Coaching Management 18.8 by Momentummedia

Coaching Management VOL. XVIII NO. 8

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TRACK & FIELD POSTSEASON EDITION 2010

Going Multi-Sport ■ In the UAA Weightroom ■

Targeting Safety How to reduce risks throughout your program

S P O R T

Circle No. 100

R U B B E R

S U R F A C E S

CONTENTS

Coaching Management Track & Field Edition Postseason 2010 Vol. XVIII, No. 8

2 LOCKER ROOM

Bulletin Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 The University of Cincinnati men’s squad learns to live without scholarships … Dealing with dress codes … New research finds chocolate milk works as recovery beverage for endurance athletes … Handling a disqualification due to new NFHS rules … How to coach married teammates.

Q&A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Cover photo: cheryl treworgy/prettysporty.com

Roger Haynes, Head Coach at NCAA Division III Monmouth (Ill.) College, talks about starting a tradition of success, wearing multiple hats, and helping individual athletes set goals.

ADVERTISERS DIRECTORY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 NOW PLAYING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

COVER STORY

Targeting Safety

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

In the hustle and bustle of practices and meets, it’s easy to overlook the numerous risks in track and field. Our sports safety expert explains how to increase safety—and reduce lawsuits.

LEADERSHIP

Multiple Choice Answer

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A high school coach and teacher makes the case for reviving multi-sport participation, detailing how to promote the practice among your own athletes.

STRENGTH & CONDITIONING

Learning Curve

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

At the University of Alaska-Anchorage, team members are taught to play an active role in setting individual strength training priorities.

Track Facilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Team Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Publisher Mark Goldberg Editor-in-Chief Eleanor Frankel Associate Editors Abigail Funk, Dennis Read Assistant Editors R.J. Anderson, Kenny Berkowitz, Patrick Bohn, Mike Phelps Special Projects Dave Wohlhueter

Marketing Director Sheryl Shaffer Business Manager Pennie Small Administrative Assistant Sharon Barbell Circulation Director Dave Dubin Circulation Manager Sandra Earle Ad Materials Coordinator Mike Townsend

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.

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MORE PRODUCTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Art Director Pamela Crawford Production Director Maria Bise Production Assistant Natalie Couch Graphic Artist Trish Landsparger Prepress Manager Neal Betts

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LOCKER ROOM BULLETIN BOARD Without Scholarships Bill Schnier has spent 30 years as Head Cross Country and Men’s Track and Field Coach at the University of Cincinnati, but nothing in that time prepared him for the challenges he faced this past season. On April 7, 2009, Schnier was told that the school would no longer offer new scholarships for men’s track and field and cross country athletes. “There was a lot of anger and a feeling of injustice,” says Schnier, who has led his Bearcats teams to 12 conference championships and was named the Conference USA Coach of the Decade for track and field and cross country fol-

lowing the league’s 10th anniversary in 2006. “For a long time, we’ve had good teams full of good students and good people. And to have that disregarded was very emotional. “We all have a model of how our job works, and my model was that there’s almost a oneto-one relationship between scholarships and athletic success,” he continues. “So I had a hard time trying to overcome that thinking in my own mind.” Part of overcoming that thinking for Schnier was changing his approach to recruiting. Although the very top athletes may now be out of Cincinnati’s reach, Schnier has been surprised at the number of good

athletes who are still interested in the program. “In a way, it is really a joy to simply announce that we don’t have any scholarships and talk about things that are more important,” says Schnier, explaining that the average scholarship grant for his athletes was only about $3,000. “I got back to recruiting for the University of Cincinnati the way I probably should have been doing all along. This is a great school, and it’s worth attending. This is a great team that’s worth being part of. “I’ve never been very good haggling over money,” he continues. “And recruiting seemed to be so much about money and so little about everything

else—I really should have been paying more attention to everything else. I’m kind of mad at myself that it took the scholarship cuts to get me to change.” On the track in 2010, the Bearcats pretty much matched their results from recent seasons. The track team won the All Ohio Championships, finished sixth in the Big East, and sent 11 athletes to NCAA Division I regionals. “The team had a very good attitude,” Schnier says. “They took on the idea that, ‘We have a problem, and we’re going to solve it.’” Since the athletes on scholarship when the cuts were made will retain their grants as long they have eligibility, Schnier estimates that the 2010 team was probably down about five scholarships from the NCAA maximum of 12.6. “Our performance this past season helped me feel better because we really didn’t drop much, if at all,” he says. “I don’t know exactly how we’ll maintain that each year going forward, but then again, if we can do it one year, we can do it every year.” At the same time, Schnier is still angered over the loss of scholarships. “I look at other athletes at this university and athletes at other universities and I’m thinking that our kids are as good as them athletically, scholastically, and personally—and our athletes should get the same treatment as those other athletes,” he says. “In the whole scheme of things, some college athletes not receiving scholarships is not a major problem. Yet it is our problem.”

At the University of Cincinnati, Head Men’s Coach Bill Schnier has had to change his recruiting strategies—and philosophy—due to the removal of scholarship money for all new members of the squad. Despite the setback, 11 athletes from the team competed at the 2010 NCAA Division I East Regional Outdoor Championships, including Chris Littleton (above) who participated in both shot put and discus.

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Ultimately, though, Schnier says the job is the same, scholarships or not. “Coaching is coaching,” he says. “Our job is to see improvement in our athletes. It may be more fun to see that improvement culminate at the national championships, but coaches get their greatest joy watching anyone improve.”

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Circle No. 101

LOCKER ROOM BULLETIN BOARD Shirts Required Most high schools have a dress code that defines what students are allowed to wear during the school day. But should those codes carry over into athletics? At Lansing (N.Y.) High School, a new clause was recently added to the school’s code of conduct that reads, “The school dress code will be enforced throughout the sports seasons and pertain to each team, extracurricular activity, and club. It will be allowable for student-athletes to wear game or competition style clothing during practice. Otherwise the dress code is in full effect, i.e., girls need to adhere to covering sports bras … and boys need to adhere to shirts being on.” While the code pertains to all sports teams at the school, the

cross country and track and field squads were especially affected by the new clause. In prior years, athletes on the teams frequently trained either shirtless (for males) or in sports bras (for females). “A lot of them were pretty upset by the new rule,” says Matt Scheffler, Lansing’s Head Boys’ and Girls’ Track and Field Coach. “Any time there’s a change to something that you’re used to, there’s going to be opposition.” Anticipating that the clause might not be well received, John Taylor, who was Lansing’s Athletic Director at the time, met with the school’s Captains’ Council to discuss the topic. “This gave the captains an opportunity to speak their mind, and also gave us an opportunity to explain ourselves,” Taylor says. “Making the team leaders aware of the decision early on was very

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Since Lansing (N.Y.) High School updated its student dress code, athletes have had to change their workout attire. Female track and field athletes are no longer allowed to wear sports bras without shirts over them and boys cannot go shirtless. Page 1

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helpful in the process. It’s an interesting subject, and I’m glad the kids were able to offer their input and hear our reasons as well.” Nevertheless, when the new clause was formally proposed at a Board of Education meeting, students and parents packed the high school library to argue against it. They explained that athletes who remove their shirts during practice are not doing so to show off or be provocative. Rather, they are simply trying to stay comfortable. There was so much discussion that the board was forced to expand the time normally allotted for public input. “As a former runner myself, I understand the desire to run with your shirt off when it’s hot,” says Taylor. “But you have to think about the image that boys with their shirts off and girls in sports bras is casting to the public. We don’t want people who might be drawn by that coming to our campus. “A student wouldn’t walk around school all day long without a shirt on, even if it was hot in the building, so the same rules should apply after school,” Taylor continues. “I’m not sure if we’ve convinced everybody that the new policy is a good idea, but people do understand and accept our thought process.” The key to swaying the athletes was that all coaches at the school backed the dress code and didn’t waver on the rules. “Any sort of change will take time,” Scheffler says. “Our new principal also created a rule that students couldn’t wear hats during school hours. There was a lot of opposition to that as well, but after a few months, nobody was wearing hats in school and no one really noticed.” Some of the girls on Scheffler’s track team did, however, find a middle ground between run-

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ning in a sports bra and training with a T-shirt: They opted to wear pinnies over their sports bras. “They were pretty ingenious,” Scheffler says. “That was within the rules of the new dress code and pinnies are a light mesh, so they’re much more breathable than a T-shirt. They adapted, and I commend them for that.”

