first step, according to Dennis Mitchell, Head Coach for men’s and women’s track and field at the University of Akron and member of a USTCA task force on the issue of cuts to men’s programs, is for individual coaches to work with their athletic directors to define exactly what the administration’s expectations are for track and field. Great performances alone may not be what your athletic department is looking for and may not even be enough to keep your program viable.

“Realize that you are accountable to the athletic department as a whole,” Mitchell urges. “Go in and talk with your athletic director about exactly how he or she defines a successful track and field program.

“There are so many measures—you can win at duals, conference meets, nationals—or you can have individual athletes who achieve great things athletically,” he continues. “With other sports, administrators can look at a won-loss record and see how successful the team is. But with track and field, what represents excellence? We need to stop saying that administrators just don’t understand our sport and arrive at a clearer definition of success.”

For example, last year Akron earned an impressive 157 points in the NACDA cup rankings to finish 102nd overall and second in the MAC, and 93 of those points came from track and field. “Our team didn’t even win our conference, but we could point out that contribution to our administrators,”

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Mitchell says. “How important is the NACDA cup to your administrator, and what can track and field do to help? Sit down with them and ask.”

Vin Lananna, Athletic Director at Oberlin College and former Director of Track and Field at Stanford University, agrees.

“We send very confusing messages,” he says. “Is track and field a team sport? An individual sport? When you go to a meet, are you trying to win it? Or do you define success by whether you had five people run fast enough to make it to the Olympic Trials? We have to standardize track and field and have one mission that we can explain to the public and to administrators.”

Another way coaches can drum up support for their program is to work harder at public relations. The USTCA recently polled administrators at schools where track and field programs have been cut, and a common theme emerged: While the coaches of the cut programs were doing a great job nurturing athletes, they had allowed their programs to become invisible. “When administrators have to cut programs, it’s ugly,” says Crawford. “So they take the path of least resistance. If your track program is invisible, it can become that path of least resistance. Track coaches who work to make their programs visible avoid becoming the path of least resistance.”

Making the effort to work harder with the sports information department or university public relations office can raise your program’s profile, Mitchell says, as can hosting more home meets. “Keeping the track program visible to the wider community helps, too,” he adds. “Right now, we’re hosting a senior games at our facility, and it’s bringing people in and underscoring the fact that the Akron track program is important to the community.

“Our whole philosophy has become, ‘let’s look within,’” Mitchell continues. “We can’t and don’t want to fight Title IX, because that could hurt women’s track and field. And we probably aren’t going to change the entire culture of college athletics. So let’s look at how we can make our sport stronger.

Let’s clarify our objectives. Let’s find the things that are the most beneficial about our sport. And let’s keep those things in the spotlight at each university.”

COVER STORY

letes. Fighting Title IX to protect men’s programs is like biting off our other hand—our women’s programs.” (For more on how some coaches are strengthening track and field instead of fighting Title IX, see “Adapting for Survival, page 18.)

The Flip Side: Women’s Rosters Expand While men’s track and field programs worry about cuts, women’s programs are coping with an issue on the opposite side of the gender-equity coin.

At some schools, administrators are asking track coaches to add more and more female athletes to their rosters to bulk up participation numbers. Adding these athletes can bring the school into proportionality by lowering the male to female ratio without cutting men’s teams.

At Wake Forest University, Director of Track and Field Annie Bennett takes all walk-on women, cutting female athletes only for academic ineligibility. At Akron, Mitchell has been given a 40-person minimum for his women’s team, while his men’s roster is capped at 40. Crawford has heard of Division I programs running advertisements in student newspapers to drum up bodies to expand women’s rosters—with little concern for the talent or experience of the athletes whose names are going on those rosters.

Not everyone sees growing women’s rosters as a bad thing, but nearly everyone sees it as a challenge for coaches.

“It’s good because it allows us to involve more women,” Bennett says. “But has it effected our program negatively? Yes, in some ways, it has. I’ve talked to a lot of women’s coaches who feel like it’s brought down the quality of their programs, and I have to say that I’ve seen that to a degree with my own team.”

The first problem is that a bigger team can stretch a coaching staff too thin. “The walk-on athletes can require a lot of attention,” Bennett says. “Many of them come in having no idea what it takes to compete in Division I, and their expectations are often greater than their abilities. More athletes mean fewer resources for everyone.”

Elite athletes on a team are unlikely to see their performances suffer when rosters expand, Bennett says, but the development of mid-level athletes can take a hit. “When you add a lot more

walk-ons, it makes it easier for middlelevel kids to go down instead of up,” she says. “When all they could see was ‘up,’ they shoot for that. But when there is something below them, it’s a little easier for them to settle for mediocrity.”

Bulking up rosters with walk-on athletes can also radically change the goals a coach can realistically set for the team as a whole. “If you defined your goals by success at nationals, you may have to rethink your definition of success,”

Mitchell says. “Very few of those athletes are going to be able to assist that effort.”

And when you start adjusting goals, you touch closely on the underlying philosophical debate. “Are we okay with seeing programs start looking more like intramurals than like Division I collegiate athletic teams?” Crawford asks.

“I’m not saying there is a right or wrong answer, but that is the philosophical debate that is taking place as coaches are asked to increase their rosters.”

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COVER STORY

Where women’s roster expansion is currently a fact of life, creative coaches are learning to set different types of goals with their non-elite athletes. “We tell our developmental athletes, ‘Everybody has something to offer to this team,’” Bennett says. “‘Not everybody will be going to nationals or even traveling, but we want you to look at yourself and see what positives you bring. Can you contribute a positive attitude, a great work ethic, a solid GPA?’ Then we ask them to look at what they can achieve athletically. Can they go from being a 5:30 miler to a 5:20 miler?”

While she acknowledges the challenges, Crawford suggests coaches embrace larger women’s rosters as one way track and field can ensure its viability. “If our sport is going to be strong as a whole, coaches need to get on board with the philosophy of their administration,” she says. “If the best way they can serve the athletic department’s goals and needs is by adding women to their roster, they sometimes need to be willing to mold their pro-

gram and personal goals to help assist the department’s mission.”

Beyond Proportionality Although participation numbers have gotten most of the Title IX spotlight in track and field, significant developments are also taking place with regards to other areas of this law. These issues focus on giving women’s teams resources equal to men’s teams, such as coaching equity and booster club funding, and they all relate to both high school and college programs.

The first thing coaches need to understand about Title IX rules regarding equal resources is that the law applies to the equality of the overall athletics program, and that individual teams do not have to be treated identically. “Title IX is not about comparing the boys’ track team to the girls’ track team or boys’ basketball to girls’ basketball,” says Larry Boucher, Assistant Commissioner of the Kentucky High School Athletic Association, who monitors Title IX compliance in his state.

“It’s about comparing the entire athletic environment. If every time you do something for the girls, you drop a pebble in one bucket, and every time you do something for the boys, you drop a pebble in another bucket, and at the end of the day, the buckets are comparably full, it doesn’t matter which of the sports got what.”

As a result, a school can lavish the finest of everything on its boys’ basketball team and cut corners when it comes to track and field without running afoul of Title IX, as long as it also provides top-notch support to one of its girls’ teams to balance out the boys’ basketball spending. Schools can even treat the boys’ track and field team to new uniforms every year and leave the girls’ team with hand-me-downs as long as the ledger is balanced elsewhere in the athletic program.

Therefore, even if your male and female track and field teams seem comparable, there may be some subtle forms of discrimination going on department-wide that are leaving your

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girls’ team with the short end of the stick. Here are some areas to consider: Coaching equity: Schools can violate Title IX guidelines governing coaching in three different ways: by paying inequitable salaries to coaches of women’s teams, by having fewer coaches for women’s teams, or by hiring coaches with less skill and experience for women’s teams. “Especially at the high school level, we’ve seen a lot of cases where schools use what I call the ‘hey you’ method of hiring for female teams,” says Ray Yasser, Professor of Sports Law at the University of Tulsa

quate locker room facilities, while male athletes at the same school have adequate or more-than-adequate accommodations. Chaudhry says a high school case the NWLC settled last year in Virginia is a typical example.

“The girls’ teams didn’t have any locker rooms at all, while the boys had a large locker room with shower facilities,” she says. “Some of the girls had to change in their cars before practices.” The school agreed to divide the boys’ locker room, giving half to the girls’ teams.

Booster club concerns: Many schools are also struggling with Title IX compli-

If a coach speaks out when his or her athletes are the victims of gender discrimination, does the law protect that coach from retaliation by administrators who don’t want the issue brought to light? A key court case will answer that question in the coming months.