Recovering with Chocolate Milk A little bit of chocolate never hurt, right? Actually, it turns out that in milk, chocolate might help athletes a great deal. Four new studies published this spring on the effects of consuming chocolate milk post-exercise added to the mounting body of evidence that it can be a great recovery beverage option for athletes— including distance runners.

immediate. Cyclists who drank low-fat chocolate milk after a 100-minute ride, then rested for four hours before riding 40 kilometers, finished the second ride faster than those who drank a carbohydrate sports drink. Because exercise reduces stored glycogen (carbohydrates) and breaks down muscle, it’s been recommended in recent years that athletes ingest a drink, bar, gel, or other food with a threeto-one ratio of carbohydrates to protein to maximize glycogen replacement. Rodriguez says chocolate milk has a seemingly perfect combination of carbohydrates and protein, not

to mention great nutrients not found in many other recovery products. She also notes that it’s important to drink the chocolate milk within a specific timeframe. “To get the real recovery benefit in terms of muscle protein synthesis and replenishing glycogen, the 30- to 40-minute window after exercise is the time to drink it,” Rodriguez says. “Coaches and athletes need to be very conscious of the timing aspect.” So how can you get your athletes to give chocolate milk a try? “Sometimes athletes are worried about managing their

“The earlier studies on chocolate milk were specific to its effects post-resistance exercise,” says Nancy Rodriguez, co-author of three of the research projects and Professor of Nutritional Sciences and Director of Sports Nutrition at the University of Connecticut. “This new work parallels much of the earlier research, but studied its effects after endurance training. It showed there can be benefits specific to muscle repair and recovery in endurance athletes.” There were several key advantages found in the studies, which were published in the May issue of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. When compared to a sports drink, consuming 16 ounces of low-fat or fat-free chocolate milk after long bouts of running or cycling resulted in enhanced skeletal muscle protein synthesis, increased replenishment of muscle glycogen, and fewer markers of muscle breakdown, all of which leads to repairing and rebuilding muscle. One of the four studies even found the positive effects to be

New research shows chocolate milk to be a great recovery beverage for endurance training. At the University of Connecticut, small refrigerators in the track and field locker rooms are stocked with chocolate milk.

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LOCKER ROOM BULLETIN BOARD weight and think that milk is fattening, so our biggest selling point is that it’s a fat-free product,” Rodriguez says. “For 110 or 120 calories per serving, the athlete is getting good quality protein from the whey and casein in milk. They are also increasing their calcium intake, which for female athletes is especially important. “Chocolate milk is also inexpensive,” she continues. “For the coach or team with a limited budget, it’s a great option because it’s cheaper than a lot of the other recovery drinks out there. Another good selling point is that it tastes good and is extremely palatable when very cold.” At UConn, the track and field and cross country team locker rooms have small refrigerators stocked with chocolate milk, and other teams like crew that practice off-campus bring a cooler with them. The campus dining halls and training table also always have chocolate milk available. “I still think that recovery nutrition is somewhat of a contemporary idea to coaches—it’s not as common as it should be,” Rodriguez says. “Both coaches and their athletes need to buy into the fact that the benefits of recovery nutrition can eventually translate into improved performance.”

To read the studies in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, go to: http://journals.lww.com/ acsm-msse and search “chocolate milk consumption.”

At Cal State Stanislaus, there’s a policy that members of the track and field teams can’t date one another. But that didn’t apply to the Warriors’ two best pole vaulters, husband-and-wife All-Americans Kasey and Annie Burlingham.

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Kasey informally coached Annie during their senior year of high school and two years at Cuesta College in San Luis Obispo, when they competed together, with Kasey winning the California community college championship. They married in 2005, and when the duo arrived at Stanislaus in the fall of 2007, the coaching staff needed to adjust. “As a general rule, you don’t want to get overly involved in your student-athletes’ lives,” says Pole Vault Coach Tom Brenda, who helped recruit the Burlinghams. “But when you’re working with a husband and wife, the rules are different. You really need to understand them—and their relationship— if you’re going to coach them well.” In some ways, the Burlinghams are opposites. He’s reserved, she’s emotional. In the vault, he’s a technician, and she’s a daredevil. To coach them both effectively, Brenda individualized his approach, encouraging Annie to remain Kasey’s biggest cheerleader while allowing Kasey to continue shouldering much of the work coaching Annie. “In their first few months here, we had a feeling-out period to see how the three of us would interact,” says Brenda. “Mostly, Kasey coached her while I sat back and watched it play out. By the end, Kasey and I almost reached the point where we coached her together. In competitions, he would let me take control. In practices, I’d be the first one to give feedback and he’d generally back it up with a similar message.”

Cal State Stanislaus coaches tackled a new challenge over the past three years in coaching husband-and-wife pole vaulters Kasey and Annie Burlingham. The duo capped their collegiate careers by both advancing to the NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships this spring. For all their differences in temperament, the Burlinghams have pushed each other to achieve greater heights. Brenda has especially enjoyed watching Kasey’s success push Annie to new goals. After a redshirt year in 2008, Kasey won the 2009 NCAA Division II outdoor pole vault title while Annie did not qualify. Vowing to accompany her husband to the nationals in 2010, Annie started taking workouts more seriously. She firmed her core, gained strength, moved to a larger

pole, and recorded a new personal best. At indoor nationals in March, she came in sixth to earn AllAmerican honors, and two months later, both Annie and Kasey qualified for outdoor nationals. It seemed like the perfect way to end their collegiate careers, but five days before defending his title, Kasey injured his hamstring. He became a two-time All-American as he tied for eighth place, while Annie waited through two rain delays before failing to clear the opening height.

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Coaching A Couple

The Burlinghams met in their junior year at Colfax (Calif.) High School, where Kasey was busy setting one school record after another. From the first time she saw him vault, Annie was impressed, and when they began dating a few months later, she started vaulting too.

The workout’s ﬁnished. The body isn’t. Rebuild. Rebound.

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LOCKER ROOM BULLETIN BOARD “Just a week earlier, everything had looked so good,” says Brenda. “But Kasey was strong enough to make AllAmerican on a bad leg, and even though Annie no-heighted, she jumped very well. Her goal all year was to make the national championships, and she accomplished that.”

All in the Stitching

A new NFHS rule (Rule 9, Section 6, Article 1b) enacted last

Hereford High School boys’ cross country runners start strong at the Bobcat Invitational last fall. The squad won the 2009 Baltimore County Championships but was dropped to third place after an athlete was disqualified due to wearing visible undergarments with stitching of a different color, violating a new NFHS rule.

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JOHN ROEMER IV

Jason Bowman, Head Cross Country Coach at Hereford High School in Parkton, Md., thought he prepared his runners properly for the 2009 Baltimore County Championship meet. Through training and instruction, his student-athletes were primed to perform. But he forgot about the Spandex.

season states that runners are not allowed to wear visible undergarments that are more than one color. A Hereford runner who finished fourth was wearing black undershorts with white stitching, and the infraction cost the boys’ team the county championship. “I was upset, because you do things 90 percent right to get the kids trained and peaking, then a detail like that comes back to haunt you,” says Bowman. “It was the first season with the rule and it usually takes a high-profile case for it to get on the radar. But as a coach, it was something I should have been aware of.” The disqualification of the Hereford runner pushed the team to third place and the trophy was handed to Towson High School. But it did not

prevent any Hereford runners from advancing to the regional meet, where Hereford beat Towson. Unfortunately, the disqualification was a perfect storm of occurrences. To start, the rules interpreter who usually informs coaches about rules changes during a preseason meeting was not present last year, Bowman says. Because coaches typically oversee meets themselves during the regular season, the county meet was the first time Hereford had seen an official all year. Even that didn’t go as planned.“The referee showed up late,” says Bowman. “He wasn’t at the starting line and that would be the best way to circumvent this.” Bowman had 80 athletes running in six races at the meet, so his mind wasn’t on stitching.

But that’s what he had to talk to his team about afterwards. “As a model for your kids you have to keep a level head about it and say, ‘It’s my fault, the rules are the rules,’” says Bowman. “We looked at it from the standpoint that we won, and we don’t need any validation in the form of a plaque. We know we won, we didn’t cheat, and we didn’t use any illegal means to our advantage. “But the whole time you’re thinking the rule kind of defeats the spirit of competition,” he continues. “To try to explain that rules are rules to adolescents who have a very keen sense of fairness and what they feel is right was definitely hard.” Bowman is now making sure his team creates headlines

only for running. “We’ve implemented a ritual with our athletes where they bring in any undergarments they are going to wear at the beginning of the season so we can scrutinize them,” he says. “We also have something in our athletes’ contracts that says they will buy only what is allowed for competition. “My suggestion to other coaches is to establish a protocol for your athletes,” Bowman continues. “Check their garments the day before the season starts.” In the end, Bowman tried to use the incident as a learning opportunity for himself and his student-athletes. “The good side is our kids learned a lesson about attention to detail, and I certainly did, too,” he says. “I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

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Q&A

Roger Haynes

Monmouth (Ill.) College

When Roger Haynes took over as Head Men’s Track and Field Coach at Monmouth College in 1984, the squad practiced on a gym floor with roll-out runways for the indoor season and had experienced little success at either the conference or national levels. But Haynes knew the program well and believed in it: He had graduated from Monmouth just one year earlier with two individual Midwest Conference titles and a school record in the javelin.

had 99 national championship qualifiers and 36 All-Americans. In 2007, Haynes was named the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association’s Men’s Division III National Coach of the Year for the indoor season, and his squad placed third at outdoor nationals. The following year, the men’s indoor team finished second in the country.

Twenty-seven seasons later, and now the Head Coach of both the men’s and women’s programs, Haynes has overseen the growth of a rich tradition at the NCAA Division III school. The men’s team has won 17 of the last 21 Midwest Conference outdoor titles and 11 straight indoor titles, while the women’s squad has claimed 10 out of 11 titles in both indoor and outdoor since Haynes took over in 2000.

In 2003, Haynes oversaw the construction of an indoor track and field facility inside the school’s new Huff Athletic Center. Last year, he helped manage the construction of an outdoor stadium.

At the national level, the men’s team boasts eight NCAA champions and 92 All-Americans, while the women have

For the past two-and-a-half years, Haynes has also served as Monmouth’s Athletic Director, and he is an instructor in the Department of Physical Education. In this interview, he talks about starting a tradition of success, wearing multiple hats, and helping individual athletes set goals.

CM: How does a recently graduated javelin thrower become a head track and field coach? Haynes: Our teams were so bad when I was in school that nobody else wanted the job. And I had had great mentors. My high school coach still shapes my coaching philosophy today. He treated everybody individually and fairly and he wanted to be good in every event area. Like him, I believe in a true team track and field concept. We’re not going to specialize. I want us to be good in every event area—and we’ve accomplished that. I’ve listened and learned over the years, and I love what I do. What are the secrets of maintaining a successful track and field program at the NCAA Division III level? It’s important to have the support of your administration. When I started here, we didn’t have an outdoor track, or an indoor track. But throughout the years, the administration has steadily increased our budget. For me, the two most important areas are equipment and travel—we With a first-place finish in the 100-meter dash, Jae Moore helped Monmouth’s women’s squad claim its sixth straight outdoor conference title this spring.

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want our kids to feel good about the equipment they train with and where we go for meets. How do you garner support from administrators? Through patience and taking the longrange view. Sometimes, it has felt like two steps forward and one step back, but there has been continuous progress throughout my time here. And as the program has gotten larger and more successful, that has certainly helped win us more support. What did you do on a daily basis to move the program forward? I focused on individuals. I can track the success of our program to a handful of kids I coached in the mid-1980s who went to a national level. Their success has been the foundation for our program. You can create tradition and history with small successes. You don’t have to build a multi-million dollar facility. We did it on a gym floor with roll-out runways for a lot of years, but we sold kids on the chance to improve and succeed, and that’s what kids want. If a young coach is coming up through the ranks and their program is not successful and doesn’t have great facilities,

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they can still sell their personality and their knowledge to a select group of kids. The key is coaching athletes individually. You have to figure out what buttons to push with each person. How do you find those buttons? First, you have to let kids know you’re interested in them personally. Whether it’s taking the time to talk or answer emails, you have to work hard to make sure everyone feels like they’re getting attention and improving. Athletically, you have to find out what they did in the past to get to where they are, and where they might be able to improve. We’ve taken some kids who were very average in high school and made them better by showing them this kind of individual attention.

she came in on Sundays and did additional work. Basketball was her priority and she was the leading scorer and rebounder in our league, but she was good enough that she was able to participate in the indoor conference meet for us as well. We’re willing to share athletes here. Of our 1,400 students, about 450 participate in varsity athletics, so it’s a big part of our campus. Our coaches don’t monopolize an athlete’s off-season time with conditioning work. The national pole vault champion for me a few years ago played in the marching band. We believe that students who are involved in multiple activities on campus, whether it’s several sports or Greek life or student government, do better.

You focus a lot on goal setting, asking your athletes to create a vision for themselves. How do they go about What is your approach to recruiting? developing that vision? We recruit interest before ability. We look We ask them, “In a perfect world, where for kids who are interested in our instituwould you like to be? Where are you today? And how can we help you move toward where you’d like to be?” They “If you’re a young coach and don’t answer this over time by have great facilities or a tradition at talking with us. Sometimes we have casual your school, that doesn’t mean you conversation about their can’t be successful. It only takes a personal life. Other times, we talk in detail dedicated coach and one athlete to about their athletic goals.

start that tradition.”

tion. When you come to Monmouth, you see a beautiful campus, but it’s in a town of about 10,000 people and it can look like we’re in the middle of a cornfield. This has to be the environment the student wants. If they need to be entertained all the time, this might not be the place for them. But if they want to involve themselves in a lot of aspects of the campus community and come where there are beautiful facilities and a great campus, Monmouth’s a good place for a studentathlete. In 2009, Tanesha Hughes, a Monmouth track and field athlete who also played basketball and volleyball, was an NCAA Woman of the Year Top 30 pick. Hughes participated in indoor track and basketball at the same time. How did you make that work? Tanesha worked on throws one or two days a week prior to team practice, and