College of Law. “They do a statewide search for a football coach, and then they walk down the hall and say, ‘Hey, does anyone want to coach the softball team?’ It leads to a disparity in the quality of coaching that female student-athletes receive.”

Last year, five female student-athletes at Colby College sued their school, alleging that Colby violated Title IX by assigning two head coaches of women’s teams multiple sports to coach, while no head coaches of men’s teams coached more than one sport. The case reached an out-of-court settlement in February in which Colby agreed to split one of the coach’s assignments by fall 2004 and to either split the remaining coach’s assignment by fall 2005 or reallocate the men’s coaching assignments to create parity.

Coaches of girls’ and women’s track teams may want to check whether their salaries are equal to those of boys’ and men’s team coaches at their school or whether they are given more responsibilities for the same pay as their coaching peers. They should also be given the same level of support staff and assistant coaches as men’s teams.

Locker rooms: Several recent cases at both the high school and college levels have been prompted by female studentathletes who do not have access to ade-

ance over booster club monies. Athletic departments can run into problems when parents or other private donors give more aid to one gender than to the other.

“When booster clubs provide something for a team, a lot of people think, ‘It’s not the school district’s money, so we can do whatever we want with it,’” says Dave Eavenson, Athletic Director at Carlisle (Pa.) High School, who leads seminars in his state on Title IX. “But booster clubs are an arm of the school district, and this means that any benefits they provide to one gender must also be provided to the other gender.”

Is it safe to complain?: If a coach speaks out when his or her athletes are the victims of gender discrimination, does the law protect that coach from retaliation by administrators who don’t want the issue brought to light? A key court case will answer that question in the coming months.

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case involving an Alabama high school girls’ basketball coach who claims he was fired in retaliation for complaining that his team was not treated as well as the school’s boys’ team.

The plaintiff in the case, Roderick Jackson, alleges his complaint resulted in negative performance reviews and eventual dismissal from his coaching job.

Two lower courts have ruled that Title IX does not specifically prohibit retaliation against coaches who file complaints on behalf of their athletes, but the Supreme Court wants to look at the issue more closely. Oral arguments will take place this fall with a decision slated for 2005.

An EADA for high schools: While high schools are required to meet the same Title IX standards as colleges, there exists a key difference. Colleges are required to collect and report data each year on how well they are meeting those standards through the Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act, but high schools are not. However, a bill making its way through Congress may change things.

Introduced in the Senate in 2003 and under review by the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, the law would require high schools to report numbers of participants in each sport by gender, race, and ethnicity to the United States Department of Education each year. A House version of the bill was introduced in August.

“This would be a tremendous help in effectively enforcing Title IX at the high school level,” says Jocelyn Samuels, Vice President for Education and Employment at the National Women’s Law Center. “It’s important legislation and we at the National Women’s Law Center would love to see it passed.”

A Call for Creativity One thing is clear—Title IX is a complicated law and any discussion of it can be approached from a variety of perspectives that each lead to their own conclusions.

Crawford, however, believes two ingredients will make the track and field community successful in navigating the gender equity landscape: education and creativity.

“First of all, we can’t forget that Title IX created athletic opportunities for women—opportunities that would not otherwise be there today,” Crawford says.

“However, I think there is a lot of misinformation and confusion that leads schools to misapply the law. It doesn’t have to be a men’s programs-versuswomen’s programs situation. Coaches and administrators need to work to educate ourselves and we need to continue the conversation. We can find creative ways to manage Title IX without going down a destructive path.” ■ COACHING MANAGEMENT

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Often referred to as reverse anorexia nervosa, muscle dysmorphia is a body image distortion primarily affecting males in a way that they become preoccupied with the misperception that their muscles are too small. Individuals with the condition are often driven to spend countless hours in the gym, to the detriment of their relationships, social lives, and physical well being. No matter how much or how hard they work out, men with muscle dysmorphia never feel muscular enough. But that doesn’t stop them from trying.

“Male athletes who have muscle dysmorphia tend to compulsively lift weights, ignoring signs of physical distress to their ligaments and joints,” says Roberto Olivardia, PhD, a clinical psychologist at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Mass., and muscle dysmorphia

IN THE researcher, as well as co-author of The Adonis Complex: The Secret Crisis of Male Body Obsession. “Even when their bodies tell them to stop, they continue working out, thinking that more is better.

They also tend to not pay attention to other physiological needs like hydration and food intake. And a number of them will use anabolic steroids.”

In a 2000 study, Olivardia found that 50 percent of men with muscle dysmorphia had used or were using steroids.

Olivardia also notes that about one-

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MAGINE BEING IN THE FUNHOUSE AT THE CARNIVAL. You look into one of those distorted mirrors and see a body that is different from your actual proportions. Your head is huge, your torso grossly elongated, and your legs bow like bananas. It’s kind of funny.

Imagine looking into your bathroom mirror and having similar results. After hours of working out at the gym, your chest is flat, your arms look like sticks, and your six-pack bulges out like a pitcher of Kool-Aid. Or at least that’s how it seems to you.

If you were a competitive athlete, in the best shape of your life, you wouldn’t be very amused. And for many men suffering from muscle dysmorphia, that is what happens every time they sneak a peak at their reflection.

SPORTS MEDICINE

third of men with muscle dysmorphia have a current eating disorder, a history of an eating disorder, or idiosyncratic eating patterns—such as placing an emphasis on extreme low-fat, high-protein diets.

Experts lay much of the blame on the media’s increased glorification of the male physique. “Women have been subjected to images of thin models for a long time and now men are subjected more and more to these hugely muscular icons and imagery,” says Olivardia. “Everything from World Wrestling Entertainment to music videos showing rappers with their shirts off revealing perfectly chiseled pecs and biceps. There’s definitely a pressure that boys today feel, which they didn’t feel as much 15 years ago, to look fit and toned.”

As the pressure mounts, so do the statistics. A recent study in Norway revealed that eight percent of elite male athletes in that country suffer from some type of eating disorder. The British Medical Journal found that the number of men who

in a phase of muscle dysmorphia or experiencing an eating disorder.

From the Gym to the Field How prevalent is muscle dysmorphia in team-sport athletics? It’s hard to know since much of the earliest research has concerned body builders.

But anecdotal information about other athletes is growing.

At Ohio State University, Jennifer Carter, PhD, a psychologist at the school’s Sports Medicine Center, is working with varsity athletes to study the problem more systematically. She has surveyed Ohio State athletes for the past two years and will do so again, along with athletes from three other schools, this fall. (See “Survey Questions” on page 24.)

In her 2002 study, results showed that one percent of the 882 athletes surveyed (of which 57 percent were male) showed possible signs of muscle dysmorphia. While that may not seem like an alarming statistic, Carter is quick to

BY R.J. ANDERSON

They’re rarely discussed and just starting to be researched, but body-image disorders among male athletes are real— and they’re a growing problem.

SHADOWS openly report dissatisfaction with their physical appearance has tripled in the last 20 years, and that therapists report seeing 50 percent more men for evaluation and treatment for eating disorders than they did in the 1990s. In the United States, however, the problem has not been researched much.

In this article we will look at muscle dysmorphia and how to recognize its symptoms in your student-athletes.

We’ll also talk to experts about how to approach an athlete you suspect may be

point out that the questionnaire was not anonymous. She explains that one of the biggest problems with studying muscle dysmorphia is that men are very reluctant to admit having any type of negative body image.

“The difficulty with this topic is that men do not voluntarily discuss this,” says Carter. “As time has gone on, more men have talked to me during individual counseling about being concerned that they are not muscular enough, but a lot of people don’t even know this

problem is going on. I talk to our athletic trainers, and occasionally an athletic trainer might refer an athlete to me who they suspect might have this problem, but I don’t think it is being recognized as a huge problem yet.”

Olivardia explains that, because body image disorders are largely viewed as only affecting women, most men are ashamed to admit they may be suffering from them. “The shame is enormous,” says Olivardia. “I’m often the first person, or the only person, that a lot of men disclose this problem to—and that’s because they know I’m an expert in the field and I’ve written about it.

Some of these men are married and their wives don’t even know that they struggle with muscle dysmorphia or bulimia because they are so ashamed.”

A Definition Muscle dysmorphia is a subtype of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). BDD is the diagnosis people get when they are preoccupied with how their body looks— whether it’s their nose, hair, skin, or any other part of their body. Muscle dysmorphia is a type of BDD in which the preoccupation happens to be on their muscularity and their physique. Because research within this particular branch of BDD is in its infancy, not much is known about the origins of the disorder, nor is there much information regarding how many people are affected.