Coaching Management

We want to help them set goals, not just for track and field, but for their overall development. When you come to college, you should be able to have the time and focus to figure out what kind of person you want to become. A few years ago when we were second and third at the national meets, we had multiple All-Americans and only one of those guys had gotten a medal at his high school state meet. These athletes had made a decision that they wanted to be elite in our program and that was their goal, probably more than mine. I had always dreamed we’d get a trophy at the national meet, but they got it done a lot quicker than I expected because they knew what their goals were. We also honor personal bests of any and every athlete. After every meet we ask kids on the team who had achieved a season best or a lifetime best to stand up and talk about their performance that day. Sometimes it’s the best kids on the team, but it’s equally exciting when it’s

one of the other kids on the team who gets to stand up in front of everybody. Why did you take on the athletic director role at Monmouth? My former boss, Terry Glasgow, was a very important mentor to me, and it was admiration for the job he had done that made me want to take on the new role. He was here 30 years as a coach, athletic director, department head, and instructor. I hadn’t always dreamed of becoming an athletic director, but he was the key to everything I learned as an undergrad and an employee here, and I wanted to try to continue his work. How do you organize your time? Probably not as well as I would like to. I’d like a little bit more separation of duties. My goal is to do most of my administrative work in the morning and leave my afternoons for team-oriented things, meetings with kids, and watching film. But sometimes I can’t prevent the administrative jobs from spilling into the afternoon. There are just some things that have to be done now and not tomorrow morning. I’ve had to learn to be flexible. Do you have any advice for a coach who is interested in being an athletic director? If you only ask one person how they decided on their career path, they’ll usually tell you to take the path they took. And that might work, but I’d advise any coach to talk to multiple athletic directors and see what their beliefs are, then look at all the responses. Environment is very important. Job satisfaction as an athletic director has a lot to do with the campus community and the structure of the institution. Some places you could be an athletic director and be very unhappy, and other places you would be very happy. How do you maintain a no-cut policy on all teams at Monmouth? We tell students, “If you want to come out for a team, you are guaranteed a chance to practice and work with the team.” Obviously it doesn’t guarantee traveling and playing in games. But we want to offer students as many opportunities as possible. We also don’t like to rely on a coach selection process because sometimes coaches are wrong and kids are right about their abilities. We’ve had a lot of athletes who weren’t heavily recruited come out for a team and do very well. Our high jump national champion this year only cleared six feet one time in high

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Q&A school and he went six-eleven-and-a-half by his third year here. What did you learn from working on two facilities projects, the outdoor stadium and the indoor facility? Too many cooks can spoil the meal. If you get everybody’s opinion, the final result ends up being okay for everybody but not great for anyone. At the same time, you do need input from the right people. We had a very athletic-minded president when we built our indoor facility and he was very involved. I got to have a lot of say in the process. And our business manager, who has been here even longer than I have, had a lot of input. He’s built several new dorms and other projects on campus in the past 10 years, so he was great to lean on for quality control. We spent time getting very clear about our priorities. For example, with the indoor facility, we decided it was for track and field first and intramurals and other teams second. We put in a spikeable high jump and pole vault apron and other very track-specific things. You need to set your priorities first and make sure

there is consensus about them. What do you feel are the major issues in track and field at this time? I think lack of exposure is the sport’s biggest problem. We have some tremendous athletes across all three college divisions and professionally, but people don’t know enough about them. There are also some really strong international athletes right now, but you have to be a pretty big fan of the sport to know who they are because you don’t read about them in USA Today or see them on television. What is the solution? We need to take ourselves more seriously. It starts with us track coaches. If you’re a young coach and don’t have great facilities or a tradition at your school, that doesn’t mean you can’t be successful. It only takes a dedicated coach and one athlete to start that tradition. Here at Monmouth, we also try to educate our athletes about who the world class men and women are. We spend a lot of time with our team on YouTube watching top competitors. Kids today don’t know as much about world class athletes as I did

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growing up, even though the availability is there with more technology. There has been talk of starting a Division III national poll for track and field. What is your opinion of that idea? I like the national team power rankings based on actual performances. In my opinion, it’s a lot better to work that dual meet philosophy nationally so you can compare teams against each other rather than having a coaches’ poll where a limited number of coaches are voting for teams. Have you ever been tempted to look for coaching positions elsewhere? Like anyone, I have been tempted to look around, but at this point I have not found another job I’d enjoy more. There are bigger schools and different locations, but we’re still having fun and making a lot of progress here. I also enjoy the Division III level because I get to work with kids who are very much unfinished products, academically, personally, and athletically. We’ve had some kids go from very average high school careers to pretty elite college careers and that’s very fulfilling as a coach.

TARGETING SAFETY In the hustle and bustle of practices and meets, it’s easy to overlook the numerous risks in track and field. Our sports safety expert explains how to increase safety—and reduce lawsuits.

COVER STORY

CHERYL TREWORGY/PRETTYSPORTY.COM

A CoachesNetwork.com

long time ago, I was cutting across a college athletic field to avoid being late to class. I heard someone say “Heads up!” I looked up and watched a classmate get impaled in the chest by a javelin. Two members of the track team were getting a little extra practice in throwing the javelin back and forth. No coaches were present. My classmate recovered, graduated, and had a fine teaching career. I graduated and entered the education field, too, but never really recovered. I’ve been an advocate for safety in sports ever since. Over the years, I’ve written numerous articles and books and served as an expert witness in many different legal cases regarding risk management in athletics. Recently, I’ve seen too many injuries and lawsuits related to track and field. With pole vault tragedies, wayward discs, and overuse injuries, increasing safety in this sport takes a strategic game plan. In its 27th annual report, the National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research revealed that spring

By Dr. Richard P. Borkowski

high school sports were associated with 136 direct catastrophic injuries from 1983 through 2009. Track and field led all spring sports with 65 catastrophic injuries. Coaches must know their risk management duties. The implementation of safety rules and regulations will not guarantee your athletes freedom from injury, but it will lower their chances of being injured, which also reduces your chances of facing a debilitating, timeconsuming, program-shattering lawsuit. Making It a Priority The first step in track and field risk management is to promote a culture of “safety first.” If the head coach doesn’t think safe practices are important, no Richard P. Borkowski, EdD, CMAA, is a sport safety consultant based in Narberth, Pa., and the former Director of Physical Education and Athletics at the Episcopal Academy in Merion, Pa. His most recently published book is titled A Risk Management Handbook for Physical Educators. A 2010 inductee into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame, Dr. Borkowski can be reached at: drbork@comcast.net.

Coaching Management

COVER STORY

one will. You can create the proper atmosphere by talking about lessening risks with your coaching staff, your athletes, and their parents. And then you need to walk the walk, demonstrating your commitment to safety on a daily basis. It is sometimes difficult to get the entire staff to support this important duty. Some coaches feel that putting time and effort into preaching safety is unnecessary because, “Everyone knows they can get hurt falling over a hurdle.” Others feel that if you inform the athletes of potential injuries, they will stop participating. Both of these beliefs are untrue. Require that all safety rules be followed by your assistant coaches. To get through to athletes and parents, a good strategy is to talk about the potential risks in the sport at your preseason parent and team meetings. Explain to athletes that it is their duty to follow safety rules and be conscious of potential dangers. Informing people about the risks of an activity lowers the chance of injuries—and it does not deter them from participating. In addition, go over any informed consent form parents are required to sign to make sure they understand it. What are a coach’s duties regarding safety? To start, coaches should have training in basic first aid and CPR as well as knowledge about using an automated external defibrillator. They should understand the importance of hydration and a proper warmup. They should be well versed in the current rules of all appropriate governing bodies. Coaches must also understand how to properly condition athletes. Maintain records that show each athlete has had a physical examination, followed a progressive training program, and is physically prepared to participate. Don’t forget that adequate rest is part of training. A colleague of mine used to require that everyone complete a mile run on the first day of practice. His logic was that his students would get in shape before the season since they knew of the mile requirement. The reality is that he was not responsibly preparing his athletes and instead setting up those who were not in shape for potential injuries. Beyond basic duties, walking the walk means constantly communicating about safety. On a daily basis, coaches should provide verbal warnings and reminders within the context of normal instruc16