“We do know that muscle dysmorphia is usually associated with either a mood or an anxiety disorder,” says Olivardia. “Most men with muscle dysmorphia tend to have an underlying depression or underlying anxiety. But we don’t know what comes first.

“A lot of men I work with who have muscle dysmorphia say that working out is a way of taking control,” Olivardia continues. “It is similar to what you hear from women who have eating disorders, except women use food as a way of controlling their lives and managing their emotions, while men with muscle dysmorphia rely on exercise to take control. If they are at the gym for five hours R.J. Anderson is an Assistant Editor at Coaching Management.

COACHING MANAGEMENT

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a day and the only thing they have to focus on is their body, it can serve as a distraction away from other things in their life that might be completely falling apart.”

As with eating disorders, there is a wide range of severity. “Just like in the female population when we talk about eating disorders being a continuum, I’d say it’s the same thing for muscle dysmorphia,” says Heidi Skolnick, MS, CDN, a nutritionist for the New York Mets and the New York Giants.

“There’s this range of eating and body dissatisfaction that is occurring. It doesn’t have to be a full-blown dysmorphic phase, but many men are beginning to take on characteristics of the disorders that are definitely not healthy.”

Spotting a Suspect Not every athlete who puts in extra time in the weight room is muscle dysmorphic, and just because an athlete is conscientious about his diet, he does not necessarily have an eating disorder.

But where is the line that tells us an athlete is doing too much? How do you know when an athlete’s drive for health has become unhealthy?

“In general, coaches and athletic trainers should have a sense as to where the athlete’s boundaries are in working out,” says Olivardia. “From there they will be able to notice how an athlete’s workout routine affects his general attitude about his body and if it is getting in the way of other things in his life—his relationships, his friendships, his eating habits, his studying.”

Excessive mirror-checking can serve as a warning sign that a person is having issues with body image. “Men with muscle dysmorphia often check mirrors as a way of reassuring,” says Olivardia. “It’s not that they’re vain and like the way they look. It’s actually for the opposite reason—they don’t like the way they look, and they want to find a way to improve it.”

If an athlete is noticeably weightconscious or body-fat conscious, they might be taking things too far. “I see a lot of guys who get into restrictive eating in the name of eating clean and trying to be healthy,” says Skolnick. “I definitely don’t want to discourage guys from being thoughtful about what they eat, but they get to a point where they won’t eat something like a donut. They 24

COACHING MANAGEMENT

develop strict rules around what they can and cannot eat versus having guidelines for trying to eat better.”

Carter echoes the sentiment. Athletes she has worked with who have body image problems report thinking about food, diet, or working out 80 or 90 percent of their day. She adds that substance abuse often accompanies eating and body image disorders among college athletes.

Other signs include skipping meals with the team, preferring to eat alone, wearing baggy clothing to cloak perceived inadequacies, not wearing shorts or short-sleeved shirts, and refusing to take their shirt off in front of other people. And of course, there is the matter of steroid abuse, the ultimate sign that an athlete is unhappy with his body.

“What’s ironic is that most of the men with muscle dysmorphia are in very good shape,” says Olivardia. “In some cases they are above average in terms of their muscularity. A lot of them have a very low body fat percentage, and to the average eye they would be deemed very muscular, but they don’t see it.”

Treatment & Therapy When you or a member of your staff suspects that an athlete may have an unhealthy preoccupation with body image, how should you approach him?

How can you find out what’s going on without causing him to feel ashamed and retreat into a defensive shell?

“The most important thing is to take a stance of concern and empathy for

SURVEY QUESTIONS Jennifer Carter, PhD, a psychologist at The Ohio State University Sports Medicine Center, gives athletes the following survey to uncover any body image disorders. The questions originally appeared in the article “An Exploration of the Drive for Muscularity in Adolescent Boys and Girls,” published in the Journal of American College Health.

Athletes are asked to answer each statement using a scale of one to six, one being never, and six being always.

I wish that I were more muscular.

I lift weights to build up muscle.

I use protein or energy supplements.

I drink weight-gain or protein shakes.

I try to consume as many calories as I can in a day.

I feel guilty if I miss a weight-training session.

I think I would feel more confident if I had more muscle mass.

Other people think I work out with weights too often.

I think that I would look better if I gained 10 pounds in bulk.

I think about taking anabolic steroids.

I think that I would feel stronger if I gained a little more muscle mass.

I think that my weight-training schedule interferes with other aspects of my life.

I think my arms are not muscular enough.

I think my chest is not muscular enough.

I think my legs are not muscular enough.

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that person as opposed to saying, ‘What are you doing to yourself?’ or being sarcastic,” says Olivardia. “You might start by simply saying, ‘I think you’re overdoing it in your workouts.’

very sullen and very sad,’ as opposed to something like, ‘I think you might be depressed.’

“Sharing with them the concrete behaviors makes it harder for them to

“Women have been subjected to images of thin models for a long time and now men are subjected more and more to these hugely muscular icons and imagery.”

“If you come from a point of concern rather than putting them on the defensive, the denial is easier to break through,” Olivardia continues. “Share with them observable behaviors like, ‘I see that you are isolating yourself from the team,’ or ‘I noticed that you worked out four and a half hours today, when typically you’re supposed to work out an hour and a half,’ or ‘I see that you seem

argue with you, compared to if you say, ‘I think that you have a body image problem.’ Because they can just say, ‘No, I don’t.’ Then the conversation is pretty much over.”

The idea is to engage the athlete in a preliminary conversation about their habits and fears to glean how serious the problem is. If the athlete’s focus on body image seems fairly minor, there

are many ways to steer him back on course and away from full-blown muscle dysmorphia.

“Basically, just give a lot of positive reinforcement in terms of what he is accomplishing,” says Olivardia. “Definitely do not use critical language, because men with muscle dysmorphia are hypersensitive to criticism. Focus on their strengths and not their weaknesses.”

Olivardia says it’s also important for coaches to model balanced behavior themselves. “If you’re a coach who eats, breathes, and sleeps working out, then the athlete will pick up on that,” says Olivardia. “As a coach, if you live a very balanced life yourself, an athlete can look upon you as a model of inspiration— somebody who eats well-balanced meals, who exercises appropriately, but also has relationships, has fun, is social, and is comfortable with himself.”

Coaches can also encourage athletes to seek out relaxation techniques or other activities that offer an alternative to working out when encountering stress. “Coaches should really reinforce

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self-care,” says Olivardia. “The idea is to make sure that not only are they eating well and working out, but that they are sleeping well, drinking enough water, and getting enough social stimulation.”

At Ohio State, Carter tells her coaches to be particularly careful when they talk to an athlete about losing or gaining weight. “We would like them to consult with the medical staff first to see if it’s advisable and if they think it will help the athlete’s performance,” says Carter. “And if so, we then refer the athlete to a dietitian to make sure they are doing it in a healthy way.

Often, athletes are instructed to lose or

in our guidelines. She eventually got caught doing extra and that’s when we had to get her professional help from outside the department.”

If an athlete’s behavior or habits reach a level of becoming obsessive or self-destructive, coaches are encouraged to refer the athlete to a sports psychologist. When an athlete comes to her exhibiting symptoms of an eating or body image disorder, Carter uses a technique called cognitive behavioral therapy. The technique examines the underlying assumptions athletes have about themselves and how they believe the rest of world sees them.

“To limit mirror-checking, I ask patients to take a baseline of how many times they look in a mirror in a day…

The goal is to reduce the number.”

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gain weight and have no clue how to do that in a healthy way, which can lead to unhealthy behaviors.”

Outside Help When a coach notices that an athlete is struggling with a body image problem, it’s best to surround that athlete with as much help as possible. Anthony Glass, Director for Strength and Conditioning for Olympic Sports at The Ohio State University, says that when he feels an athlete is going too far with their training, it’s time to alert other members of the coaching staff, the athletic trainers, and a member of the sports psychology department. With those folks involved, a roundtable discussion is held with the athlete.

Glass says he had to incorporate the roundtable discussion with one endurance athlete he worked with a few years ago. “She was doing distance runs that were ridiculous on top of her other training,” says Glass. “She was putting in 60 miles a week easy on top of everything else we were doing. We saw her body fat percentage drop, her weight drop, and her strength drop. She thought she felt and looked better no matter what we told her. We actually had her sign a contract declaring that she wasn’t going to do any training other than what was stated

Says Carter, “For example, when addressing the idea that, ‘People will accept me only if I am very muscular,’ we’ll ask, ‘What are some other aspects of your self that people might like?

What are some strengths that you have?

Are there muscular people you know who aren’t necessarily popular?’”

Olivardia, who also utilizes cognitive behavioral therapy, says the technique helps correct a lot of distortions these athletes have. “Their thoughts are typically very negative,” says Olivardia. “The behavioral part of cognitive behavioral therapy should address any of those behaviors that we either want to increase or reduce.”

To increase socialization, Olivardia often asks patients who have muscle dysmorphia to step outside of their comfort zone. If a patient feels uncomfortable in social situations, and tends not to wear short-sleeved shirts or shorts because they feel like their arms or legs are too small, Olivardia will have that patient establish a goal to overcome that fear.

“I’ll say, ‘Okay, your goal this week is, if it’s 90 degrees outside, you have to wear shorts,’” says Olivardia. “I try to expose them to the very things that they are fearing or avoiding in some way.

“To limit mirror-checking, I ask patients to take a baseline of how many

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times they look in a mirror in a day,” continues Olivardia. “The goal is to reduce the number of times that they are checking the mirror each day.”

Olivardia also employs general psychotherapy when treating patients with eating or body image disorders. He talks to patients about their background, looking at some of the issues that might predispose them to the condition, including depression, anxiety, family history, child abuse, negative peer experiences, perfectionist tendencies, or low self-esteem.

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While muscle dysmorphia and eating disorders among males are not even close to approaching the levels of body image problems experienced by women, they are important to look out for.

“I think athletes have an additional layer of risk because the models they are looking at are people who are specifically invested in muscular physique and toning up,” says Olivardia.

“A lot of the products they might buy— protein shakes or fat-burning supplements—typically feature endorsements from men who probably got their body through using steroids. So athletes are measuring themselves up against what is an immeasurable body—one that is the product of drug use.

“Muscle dysmorphia is a body image disorder, but when you add the athletic world where there is a pressure to perform, it becomes even more pronounced,” he adds. “One of my patients had an athletic scholarship, so his base of viability at the university was dependent upon him doing well athletically.

As a result, he thought taking steroids was a necessary thing, to both grow his body and enhance his performance.”

Part of the problem is that for a long time, the assumption was that these types of disorders didn’t affect men. But they do. It just happens that men are particularly good at hiding these problems, which Olivardia says makes the disorders even more dangerous.

“We think that this problem is going to get worse before it gets better,” says Olivardia. “The images that boys and men are bombarded with of muscular men is only increasing.” ■ A version of this article appeared in our sister publication, Training & Conditioning.

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PROFESSIONAL GROWTH

Good Connections No matter your communications system, your athletic director is a person you want to hook up with. Here’s how to partner with this busy, behind-the-scenes boss.

D

BY DR. DAVID HOCH

ILLUSTRATIONS BY CHRIS MURPHY

uring a lull at one of your meets, you may occasionally look up and see me, the athletic director, in the stands. And you may wonder, what exactly is he watching? What exactly does he do, besides making sure the officials get paid?

I am the consummate “behind-thescenes” guy, and like most athletic directors, I enjoy that role. I perform a wide variety of tasks, from checking athletes’ eligibility forms to writing up coaching evaluations to answering phone calls from parents.

The goal behind everything I do is to help my coaches perform their jobs better. That’s really why I’m here. When a coach does something wrong, my job is stressful. When a coach does something right, my job is the best in the world.

But I can only help coaches avoid mistakes and develop into better coaches when they partner with me—when they understand my job and my role. In this article, I’d like to share some tips on how to develop a partnership with your athletic director and how to make that relationship work to your benefit.

Expectations The first thing you need to know about your athletic director is his or her expectations. Every situation is different, but here is what I expect from my coaches.

Good Role Model: Because you are a hugely important figure in many young

people’s lives, your actions and choices must be at the top of the ethical score chart. I expect my coaches to have integrity, be dependable, possess emotional control, and have compassion. I also expect them to set high standards and be consistent and fair. I need them to exhibit the characteristics we are proud to see in our student-athletes.

David Hoch, EdD, is the Athletic Director at Loch Raven High School, in Baltimore County, Md. He is the former Athletic Director at Eastern Technical High, also in Baltimore, and was named the Maryland State Athletic Directors Association’s Athletic Director of the Year in 2000.

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PROFESSIONAL GROWTH

meetings, and believe me, we pay attention to who doesn’t show up.

Coaches who don’t follow directions, turn in forms late or complete them incorrectly, or don’t follow a department policy are my biggest headache. If you want your athletic director to support and respect you, pay attention to your administrative duties.

Professional Growth: It is a given that you know the basic techniques and strategies involved in your sport. But I expect my coaches to add to these basics every year by taking charge of their own professional development.

First, they have to buy into the premise that learning is a life-long pursuit. It doesn’t matter how much experience you have—there is always something else

Educational Environment: Athletics is successful only when it has educational value. Winning is secondary. I expect my coaches to focus on helping young people mature into adults—to contribute to team goals, learn to work hard, persevere, and experience lifelong lessons through their athletic participation.

I also expect my coaches to remain positive. Not that a coach can’t ever yell, but I really believe that positive, encouraging coaches are best for our kids.

Sportsmanship: Coaches often are totally unaware of the impact they have on the behavior of athletes and fans at a meet. Questioning the judgement of officials gives license to the athletes and fans to do the same.

AN INEFFECTIVE AD This article assumes that your athletic director is a professional, dedicated, hard-working leader. But what if your athletic director is not a good supervisor?

Then how do you get what you need?

Above all, step carefully. It is important to understand that this poorly functioning athletic director is still your boss and you need to be careful about circumventing the chain of command. In other words, do not use parents or athletes as a wedge to enact change. These techniques could totally backfire and you could be branded as a malcontent or a troublemaker.

What you can do, to start, is keep good records. Retain copies of everything you turn in, such as eligibility forms, budget

A coach should always extend respect and courtesy not only to officials, but also to the opposing team. He or she should teach the nuances of good sportsmanship and praise it at every turn.

Adherence to Policies: Administrative chores are a part of coaching. When coaches don’t follow through on each athlete’s paperwork, there can be ramifications. I must then chase down these forms—giving me less time to communicate with my coaches. Late forms can mean the suspension of practice sessions, fines, or even disqualifications and forfeits.

You must attend rules interpretation meetings. Athletic directors get a list of any coaches who have missed these 30

COACHING MANAGEMENT

requests, inventories, and competition entries, and use e-mail or take notes on your communication with your athletic director. This ensures that you have proof of your professionalism and also allows you to document those times when your athletic director has not followed through.

At all times, it is still best to maintain a positive, loyal front with respect to your athletic director and continue to be courteous and respectful. You might need to repeatedly ask the athletic director if he or she has remembered to turn in that eligibility form, but do it politely. You might even ask the athletic director if there’s a way you can help him or her. Remember, you will always be judged by your actions, even in difficult situations.

you can learn. I attended at least one clinic in each of my 24 years of coaching, and always came away with a new idea or a different way of teaching something. Even though I have a doctorate in sports management and many years of experience, I still attend seminars, take courses, and read professional publications in athletic administration. Our athletes deserve that much.

I encourage our coaches to take the NFHS Coaching Principles Course (and consider going on to complete the NFHS Bronze Level national certification program), work at summer camps, read professional coaching publications or books, watch coaching videos, and attend college teams’ practice sessions.

Enthusiasm: While it is essential for sports that are struggling to attract participants, I like “Pied Piper” individuals for even the most popular teams. This is a coach who exudes enthusiasm and energy—someone young people are attracted to. This should not imply, however, that they don’t run a tight ship or don’t employ discipline.

I want our teams to win, too. But my directive is to make sure that educational objectives are being met in the athletic program. That is my job description and that is my priority. However, if you excel in the above six areas, I can assure you, winning will take care of itself.

Beyond these basics, ask your own athletic director what other expectations he or she has. Your athletic director might want you to get involved with local youth programs in your sport. He or she might want you to help your athletes get college scholarships, start an off-season conditioning program, fund-raise, or run a summer camp. If you don’t know, ask.

Sometimes, an athletic director assumes you know the expectations of your school, but if you’re new, you can’t know its history and culture. Asking your athletic director to identify the athletic department goals can help start your partnership on the right foot.

Communication The question a new athletic director most frequently poses to a veteran one is, “Do you ever see your family?” This is important to know, because while I’ve suggested you start a dialogue with your athletic director on expectations, you also need to know that he or she doesn’t have an hour to discuss it. But a 15minute conversation is doable and appreciated. Therefore, a key part of partnering with your athletic director is knowing how to communicate with him or her. Here are some tips: ■ If you want to talk for more than a couple of minutes, set up an appointment. That way, your athletic director can arrange to meet at a time that will be free of other obligations. Of course, if it is an emergency, come on in.