Coaching Management

tion. Comments like, “Can someone pull that rake further away from the jumping pit?” and “Did you double-check whether that broken hurdle was fixed adequately?” should be brought up as needed. Put rules in place that decrease injuries even if they are unpopular with the athletes. For example, athletes should not be permitted to wear headphones while in the track area. Most jewelry and other body adornments are not allowed at meets, and they also should not be allowed at practice. Another great idea is to develop and maintain a safety checklist. Most coaches will remember most of their responsibilities, but a written, up-todate checklist enables you to remember all of them.

places an added strain on reasonable supervision. Some ways to combat this problem are: n Have enough coaches to cover the different events. One coach at the running events, one at throwing events, and one at jumping events would be a minimal start. Always have supervision at the pole vault. n If you have a limited coaching staff, rotate the practice times, especially for the higher risk events such as throws and the pole vault. Runners come out at 3:00, throwers come out at 3:30, and so forth. The next week, the throwers come out at 3:00, and so forth.

The lack of proper supervision is the complaint most often cited against coaches in lawsuits … It means controlling the situation by continually scanning the activity from the best vantage point.

Proper Supervision Last year a former high school pole vaulter was awarded over $6 million in a lawsuit after he fell head first in the unpadded planting box and suffered injuries that resulted in him becoming paralyzed from the chest down. While there were several factors that led to this verdict, the major failure was not having a qualified supervisor present as advised by the governing body. A coach told the pole vaulters to warm up while he looked for an official. One athlete, unable to get his timing down because of a short, poorly designed runway that was made even shorter because of equipment stored on it, was catastrophically injured on his first practice jump. There were no assistants or spotters present. The lack of proper supervision is the complaint most often cited against coaches in lawsuits. The coaches’ presence during an activity is the key line of defense against potential problems. Being there, however, is only the first step. Supervision means controlling the situation by continually scanning the activity from the best vantage point. The coach must notice and stop any situation that could be dangerous. The number of different track and field events spread over a large space

n A whistle and a cell phone help with control and communication. And don’t forget that active supervision is necessary during warmups. This is not the time to have a quick coaching meeting or run back to the school to get something you forgot. Injuries can and do happen while athletes are warming up.

Throwing Events While evaluating a school baseball field in New York City, I noticed a javelin in the air over the next field. It landed within 20 yards of the first base coach. A closer look showed shot putters throwing directly under the flight path of the javelins in one direction and the discus people throwing in the opposite direction—without a cage. When I spoke to the coach he said they had limited space and never had an incident. Sometimes you can do everything wrong, and no one gets hurt. But that’s not an acceptable excuse when that first catastrophic injury happens. There are three main rules in throwing event safety. First, it’s critical to keep

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COVER STORY

these areas away from other activities. It’s also key to have throwing cages in place, and they must be checked for stability and proper net tension. Third, there must be strict rules on where athletes can be and when. During a hammer throw practice at an Ivy League college, an athlete was struck in the head with a hammer while retrieving his own hammer. A major issue in the case that followed was the fact that the coach never felt it necessary to instruct or remind college kids not to throw when people are in the throwing zone. Here are some more tips for specific throwing events: Shot Put: The area should be located away from all other event areas. Boundary flags and ropes should warn and keep non-participants far outside

the throwing area—and they must be placed with enough buffer space for wayward throws. Check the rulebook for your governing body and follow what it says regarding boundary matters. You should also: n Keep waiting participants a minimum of five feet behind the throwing circle. n Consider installing the new shot put netting, which is a three-sided net and pole containment area. n Remind athletes to never turn their back to the throwing circle. n Emphasize that a thrower should never be in the throwing circle when someone is in or near the throwing zone. The safest way for athletes to retrieve their shots is to have everyone do it at the same time. A shot put ramp return,

similar to the ball return in bowling, has been tried at major meets to reduce the chance of injury and improve efficiency, but it is not a replacement for good supervision. Javelin: The aerodynamic shape of the javelin makes it susceptible to wind changes and skidding on the surface if the point does not penetrate the ground. To avoid potential problems due to off-target javelins, perform this event on a separate field and cordon it off with warning flags. If no space is available other than the inside of the track oval, practice this event only when no one is on the track or infield. As with the shot put, there are specific steps to take: n All throwers should retrieve their javelins at the same time.

Cross country is a low-risk sport. It is not, however, a sport without risks. Keep the following in mind to increase safety in this sport: During practices: n

Teach athletes how to run properly on the various surfaces they will encounter. Make sure athletes wear appropriate running shoes. Replace them before problems arise. Some coaches have suggested changing shoes every 300 miles. Remind athletes to tie and always check their shoelaces. The warmup and the cool down are important parts of safety. Hard and uneven surfaces increase the likelihood of stress-related injuries. Keep a careful record of all workouts and avoid overtraining. A 2005 study suggests that the incidence of lowerextremity injuries is high for cross country runners, especially females. Off-campus runs must be controlled. Specific routes and checkpoints should be established. Ideally, members of the coaching staff should run or bike with the team.

Develop routes that minimize road crossings and heavy traffic. Try to avoid using roads where there are narrow or no shoulders. Require running on sidewalks whenever possible and obey all traffic signs. If running on roads, athletes should be facing traffic. Athletes should run in groups according to ability to avoid spreading out too far. They should never run alone.

During meets: n

n n

Avoid athletes running at dusk or at night. Even during the day, they should wear bright attire. A whistle or bull horn helps communication. Coaches should carry a cell phone. Never permit athletes to run wearing earphones or use any distracting mechanism. Never conduct practice when there is a possibility of lightning or slippery conditions. Some coaches carry portable lightning detectors.

Create a course that permits sight lines for observation. Consider creating a short course that requires the runners to do two laps, therefore giving coaches more opportunities to observe the runners. Check courses prior to any run. The starting line should be wide enough to accommodate all teams. The initial running and finishing areas should be a lengthy straightaway to avoid mishaps. All trails should be as wide as possible. No trail should be narrower than four feet. Flags and lines on the course help everyone stay “on course.” Flags should be flexible, six feet tall, and easily visible. Remember to have water and ice available as well as an emergency kit.

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Coaching Management

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COVER STORY

n Always push the javelin into a vertical position, then pull it from the ground. n No throws should occur without approval. n Never retrieve and then throw back a javelin. n Coaches should always keep their eyes on the runway. Discus: Because learning how to throw the discus is difficult, this can be a high-risk event. Both the spin movement and proper grip can be tough to master, meaning discs may leave an athlete’s hand before they are supposed to. In addition, like javelins, a discus will skid upon impact. A wet or artificial surface can increase the skid distance. Requirements for a cage, throwing zone dimensions, and increased depth of the cage have lowered the chance of injuries considerably. It’s important to be aware of dangers posed by cages. Metal cages can ricochet an errant discus right back to the thrower. Loose net cages can allow the discus to make contact with people who stand too close. Also,

check cages for holes and stability. Hammer: This event carries the same safety suggestions as mentioned for the shot and the discus. Use the correct cage and remember this projectile impacts a large surface area. Throwers have been injured when their hammer hit the inside of a chain-link cage and ricocheted at them.

landing pad for gaps—all sections must be attached. Check the cross bar for cracks. Avoid hard surfaces around the landing pit since participants sometimes bounce off the mats.

An experienced pole vault coach said, “No one gets a pole until I am sure he or she understands the idea of the event, is in shape, and knows how to run.”

Jumping Events There may not be implements flying through the air during jumping events, but bodies running and flying through the air present their own set of dangers. Injuries in these events tend to occur from collisions on runways and jumpers landing on hard surfaces. Uncovered cement surfaces around jumping pits and runways continue to be an issue with older facilities. High Jump: Make sure the approach is clear of debris and dry. Check the

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Long and Triple Jump: Check the runway for debris, cracks, and upheavals. Check the take-off board for stability. Raking and leveling the landing pit will reduce injuries. Remove all maintenance equipment, such as rakes, from around the pit.

COVER STORY

Cordon off the area, including the runway, to prevent non-participants from trying to cross the runway before the next jump. I have seen the result of a sprinter and long jumper collision created by a sprinter taking a short cut across the runway to get his sweatsuit. Pole Vault: An experienced pole vault coach said, “No one gets a pole until I am sure he or she understands the idea of the event, is in shape, and knows how to run.” Those are some great words. Possibly more than any other event, the pole vault requires competent instruction, practice, supervision, and sensitivity to all safety issues. While the landing pad has been improved and is now larger, vaulters still miss the landing area. Pad all hard surfaces around the landing pad. Keep supplemental objects such as tables, extra poles, and other hard objects far away from the landing pit. In addition, secure all padding, making sure to avoid gaps. You should also consider the NFHS suggestion to paint the plant box a different color than the runway.

Schools lacking knowledgeable pole vault coaches should consider making arrangements with a qualified coach at a neighboring school to practice at that site. I’ve seen this creative idea enhance the general goodwill of conferences. Running Events The main safety consideration for running events is to not have too many things occurring on the track at the same time. Every practice must be well organized and athletes must know not to cross the track without looking both ways. Three specific events warrant more discussion: Hurdles: Athletes learning the hurdles require instruction on how to master the event. Without the right coordination and rhythm, injury risk increases. Always double-check the distance markers for hurdle placement. In addition, inspect your hurdles to make sure they are in good condition on a regular basis. Check for cracks and uneven heights as well as corrosion on the height adjustment buttons—hurdles are often left out in all kinds of weather and may be abused by nonhurdlers. Practicing on grass or other fields is often a good teaching strategy. However, make sure the surface is flat. In upstate New York, hurdles were placed on a football field without regard for the crown in the middle of the field, which can create an uneven surface. This was the major issue of the lawsuit that followed an athlete’s fall going over the hurdle. Steeplechase: Because this is not a regular event, those participating are often undertrained for it. If you include the steeplechase, have participants train for its unique elements. In terms of hosting the event, check the heights of the barriers. Water jumps should be clean and filled. Barriers should be enclosed to prevent participants from slipping under them. Relays: To avoid collisions and spiked ankles the key is practicing the exchange.

I have seen too many schools, in order to maintain crowd control, place ropes supported by four-foot high iron pipes around the track. This is not a good idea as they can become impaling instruments for an off course runner or fan. Stay current with the rulebook and discussions regarding the use of a helmet. The ASTM has established a standard for pole vault helmets that should reduce the severity of head injuries and a handful of states now require helmets for high schoolers. However, some vaulters feel a helmet is too heavy and hinders the act of pole vaulting. Always supervise the pole vault. Having an additional assistant to act as a spotter is another safety consideration. Coaches should also check the condition of the pole and if it is appropriate for the individual athlete. 20

Coaching Management

Remind your runners to stay in their lane after they pass the baton until they are sure all other runners have made the handoff. During Meets Because there are so many different events, track and field competitions require extensive organization for execution and safety. During competition, the same rules apply as at practice, but now you have more bodies to control. And you need to think about spectators, who should be kept out of all activity areas. Throwing areas and the pole vault require continual vigilance and strict safety rules. It is always a good idea to place additional supervision outside the landing zones to prevent absent minded spectators and participants from entering. I have seen too many schools, in order to maintain crowd control, place ropes supported by four-foot high iron pipes around the track. This is not a good idea as they can become impaling instruments for an off course runner or fan. If you find a safety problem at another school as coach of a visiting team, bring it to the attention of the home team coach and official immediately. If you feel the area is unsafe, do not use the site. No amount of points is worth the increased chance of injury. Equipment & Facilities When it comes to purchasing equipment, work only with reputable dealers. Never use homemade equipment. Avoid purchasing the new and creative piece of equipment until it becomes an established piece of equipment. Before transferring older varsity equipment to a lower-level team, make sure it is in good shape. If it is not good enough for the varsity, it probably is not good enough for the junior high team. In addition, check your equipment on a regular basis, and teach athletes to do the same, especially javelins, pole vaulting poles, and hammers. Require your athletes to check their spikes and starting blocks and make sure starting blocks are placed down, not dropped. Check your facility on a regular basis as well. The track cleared at the end of practice yesterday may have a hole or soda can in a lane today. That stable high jump standard may become unstable. CoachesNetwork.com

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Wet tracks should always be a concern, and if you do choose to move indoors make sure to adjust and limit your practice activity. Be very conscious of the fact that your space is limited and you have walls, windows, and doors opening and closing. If you can’t practice indoors safely, don’t do it. When An Injury Occurs A New Jersey shot put coach had a system that required all shot putters to not retrieve their shot until he

gave his approval. The captain of the team walked out, without permission, to retrieve her shot. A teammate stepped into the circle, put his shot and hit the captain on the head. The coach was reprimanding the captain at the time of the incident. Even when you have a good system, something can go wrong. That’s why it’s critical to have an emergency care protocol in place that every coach knows and is orchestrated by the athletic trainer. Access to a first aid kit, cell phone communication, field access, and

follow up information are some aspects of a proper emergency plan. The golden rule of injury assessment and first aid care is to always assume and treat for the worst possible injury. Do not move the injured athlete. If they cannot start a movement by themselves, do not move the body part for them. Track and field safety is not complicated. But it does require interest in the welfare of those in your charge on a daily basis. Your athletes’ health comes first, with points and wins a distant second. n

Res o urce s www.mach2k.net/ntca/safety National Throws Coaches Association Safety Certification by Mark Heckel, developed in 2007. www.pausatf.org/data/2009/officials/ Safety_TF_Clinic_08.pdf Guidelines for hosting a safe track and field meet, compiled by George Kleeman in 2008.

Circle No. 111 CoachesNetwork.com

www.pvscb.com Pole Vault Safety Certification Board information. www.AthleticManagement.com More articles by Dr. Borkowski on risk management can be found by entering “Borkowski” in the article search box on our sister publication’s Web site.

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LEADERSHIP

Janelle Chow excelled in volleyball, basketball, and track and field at Mercer Island (Wash.) High School and now competes in volleyball at the University of Idaho.

Multiple Choice Answer MIKE URBAN/SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER

BY JIM FORNACIARI

A high school coach and teacher makes the case for reviving multi-sport participation, detailing how to promote the practice among your own athletes.

very region of the country is proud of its homegrown athletes who go on to make a name for themselves at the collegiate or professional level. Here in the Chicago area, two athletes I especially enjoyed watching develop were Cliff Floyd and Antwaan Randle El. Granted, I wasn’t thrilled to see Floyd come to the plate against my

team with the bases loaded, and I’m sure area football coaches were stymied when trying to stop Randle El from scoring another touchdown. But we all developed great respect for them as athletes and competitors. Floyd and Randle El come to mind because they are part of a quickly disappearing era—that of the multi-sport athlete. Floyd was an all-state basketball and baseball player before moving on to

Jim Fornaciari recently retired as Head Baseball Coach at Glenbard West High School in Glen Ellyn, Ill., a suburb of Chicago, where he continues to serve as a history teacher. His teams went to the state finals in 2002 and 2003 and his program produced a number of college and professional players. He can be reached at: James_Fornaciari@glenbard.org.