■ If you know there have been other problems that the athletic director is handling, hold off on scheduling your meeting. Timing really is everything.

With another problem looming, your athletic director may not be able to give you the attention you deserve.

PROFESSIONAL GROWTH

■ Get a feel for your athletic director’s down times. Some prefer early mornings, and others may like early afternoons, right before practices start.

■ Use e-mail. This advice is not universal, but for me, e-mail is by far the most efficient form of communication.

Regardless of when something hap-

pens, your message will be there waiting for me in the morning. It is, therefore, especially important that the coach fill in an accurate subject line that, when coupled with the sender’s name, leads me to which messages I deal with first in the morning. An e-mail also allows me to easily save or forward your message.

SHOW YOUR STRENGTHS If you’re a conscientious coach, good things are happening in your program every day. Why not let your athletic director know about them? This can work wonders for furthering your partnership.

Here are some ways to let your athletic director know you’re doing a good job—which are not time consuming for you or your athletic director: ■

■

Forward or copy any congratulatory and thank you notes that you receive. You can simply write a little note on the top, “Thought you might be interested.”

Tell your athletic director about the clinics you have attended and your other professional development activities.

Know what to discuss and what not to.

I don’t need to hear how every practice is going, your plan for the next meet, or complaints about something we’ve already covered or that simply can’t be changed. I want to know if a problem has arisen or is looming. I also love to hear about your successes.

■

Invite your athletic director to visit practice when you’re discussing team goals or when your athletes want to show off something they’ve just mastered.

■

Send an e-mail about a solution you found to a problem that your athletic director might send on as advice to the rest of the coaching staff.

■

Complete a self-evaluation at the conclusion of your season. Talk about some of the goals you accomplished that your athletic director may not be aware of.

Let your athletic director hear about all of the good, positive things that you are doing with your program!

You will be surprised at what good, positive resources you receive in return.

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Request No. 117

Request No. 118 COACHING MANAGEMENT

31

PROFESSIONAL GROWTH

Inform your athletic director immediately of any injury at a practice session or meet. Tell me the name of the athlete, the injury, how it happened, how it was handled, and whether the parent has been notified. No one likes to be caught off- guard when the phone rings with, “What happened to my daughter?”

If a parent voices even a small complaint, if you think upperclass athletes may not be welcoming newcomers, if any type of hazardous situation has arisen, if the athletes seem to be disrespecting your approach—I need to know. Coaches sometimes don’t want to say that something isn’t going right for fear of seeming incompetent. But my job is to help you through problem situations. If you tell me before it gets big, I can help you find solutions that complement your coaching style. But if you don’t tell me about the problem and it gets bigger, then I may have to step in and resolve the situation my way.

Even if you know the solution you want to use, relay your thoughts to me. Maybe I can reinforce what you’re trying to do.

Of course, share problems that are my responsibility, too. If the bus driver gets you to a meet late, let me know the first time this happens—don’t wait for the second or third time.

And because I mainly deal with fixing problems, I truly appreciate good news. Brighten my day by talking about one of our students’ display of sportsmanship, an athlete who sets a new PR, or a teachable moment that happened at practice.

The Benefits You might wonder, “Why is it so important to keep my athletic director in the loop?” First, it puts you on my radar. I try to be in tune with everyone in my program, but to be honest, those coaches who communicate with me effectively are the ones I think of first when a new opportunity arises.

Being on my radar helps when you have a request. If you’ve already communicated that you’re working extremely hard to upgrade your program, I will pay more attention to your request

What can you really DO with giant rubber bands?!

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Improve Endurance

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Stay Ahead of Your Competition with Flex Bands!

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Flex Bands have been improving athletic performance since 1980.

Jump Stretch, Inc. 1230 N. Meridian Rd. Youngstown, OH 44509 www.jumpstretch.com 1-800-344-3539 Fax: 1-330-793-8719 Request No. 119

32

COACHING MANAGEMENT

for additional resources when the time comes for that decision.

At my former school, I put out a weekly department update. I already knew the opponents, the final results, and other standard details. However, coaches who were on the ball would also e-mail me some quotes or comments about their competition. Then, their team would get a more prominent place in the weekly update.

Communicating with your athletic director also gives you an on-hand mentor. Most of us are athletic directors because we were successful coaches, and just because we didn’t coach your sport doesn’t mean we can’t help. If asked, I am happy to open up my 24year book of coaching experience and help.

My primary responsibility as an athletic director is to serve as the coach of coaches. Just as athletes need direction and mentoring by coaches, so do most coaches need help from an experienced athletic director. I’m very glad to help, if you only ask. ■

Track Facilities Austin Plastics & Supply, Inc. 800-290-1025 WWW.ATHLETICRECORDBOARDS.COM Athletic record boards are an effective tool for motivating your athletes to do their best. The boards are easy to install, made of durable plastic, and available in many different colors. They come in three standard sizes: 38” x 48”, 45” x 80”, and 72” x 120”.

Engraved record nameplates are available, or you can print your own using perforated card stock supplied by the company. Custom boards are also available.

Circle No. 200

Beynon Sports Surfaces, Inc. 410-771-9473 WWW.BEYNONSPORTSSURFACES.COM Beynon Sports Surfaces recently renovated Wallace Wade Stadium at Duke University. The existing rubber surface was removed and replaced with BSS1000 surfacing.

Beynon built the BSS-1000 to accommodate middle-distance and distance runners, providing a training and competition surface for the track program, and a tough surface ideal for a track inside a major football stadium.

Circle No. 201 Beynon Sports Surfaces has been manufacturing and installing polyurethane running tracks for over 25 years. John Beynon, President/CEO of Beynon Sports, is the founder and former owner of Martin

Surfacing, Inc. Beynon Sports offers a full range of polyurethane track surfacing, including BSS-100 (basemat/structural spray), BSS-200 (basemat choke coat/structural spray), BSS-300 (sandwich), and BSS-1000 (dual-durometer full pour).

Circle No. 202

Conica Technik 773-327-0720 WWW.CONICA.COM For over 25 years, Conica Technik® has helped athletes achieve peak performance with the finest materials for indoor and outdoor track systems. As the premier supplier of quality polyurethane components, Conica helps your runners to train harder and run faster.

Conica can provide you with products ranging from full-pour embedded to sandwich and structural spray basemat system solutions through the company’s comprehensive network of trained installation contractors.

Circle No. 203 Conica has introduced a new indoor athletic surface, Conipur® ISP Sprint. It is a spike-resistant, multi-layer system, topped with isocyanate-free, single-component, water-based polyurethane Conipur 2211 W (patent pending) and EPDM rubber, applied by spray.

The surface is 14 mm thick, colored, impenetrable, and seam-free. In addition to the benefits of the Conipur ISP Sprint surface, three different force-reduction values ranging from 35 to 44 percent can be incorporated into a single seam-free installation.

Circle No. 204

Dekan Athletic Equipment Corp.

800-332-7740 WWW.DEKANATHLETIC.COM Dekan Athletic Equipment offers a wide

variety of quality products suitable for any track & field program, including pits, vault poles, hurdles, standards, discus, and shots. The company also has a broad selection of track accessories, such as stopwatches, waterproof and tear-resistant numbers, starters’ guns and blanks, field tents, starting blocks, distance markers, and much more. Dekan also offers an assortment of strength and fitness equipment, including dumbbells, medicine balls, weight plates, and plyoboxes.

Circle No. 205

Mondo America, Inc. 800-441-6645 WWW.MONDOUSA.COM Athletes need a comfortable, consistent track surface for long training sessions, and a fast surface on which to achieve outstanding performance results. The Super X Performance surface is biomechanically designed to provide excellent safety and comfort, superior foot traction, and an unparalleled consistent response. It can be installed anywhere in the world, regardless of the altitude or conditions, because the material retains its performance characteristics in the coldest and warmest of climates.

No other track system can match Mondo’s performance.

Circle No. 206 Mondo’s indoor track systems are another example of the company’s commitment to research, development, and state-ofthe-art engineering.

Mondo’s indoor systems provide unmatched quality, flexibility, and value. The company offers permanent banked tracks, portable banked tracks, and hydraulic banked tracks. No other track system can match Mondo’s performance.

Circle No. 207

Check out www.AthleticBid.com to contact these companies.

IN THE JANUARY 2005 ISSUE:

TRACK & FIELD EQUIPMENT SURFACES—TRACK, RUNWAY, CIRCLES CONDITIONING & PRACTICE AIDS

STRENGTH TRAINING INJURY PREVENTION TECHNOLOGY COACHING MANAGEMENT

33

Conditioning Products Cooper Concepts, Inc. 877-2-HEALTH (243-2584) WWW.COOPERWELLNESS.COM Product Name: Cooper Complete.