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LEADERSHIP

professional baseball. Randle El starred in three sports in high school and continued to compete in all three at Indiana University before playing in the NFL. Both of these athletes came through high school when kids were encouraged to play two or three sports. That emphasis on diversifying one’s talents seems to be all but gone now, and in my mind, that is a negative. I believe we are doing a disservice to today’s young people by steering them toward sport specialization. And I also believe that as coaches, we should play a prominent role in bringing back the multi-sport competitor. Better Athletes? There is little doubt that modern training and weightlifting programs have helped produce stronger athletes. There is also no question that earning all-conference and all-state titles is more competitive than in years past. So it would seem to make sense for an athlete to

playing other sports. A few years ago, my top pitcher found a way to help make everyone on the team feel valuable. The previous fall, he had completed his senior football season as a little-used backup quarterback, yet he still felt valued by the football team’s leaders. When the baseball season started, he brought this experience to our team. He understood that even though he was going to be one of our key players, he needed to appreciate every member of the team. That, of course, bolstered team camaraderie in a huge way. Even negative experiences can help an athlete in his or her next sport. If our basketball team struggles through a difficult losing season, the lessons learned about perseverance and holding one’s head high can be used in whatever sport is waiting for those athletes come spring. Another benefit is increased athleticism, which is what you want when your hurdler needs to unexpectedly adjust

mends two to three months off per year from any one sport to reduce injury risk. The group also comments that time off can decrease risk of burnout. One more nod for the multi-sport athlete can be seen in attitude. As a baseball coach, I always looked forward to the arrival of winter sport athletes to our early season practices. My experience was that boys coming off a long basketball season or a tough wrestling campaign were often much more excited to start baseball practice compared to boys that put in monotonous hours in a batting cage all winter. The kids who played a different sport in the winter seemed energized by a change in their athletic routine. Developmental Benefits Athleticism, competitive drive, teamwork, and enthusiasm are all things coaches want to see in a team of athletes. But there are additional benefits for the

By playing different sports for different coaches, student-athletes will have a vast array of experiences and thus more opportunities to learn and grow. They will also meet more people, which can open new doors. spend his or her primary sport’s off-season lifting weights and concentrating on sport-specific skill development. But doing so comes at a price. The benefits of competing in different sports—with different coaches and different teammates—are many. When added up, they trump the plusses of an athlete spending all his or her time focusing on one sport alone. One major positive of going multisport is that the athlete will become a stronger competitor. Take, for example, the high jumper getting ready for her third attempt to clear the winning height. If she had faced the same type of pressure situation on the volleyball court (preparing to serve during match point) or basketball court (going to the line for two critical free throws), she can use that competitive experience to mentally be prepared for her performance in the high jump. By experiencing similar—but different—situations in other sports, an athlete expands his or her toolbox of strategies for success. Our student-athletes can also receive important team building lessons through 24

Coaching Management

his steps or your distance runner is getting jostled in a crowd. “Learning how to move your body the way your brain is telling it to when you have to make adjustments on the fly is crucial to being a great athlete,” says Steve Stanicek, a former Major League Baseball player and current Head Baseball Coach and Assistant Football Coach at Lockport (Ill.) High School. “Today’s kids are bigger and stronger and faster than in the past, but they have a hard time moving their bodies in subtle ways.” Scott Lawler, Assistant Baseball Coach at the University of Notre Dame, sees this as he recruits players for the Fighting Irish. “Multiple-sport athletes train different muscles in their body and seem to be more athletic than athletes who play only one sport,” he says. “One-sport players have trained their body to do sport-specific movements, but so many movements cross over in an actual athletic contest.” Single-sport athletes also risk developing an injury through overtraining. The American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness recom-

multi-sport competitor as an individual. The first is that it allows a young person the flexibility to follow more than one interest. In high school, it wasn’t clear whether Randle El was best at football, baseball, or basketball. He was encouraged to compete in all three sports until he could figure out where his passion lay. And what if Jim Brown were in high school today? The NFL legend won a total of 13 letters in four different sports, even setting a Long Island basketball scoring record (that was eventually broken by future baseball Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski). But now, he would likely be pushed into choosing one sport over the rest and football or lacrosse may have missed one of its greatest players ever. Playing several sports also teaches a young person how to use their talents in more than one way. In our changing workforce, most employers want to hire individuals who can adapt to changes and develop new skills with ease. The experience of shifting gears to a different sport each season is great preparation for the working world. CoachesNetwork.com

LEADERSHIP

ATHLETIC RECORD BOARDS For example, the backup quarterback/star pitcher I mentioned earlier learned the lesson of appreciating everyone’s value during the football season. What a great life lesson he could then bring to so many situations! Had he played fall baseball and missed the limited snaps he received on the football field, he would have missed an opportunity to grow as an individual. Finally, let’s think about what we really want kids to get out of sports. In most cases, we want them to have positive educational experiences that help them mature. By playing different sports for different coaches, they will have a vast array of experiences and thus more opportunities to learn and grow. They will also meet more people, which can open new doors. Adding variety to a student’s experience helps them to emerge as balanced young adults. Culture Shift for Coaches There are many factors that have played a role in the disappearance of the multi-sport athlete, which is why there is not just one solution. Overall, it will take a change in the attitudes of a lot of people. And it starts with us as coaches. A main reason for sport specialization is the influence of coaches who believe winning comes through a year-round commitment. Can we change our tune? Can we tell our athletes that off-season training is optional and playing another sport is encouraged? And can we show them we sincerely mean it? One way to do this is for coaches to work more collaboratively. As a head coach, consider being an assistant coach in another sport and asking head coaches in other sports to serve as your assistants. Multi-sport coaches are in a great position to help foster the right culture and attract more students to play more sports. It can also be helpful to discuss this topic as coaches. Formal and informal meetings are a good place to talk about the benefits of multi-sport participation and build bridges between coaches of different sports. Newly hired coaches may need to be educated on the importance of encouraging multi-sport participation. We can turn to our athletic directors to help us with meetings on this topic. We also each need to do as we say, since it can be easy to send mixed messages to athletes. For example, a basketball coach who publicly talks about the benefits of playing a spring sport but coaches a club team during the spring sends a confusing message. Coaches should also consider special recognition for multisport athletes. Some schools give out patches or awards to student-athletes who play several sports during the school year. Educating Parents Parents are often the main culprits behind sport specialization, so it’s important to educate them about the benefits of multi-sport participation. We can take time during preseason parents’ meetings to broach the topic and then continue communicating the message throughout the year. Along with explaining all the physical benefits, talking about scholarships will often get a parent’s attention. Many parents think the path to a college athletic scholarship is through specialization. But more and more college coaches are looking for multi-sport athletes.

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Coaching Management

LEADERSHIP

“I often rank kids who play more than one sport at a higher level on my recruiting list because I know they stay competitive all year long,” Lawler says. Some college coaches are also concerned that a young person who has been specializing for several seasons has already reached his or her ceiling. While the athlete who played multiple sports might be raw in some areas, college coaches can foresee tremendous growth once that athlete gets their coaching at the next level. You can also emphasize the importance of multi-sport participation to parents through any communication you put out. As head baseball coach, I produced newsletters three times a year to keep parents and community members informed about important team news. With each issue, I was sure to provide a list of the multi-sport athletes involved in my program, along with their accomplishments in their other sports. Athletes On Board Of course, we must also get the mes-

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batting practice in favor of having her squad watch a basketball tournament game. Her message of support for a multi-sport culture was clear. One last example I learned from a rival coach. During the fall and spring sports seasons, this basketball coach clipped local newspaper articles about his players competing in other sports. He then sent the articles along with a positive note to his players highlighted in them. Although this communication was not done on a public level, it sent a very powerful message to the athletes. There is certainly value in working with private instructors during an offseason. There is also benefit that can be found by working in the weightroom. However, encouraging these activities at the expense of playing an actual sport is not in the best interests of young people who rely on our coaching and teaching. Let the kids play! n A version of this article is appearing in other sport-specific editions of Coaching Management.