Primary Ingredients: Glucosamine, chondroitin, and bromelain Vitamins & Minerals: Cooper Complete Joint Maintenance Formula Discount/Price: $29.95-One month supply. A 20 percent discount is available for Coaching Management readers. Use the coupon code “TRAINING” when you call the toll-free number or visit the Web site. Where Sold: Direct to consumers through the company's Web site and toll-free number. The product is also available at health food stores and sports clubs/gyms. Primary Advantage: Maintain and support healthy joints with this blend of glucosamine, chondroitin, and bromelain. Glucosamine and chondroitin are amino sugars that occur naturally in the body and work to lubricate the joints and promote flexibility.

Bromelain, an extract from the stem of the pineapple, is useful for reducing muscle and tissue inflammation.

Circle No. 209

Gatorade 800-88GATOR WWW.GATORADE.COM Gatorade® Thirst Quencher’s optimal formula contains electrolytes and carbohydrates. It is based on more than 30 years of scientific research and testing.

Nothing rehydrates, replenishes, and refuels better than Gatorade Thirst Quencher—not even water. REHYDRATE—Gatorade has the flavor to keep your athletes drinking, and a six-percent carbohydrate solution that’s optimal for speeding fluids back into their systems. No fluid is absorbed faster than Gatorade. REPLENISH—If your athletes don’t replace the electrolytes they lose when they sweat, they risk becoming dehydrated, which can take them out of the game. By putting electrolytes back, Gatorade helps athletes drink more, retain fluids and maintain fluid balance.

34

COACHING MANAGEMENT

REFUEL—Unlike water, Gatorade has the right amount of carbohydrates (14 grams per eight ounces) to give your athletes’ working muscles more energy and help them fight fatigue and keep their mental edge.

Circle No. 210

Jump Stretch, Inc. 800-344-3539 WWW.JUMPSTRETCH.COM Jump Stretch, Inc. founder Dick Hartzell has perfected a way of treating ankle sprains that gets the athlete up and running (literally) within minutes or hours, rather than weeks or months. Hartzell contends that RICE is antiquated, and that rest and ice actually prolong the healing process. A video detailing his tractioning technique is available for $15. Three Flex Bands® (one average and two mini) are necessary to perform the treatment.

Circle No. 211

OPTP 800-367-7393 WWW.OPTP.COM The FitBALL® from OPTP is a new and versatile exercise product that combines the best aspects of inflatable exercise balls and foam rolls into one dynamic inflatable fitness roll for the entire body.

Inflate the FitBALL to your personal comfort level to optimize exercises that strengthen and tone the abs, obliques, and core muscle groups. The FitBALL can improve stability and balance by providing comfortable leverage and positioning for more effective stretching and mobility exercises.

Circle No. 212

Training Zone Concepts, Inc. 888-797-8378 WWW.SMARTVEST.NET The adjustable-weight SmartVest offers guaranteed fit along with specific models and sizing for women and men. Its com-

fortable compression and natural feel create an exciting path to neuromuscular speed development.

The SmartVest’s patented functional design promotes speed and power through brain and body compatibility.

This mind/movement training improves form as well as technique, while keeping the athlete relaxed, alert, and responsive.

Also available are the new companion SmartShorts. School and team pricing are available.

Circle No. 213

VertiMax 800-699-5867 WWW.VERTIMAX.COM No matter what kind of lower-body strength and speed training you are doing, it falls into one of three categories: heavy resistance, plyometrics, or low-load, velocity-specific training (the VertiMax). If heavy resistance were 10 on a scale of 1 to 10, and if plyometrics were 1, VertiMax would be a 5. It’s plyo with overload - the best of both worlds. VertiMax offers maximum transfer to the field.

Circle No. 214 “Only the VertiMax V6 incorporates upperbody loading into an already highly-effective explosion training device. Training the upper body to improve the lift aspect of vertical jump is a giant breakthrough.

You can use it for arm action in the running phase, jam techniques, or combine all resistance bands for run-intojump maneuvers. I can say without hesitation that this device can be of great importance in any training program,” says Garrett Giemont, Professional Football 2002 Strength & Conditioning Coach of the Year.

Circle No. 215

Training Aids

Testimonial

Superior products backed by extraordinary service

“I would like to let you know how pleased I am with the quality of your products, which we recently purchased for our new Track & Field Facility at Great Valley. I am more convinced than ever that we made the right choice with your company. Not only are AAE products superior, but the level of service and attention to our needs that you have provided after our purchase is without equal. I have the sense that yours is truly a family business, and that you have extended your family to include us here at Great Valley.”

Michael R. Kelly, Head Track & Field Coach Great Valley High School, Malvern, PA “...You are guaranteed to get a good product backed by a great company. We are always glad when we receive our shipment from AAE and we’re anxious to put the equipment to work...”

Jon Murray, Head Track & Field and Cross Country Coach Abilene Christian University, Abilene, TX “AAE eliminates the headache of equipment selection that a contractor like myself faces on a job. From offering competitive pricing to consulting directly with my customers on installation, they help streamline the whole process. Working with their sales reps over the years, I have come to rely on their responsive customer service. And occasionally, when we do run into a problem on a job, I have confidence that AAE is there to provide me with constant support before, during, and after the sale.”

Rob Werner, President Sportsline, Inc., Villanova, PA

Aluminum Athletic Equipment 4 Portland Road, W. Conshohocken, PA 19428 800-523-5471

Kytec Athletic Speed Equipment 800-732-4883 WWW.KYTEC.US Kytec manufactures and distributes the ultimate multi-sport Power Fitness Chute, invented by Ky Michaelson. It has an innovative way of adjusting the resistance— you slide the patented cord lock up the shroud lines to change the shape of the chute.

The Power Fitness Chute uses only four lines, unlike other chutes on the market that use eight lines that can easily become tangled.

Another innovative addition to the Power Fitness Chute is its “parabolic cup” canopy. Most chutes rely on the wind to develop their shape. The parabolic cup is sewn into this chute, giving it instant shape and stability. The Power Fitness Chute opens quickly and remains stable, making it ideal for speed development in sprinters. It comes with a quick-release belt and instructions.

Circle No. 218 Use the Exerflex™ Ball from Kytec for fitness, rehab, or just for fun. It helps to develop flexibility and coordination. The ball also provides a total-body workout, and helps to reduce pain and tightness in the lower back. Exerflex comes with a training video and an exercise manual. Its diameter can be adjusted from 50 cm to 65 cm.

Circle No. 219

M-F Athletic Co. 800-556-7464 WWW.MFATHLETIC.COM Added to the M-F Track & Field Catalog is the new Essx X-Treme vaulting pole, endorsed by Earl Bell. Of particular note is the fact that three competitors in this year's U.S. Olympic competition selected the Essx X-Treme pole, now available from M-F Athletic in sizes from 11’6” to 16’5”.

Circle No. 220

M-F Athletic stocks the new Accusplit 760M100 memory stopwatch with added deluxe features. This model includes recall up or down, three displays (split/lap/cum), a 10-hour timing range, and a 20-hour repeat countdown timer. This new Accusplit displays fastest and slowest laps as well as average speed, and comes with a five-year “no proof” warranty.

Circle No. 221

Power Systems, Inc. 800-321-6975 WWW.POWER-SYSTEMS.COM Improve your starting, acceleration, and stride length with one great product. The Power Stride Ladder helps develop these three key components of your track program.

The ladder’s three pre-set markings allow you to change patterns as skill level increases.

Special locking clips on the eight highimpact PVC slats enable you to quickly and easily adjust each slat. The slats also have a foam rubber backing, which allows the ladder to be used indoors. The package includes the ladder, stacking pin, and a carry bag.

Circle No. 222 Improve athletic performance by increasing speed and explosive power with the Power-Plyo Boxes from Power Systems.

The boxes are ideal for plyometric and jump training.

Heights from 12 inches to 42 inches are available to vary training intensity. Power-Plyo Boxes are made of oneinch, fully-welded 14-gauge steel and have a wide base for stability. The tops are made of reinforced plywood and have a non-slip surface.

Circle No. 223

WWW.AAESPORTS.COM COACHING MANAGEMENT

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ADVERTISERS DIRECTORY CIRCLE NO.

COMPANY

ORDYU C T S D I R E CPTROORDYU C T S D I R E C T O R Y P R O D U C T S D I R E CPTRO

PAGE NO.

CIRCLE NO.

COMPANY

PAGE NO.

110 . . . . Austin Plastics & Supply . . . . . . . . 19

200 . . . . Austin Plastics & Supply . . . . . . . . 33

111 . . . . Beynon Sports Surfaces. . . . . . . . . 20

201 . . . . Beynon

(BSS-1000) .

202 . . . . Beynon

(polyurethane tracks) .

120 . . . . Brooks/VS Athletics . . . . . . . . . . . IBC

. . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 . . . . . . . 33

CIRCLE NO.

COMPANY

PAGE NO.

218 . . . . Kytec Athletic

(Power Fitness Chute)

221 . . . . M-F Athletic

(Accusplit stopwatch) .

220 . . . . M-F Athletic

(vaulting pole)

. . 35

. . . 35

. . . . . . . . 35

108 . . . . California Raisins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 109 . . . . California Raisins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

241 . . . . California Raisins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

103 . . . . Conica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

204 . . . . Conica

(Conipur ISP Sprint) .

117 . . . . Cooper Complete . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

203 . . . . Conica

(polyurethane components)

114 . . . . Dekan Athletic Equipment . . . . . . 26

235 . . . . Marathon Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

. . . . . . . . 33

207 . . . . Mondo USA

(indoor track systems)

. . . 33

. . . . 33

206 . . . . Mondo USA

(Super X Performance)

. . . 33

. . . . 39

209 . . . . Cooper Complete . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

236 . . . . Oakworks

205 . . . . Dekan Athletic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

237 . . . . Oakworks (The Boss) . . . . . . . . . . . 39

118 . . . . eFundraising.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

229 . . . . Dick Pond Athletics . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

238 . . . . Omni-Lite

(ceramic spikes)

101 . . . . Gatorade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

226 . . . . Dynamic Team Sports . . . . . . . . . 38

240 . . . . Omni-Lite

(spikes)

(Portable Taping Table)

100 . . . . Dynamic Team Sports . . . . . . . . . IFC 113 . . . . EC Print. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

112 . . . . JET Sportswear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

225 . . . . Dynamic Team Sports

(Elite Series) .

. 38

. . . . . . . . . 39

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

212 . . . . OPTP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

119 . . . . Jump Stretch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 . . . . . . . . . 38

232 . . . . EC Print. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

230 . . . . Power Systems

(catalog)

121 . . . . M-F Athletic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BC

242 . . . . eFundraising.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

222 . . . . Power Systems

(Power Stride Ladder). .

105 . . . . Marathon Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

210 . . . . Gatorade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

223 . . . . Power Systems

(Power-Plyo Boxes) .

115 . . . . Kytec Athletic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

104 . . . . Mondo USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

35

. . 35

233 . . . . JET Sportswear

(pants)

. . . . . . . . . . 39

227 . . . . Russell Athletic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

234 . . . . JET Sportswear

(shirts)

. . . . . . . . . . 39

213 . . . . Training Zone Concepts . . . . . . . . 34

211 . . . . Jump Stretch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

214 . . . . VertiMax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

102 . . . . Oakworks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 107 . . . . Omni-Lite Industries . . . . . . . . . . . 13 106 . . . . SmartVest

(Training Zone Concepts) . . .

12

116 . . . . VertiMax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

219 . . . . Kytec Athletic

(Exerflex Ball)

. . . . . . . 35

215 . . . . VertiMax

(V6)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Why do more than 13,000 unique users each month rely on AthleticBid.com?

Q

uite simply it saves them time! Athleticbid.com is a free service to help buyers at schools and athletic organizations contact many companies in the most efficient fashion to request product specs and pricing information. It used to take hours to contact dozens of companies to research products and plan purchases. But by using athleticbid.com, it now only takes minutes.

One option for researching products and companies is the on-line Buyers Guide. You may: View the complete product lines of companies listed. ● View catalog pages or spec sheets from many of the top companies. ● Read a profile of description of select companies. ● Send an e-mail directly to a supplier or make a request to be contacted by a company representative. ● Request catalog and sales literature from companies. ●

Quickly find the products, services, and deals you are looking for

a t h l e t i c b i d . c o m 36

COACHING MANAGEMENT

Company News

VENUE SPORTS OFFERS TEAM DISCOUNTS ON BROOKS SHOES “Venue Sports does an outstanding job in terms of service, including their work in serving our shoe needs. Their staff is excellent and they know the ins and outs of establishing and maintaining a program to provide shoes and apparel for a track & field and cross country program. They have a lot of hands-on experience to draw upon because they have been working with schools for years. This is a great group to work with.”

Mark Conover, Head Cross Country Coach & Assistant Track & Field Coach, Cal Poly

V

enue Sports/VS Athletics offers team discounts on all Brooks track and field team items, including uniforms, warm-ups, Brooks cross country flats/spikes, Brooks track and field spikes, and the great trainers you see listed in the company’s ad. Venue Sports sells only track and field soft goods and equipment, and its staff is made up entirely of track and field coaches and former competitors, who understand the competitive athlete’s needs and the need to stay within a pre-determined budget.

Venue offers a great selection of stock on hand at competitive prices. Please call for a quote or check the company’s Web site for a complete selection of the best items in the track world at the lowest everyday prices.

BROOKS RADIUS 04

BROOKS RADIUS 04

BROOKS BEAST/ARIEL

Special Advantage & Recommended Use: Cushioned shoe featuring HydroFlow® in the heel and forefoot. Excellent trainer for efficient runners who do not require stability or motion control features.

Shoe Overview: The completely updated Radius 04 offers a soft yet balanced ride for the neutral runner who may need some pronation control without moving to a stability-category shoe. HydroFlow and Cush-Pod technologies, along with passive posting by way of a medial stability arch pod, ensure a perfect combination of lightweight cushioning and stability.

Shoe Sizes/Weight: Men’s: 7-13, 14/11.2 oz.; Women’s: 5-11, 12/9.75 oz.

Design Highlights: Heel and forefoot HydroFlow cushioning, full-length S-257 midsole, stability arch pod, S-257 Cushsole.

BROOKS ADRENALINE GTS 5

BROOKS BEAST/ARIEL Special Advantage & Recommended Use: Motion control model for those runners who over-pronate and need maximum support.

Venue Sports/VS Athletics 4035 S. Higuera San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 800-676-7463

WWW.VSATHLETICS.COM

Shoe Overview: The Beast/Ariel is the most advanced motion-control shoe on the market.

This season, the Beast packs a new look and delivers maximum support through an engineered combination of the most sophisticated stability technologies in the industry.

Over-pronators and runners with low arches will enjoy a smooth, free-flowing stride that only the Beast can deliver.

Shoe Sizes/Weight: Men’s: 8-13, 14, 15, 16 (D, 2E, 4E)/14.5 oz.; Women’s: 6-12, 13 medium, wide (B, D); 7-12, 13 extra wide (2E)/12.35 oz.

Design Highlights: Full-length S-257 midsole, heel and forefoot HydroFlow cushioning, extended diagonal rollbar, ultimate sockliner with Implus.

BROOKS ADRENALINE GTS 5 Special Advantage & Recommended Use: Stability trainer with great cushioning properties. Hydroflow in heel and forefoot plus a medial post make this a great shoe for runners who require some protection against pronation.

Shoe Overview: Brook Sports’ progressive stability technology, incredible flexibility, outstanding fit, and HydroFlow cushioning make the new Adrenaline GTS 5 the most versatile performance running shoe on the market. It features progressive posting for ultra-smooth transitions through the gait cycle. This shoe gives a whole new meaning to the term “fluid motion.”

Shoe Sizes/Weight: Men’s: 7-13, 14, 15 (B, D, 2E)/12.8 oz.; Women’s: 5-11, 12 (2A, D, 2E)/10.5 oz.

Design Highlights: Heel and forefoot HydroFlow cushioning, full-length S-257 midsole, progressive diagonal rollbar, microfiber and air mesh uppers.

COACHING MANAGEMENT

37

Uniforms & Apparel Dynamic Team Sports 800-437-6223 WWW.DYNAMICTEAMSPORTS.COM Dynamic Team Sports has introduced its Elite Series line of custom uniforms for track and field. The Elite line offers an unlimited number of color combinations to choose from. Team names, logos, and numbers are dyed directly into the fabric.

This eliminates the added weight of embroidery, and the fading, peeling, and cracking of sticky silkscreens.

Dynamic guarantees never to discontinue your uniform, so replacements are always available. For more information, contact your team uniform supplier.

Circle No. 225 Dynamic Team Sports offers a revolutionary line of custom uniforms called the Elite Series. The Elite Series is unique because of one special feature: All the artwork, logos, and numbers are sublimated into the garment’s lightweight and breathable fabric. This eliminates the need for heavy, sticky silkscreens that can peel,

Testimonial crack, and fade over time. With an endless array of color combinations, Elite uniforms are customized for your team. This means a world of possibilities for teams with unusual colors.

Circle No. 226

Russell Athletic WWW.RUSSELLATHLETIC.COM The Russell Athletic men’s and women’s Track Tank and Flyaway Shorts are new additions to the Spring 2005 line. Both feature the new Russell Athletic logo on 100 percent nylon tricot fabric, and are woven with Dri-Power moisture-management technology to keep athletes dry and light during competition. New design features include a nontraditional cut line with white inserts down the shoulder and armhole and a rounded crew neck for the tank, while the shorts feature a side split to increase comfort and range of leg motion. Put your team colors on these new styles today.

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Catalog Showcase Dick Pond Athletics, Inc. 630-665-3316 WWW.DICKPONDATHLETICS.COM

Power Systems, Inc. 800-321-6975 WWW.POWER-SYSTEMS.COM

Dick Pond Athletics is America’s oldest running specialty company. It sets the industry standard for fast, reliable delivery of track and cross country shoes, apparel, and accessories. Products in the Dick Pond catalog include training shoes, racing and field event shoes, team apparel, and accessories for all levels of runners.

All major brands are available, and the company offers both current models and closeout specials. Your order will be shipped within 24 hours.

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Since 1986, Power Systems has been a leading supplier of sport training, health, and fitness products. The company prides itself on being the one resource for all your training needs.

Its 2004 catalog has a new look, with better graphics and photos. Categories include core strength, medicine balls, speed, plyometrics, agility, strength equipment, strength accessories, and flooring. The catalog has hundreds of new products, and dozens of products available exclusively from Power Systems. The company has lowered some of its prices, enabling the customer to get premium products at great prices. Go on-line or call Power Systems to request a free 2004 catalog today.

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COACHING MANAGEMENT

Stay active with Cho-Pat’s Dual Action Knee Strap “Just thought I would drop you a note.

Several years ago I had knee replacement surgery as a result of too many hours on the tennis courts. As a part-time tennis teaching professional, the pain has been almost overwhelming even after the surgery. I bought one of your Dual Action braces a few months ago as I have tried every brace on the market, and I can’t tell you what it has done for my comfort as well as my game. I am back playing competitively and can chase down balls with confidence and no pain. This is the greatest thing since graphite tennis rackets. Just ordered another one! Thanks.”

M. John Velier, Las Vegas, NV “I have osteoarthritis which is now affecting mobility in my knees. The Cho-Pat Dual Action strap has provided great support and relief of pain when walking and running. It is a great product, far superior to anything I have tried before.”

Dennis Kenney, Ames, IA “Several months ago, I purchased a pair of your dual action knee straps. I’m happy to report that they are the finest of several different kinds of straps—they offer just the kind of support I need. I’ll be looking forward to using them for hiking in the Canadian Rockies in a few weeks.”

Arthur Jensen, New Wilmington, PA

Cho-Pat, Inc. P.O. Box 293, Hainesport, NJ 08036 800-221-1601 E-mail: sales@cho-pat.com WWW.CHO-PAT.COM

Team Equipment Electric City Printing 800-277-1920 WWW.ECPRINT.COM For over 25 years, Electric City Printing has focused on leading the race industry to new heights, supplying competition numbers, print media, and race supplies to over 60 percent of the industry.

The company takes seriously its responsibility to ensure the success of your event. EC Print’s support team is poised to handle all your needs for printing, marketing, design, and event consultation. Let the company save you time with its customized packaging and shipping options, or by coordinating all the supplies for a multi-location event.

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Jet Sportswear, Inc. 866-JETWEAR WWW.JETSPORTSWEAR.COM JETWear Stealth and Polar Stealth compression base-layer pants are unlike polyester “wick wear” products, which use chemicals for moisture management.

Stealth and Polar Stealth products use exclusive fabrics with moisture migration engineered into them, so the protection never washes out, and actually improves with laundering. Exclusive lifetime antimicrobial properties minimize the locker room smell that degrades fabrics. Use Stealth for seasonal temperatures and Polar Stealth for colder weather.

The pants are available in black or white.

Circle No. 233 JETWear Bomber short sleeve shirts offer moisture migration and antimicrobial quali-

ties that make athletes more comfortable and prevent the foul locker room smell that’s common with other types of “wick wear.” They feature high-quality fabrics that wear well and are extremely comfortable—they don’t chafe, itch, or scratch. Both tight- and loosefitting shirts are available. They come in a variety of team colors, and in sizes S to XXXL. Circle No. 234

Marathon Printing, Inc. 800-255-4120 WWW.MARATHONPRINTING.COM Marathon Printing, Inc. specializes in numbers for all kinds of special events. Its goal is to provide on-time delivery of the highest-quality custom and stock bibs available.

Marathon prints all numbers inhouse, giving the company total control for easy customization of your bibs. If you need references, just contact Marathon. The company supplies numbers for some of the largest and most popular events in the world, and would be glad to talk with you about your event.

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Oakworks, Inc. 800-558-8850 WWW.OAKWORKS.COM Because the game isn’t played in the locker room, you need the Oakworks Portable Taping Table. It’s the only portable table on the market with an adjustable height.

Weighing only 35 lbs., the table folds flat for easy storage and transportation.

Features like a marinegrade plastic top, an adjustable height range of 32 to 42 inches, a UL weight rating of 500 lbs., and a durable carrying case maximize its effectiveness for every ATC. Circle No. 236 The Boss by Oakworks is a great treatment table designed specifically for ATCs. Its lightweight design and protective carrying case make it easily transportable from training rooms to sidelines.

The unique aluminum understructure is tough enough to support 600 lbs.

(UL weight-load rating), and the sealed seams and removable field feet make the Boss ideal for use in rain or shine. With its easy height adjustments, the Boss is the ergonomic answer for every ATC. Circle No. 237

Omni-Lite Industries, Inc. 800-577-6664 WWW.OMNI-LITE.COM Omni-Lite’s ceramic spikes are one-third the weight of steel. They are designed to compress the track, allowing maximum performance.

The Pyramid spikes are recommended for mid- to long-distance events. The spikes are available in five lengths: 1/8”, 3/16”, 1/4”, 3/8”, and 1/2”, and in seven colors: black, silver, fast blue, Olympic green, violet, fast red, and Olympic gold.

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Web News EFUNDRAISING.COM’S NEW SITE STREAMLINES YOUR FUNDRAISING EXPERIENCE eFundraising.com has proudly announced the launch of its new Web site. In addition to a new design, the site showcases plenty of new features, such as profit charts and profit calculators, complete product specifications, and pricing. Everything needed to plan and start a successful fundraising campaign is there, including the biggest change: the new on-line store. With this option, clients can browse through the product descriptions, decide which program is best, and order their items directly over the Web. A “Frequently Asked Questions” page has also been added, and fundraising consultants are still available by phone to answer all questions. www.efundraising.com

COACHING MANAGEMENT

39

More Products Omni-Lite Industries, Inc. 800-577-6664 WWW.OMNI-LITE.COM

California Raisin Marketing Board 559-248-0287 WWW.CALRAISINS.ORG

eFundraising 866-825-2921 WWW.EFUNDRAISING.COM

Omni-Lite’s lightweight spikes are designed to compress synthetic tracks, allowing energy to be returned to the athlete and minimizing damage to the track.

The threads on the spikes are compatible with all major brands of track shoes. Extended-length threads are also available for use with sprint crowns. Omni-Lite’s spikes are made of ceramic, so they will never rust like steel spikes do. Several different styles are available, including pyramid, christmas tree, needle, and blanks. The company has the right spike for every kind of event, from short-distance sprinting to cross country, as well as pole vault, javelin, high jump, and long jump.

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Naturally sweet California raisins are a great source of energy. Recent research indicates that raisins help athletes maintain a steady level of energy for sports and other activities, making them an excellent choice for your training and conditioning needs. California raisins also rank among the top antioxidant-rich foods because they contain important phytochemicals and minerals, including iron and potassium. Fat- and cholesterolfree, California raisins are easily portable and available year-round. They’re the healthy energy choice that meets your needs.

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Try eFundraising’s On-line Fundraising Program, a new way to raise money quickly and easily. With your free, personalized Web site, complete with a magazine store, your supporters can purchase magazine subscriptions online and 40 percent of each purchase amount will go back to your group. Simply enter the site and send emails to friends and family across America, inviting them to visit your on-line store and buy, renew, or extend their magazine subscriptions to help support your group. They’ll save up to 85 percent off the newsstand price on over 650 magazine titles while you earn 40 percent profit.

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Coaching M anagement

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COACHING MANAGEMENT

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