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sage across to our athletes. I found it worked well to simply talk a lot about multi-sport participation. For example, in practice I would reference instances of mental toughness or physical preparation in a sport other than the one I was coaching. From time to time, I gave my players brief reading assignments that focused on being competitive, and many of the stories highlighted contemporary athletes who made a multi-sport commitment in high school. Along with a lot of communication, coaches need to walk the walk. For example, we can attend games of our athletes in other sports, which shows everyone we really do encourage our players to be on other teams. And your athletes will appreciate the fact that you made an effort to support them. Transition times—when one sport season is coming to an end and a new one is beginning—present more opportunities to show your belief in multisport participation. I observed a veteran girls’ softball coach make a great statement last spring by canceling an indoor

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Strength & Conditioning

Hallidie Wilt was one of nine Alaska-Anchorage athletes to compete at outdoor nationals and one of 16 to break school records last year.

Learning Curve At the University of AlaskaAnchorage, team members are taught to play an active role in setting individual strength training priorities.

BY Michael Friess

he 2009 and 2010 track and field seasons were ones to remember for our University of Alaska-Anchorage Seawolves. We set new school records with five All-Americans and 10 athletes qualifying for the NCAA Division II Championships in 2009 and followed with four All-Americans and nine NCAA qualifiers in 2010. We also set 16 new school records this past year. Some may wonder-—how can we produce so many successful competitors out here on the Last Frontier? Of course the athletes themselves deserve most of the credit, as I’m continually impressed by their dedication, enthusiasm, and willingness to make whatever sacrifices are needed to take their skills to the next level.

Michael Friess is the Head Men’s and Women’s Track and Field Coach at the University of Alaska-Anchorage. He can be reached at: track@uaa.alaska.edu.

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Strength & Conditioning

But part of their success is due to our sport-specific strength and conditioning program. We emphasize frequent performance assessment and encourage athletes to feel a sense of ownership of their customized workout regimens, with a few universal training principles mixed in to address teamwide priorities. In this article, I’ll outline what we do and explain how it helps keep our athletes strong, injury free, and performing at their best. Test & Retest Like most programs at the Division II level, our incoming athletes arrive with widely varying strengths, training histories, and weightroom experience. Some were regular lifters in high school, especially if they played multiple sports,

jumping ability and can lead to iliotibial band injury. For runners who display weak hips, we will prescribe exercises that develop hip abduction with resistance bands or machines. Closed-chain work, such as single-leg pressing, lunging, and Bulgarian split squats, will also help build hip strength. We have athletes with weak hips avoid leg curls in favor of stiff-legged deadlifts, because we want to train the hamstrings more for decelerating the leg than for acceleration—working the hamstrings from an elongated position in deadlifts provides this effect while also helping increase active range of motion. If an athlete has a weak core, one of the first signs is usually lower back pain during running, particularly hill running. We will also frequently observe “sitting” or collapsing movements upon landing during jumping and plyometric work, and problems with overall posture. For these athletes (who are often the same ones who display weak hips), we focus on strengthening the core through stabilization and extension movements. We believe too many people overemphasize flexion alone when training the core at the expense of extension work, so we use ground-based stabilization exercises such as bridging, as well as training on a glute-ham machine to develop the extensor groups. Olympic lifting also helps to train core stabilizer muscles and build core strength. Beyond fixing individual deficiencies, we test all our athletes roughly every three weeks when we’re not in-season to gauge their progress in conditioning. One of the main skills we want runners to develop is the ability to push into the ground to generate greater and greater force, and a great way to test that is through 30-meter weighted sled pulls. As athletes’ times decrease throughout the training year, we know they are building speed by generating more force from the ground, while also increasing their ability to run with proper mechanics as they accommodate a resistance load. In the weightroom, we test the athletes on cleans, push presses, and squats to gauge overall strength development. These lifts are explosive and train multi-

If our student-athletes could do only one movement to build strength, I’d choose the Bulgarian split squat because it trains each leg independently for the balance, stability, and power that runners need most. while others have barely set foot in a weightroom before. To help ensure that everyone makes steady progress in conditioning, whatever their starting point, we rely on testing and performance assessment throughout the year. One of our top priorities for our new athletes is finding muscle and joint weaknesses, which cause mechanical flaws that can lead to injury, wasted energy, and decreased performance. Two areas we find most frequently need attention in our runners are the hips and core. Hip weakness, often seen in our incoming distance runners, is fairly easy to spot during initial evaluation of an athlete’s running mechanics. While observing running gait on a track or a treadmill, I’ll notice that one hip dips down too low during the stride, there is excessive swinging from side to side, or the athlete has trouble maintaining the natural, level equilibrium of the pelvic girdle. These are all signs of hip weakness, which hampers running and 28

Coaching Management

joint movement, which translates well to the demands of sprinting. The athletes also feel stronger and become more confident in their overall conditioning when they become proficient in squats, cleans, and presses. Their Own Coach We believe strongly that athletes must take responsibility for their conditioning and strength programs to build confidence and motivation. Rather than have all the athletes follow a cookiecutter approach, I encourage them to take ownership of their strength and conditioning strategy, set a few specific priorities or areas of focus, and then choose some of their exercise and lifting progressions to target the areas where they most need to improve. For example, during strength tests in early fall, let’s say an incoming hurdler learns that her push-off leg is significantly stronger in the quads and hamstrings than her landing leg. This is fairly common, especially among athletes who have never consistently strength trained and thus developed most of their functional muscle simply from practicing and competing in their event. Once she learns of this strength disparity, she might realize it explains the soreness she sometimes feels on one side after training runs, and the uneven gait she experiences when fatigue starts setting in. If everyone in our program followed the same strength training regimen, this imbalance might go uncorrected. But under our philosophy of athletes setting some of their own priorities and taking responsibility for their fitness, she can emphasize single-leg strength work to fix the imbalance. We will of course guide her on which exercises to choose, make sure she learns proper technique, and help her to understand progression variables. But the main idea is for her to feel like she’s in control of her conditioning program and helping to shape her own training. Our focus on responsibility in training also allows athletes to continue using methods and strategies that have worked for them in the past. For instance, one of our top sprinters two years ago came into our program as a sixth-degree black belt in karate. He had a battery of exercises that he felt optimized his functional strength, explosiveness, balance, and coordination, and once he explained CoachesNetwork.com

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Strength & Conditioning

the program to us, we allowed him to stick with it. We monitored his progress in the same categories as our other sprinters and were satisfied that his program was helping him achieve his performance goals. While some of those exercises were unlike anything I would prescribe to the rest of the team, they worked for him and he was comfortable doing them, so we let him take complete ownership of those portions of his training. Even though we give our athletes a great deal of freedom, that does not mean our strength workouts are a freefor-all. Each individual is encouraged to keep a training journal that catalogs the lifts and exercises they did for each workout, including sets, reps, and weight used.

workouts and conditioning progressions, there are a few training principles that we like everyone to follow. I have learned through experience that these can pay off for virtually all track and field athletes. For one thing, everyone incorporates the Bulgarian split squat into their training. If our student-athletes could do only one movement to build strength, I’d choose this one, because it trains each leg independently for the balance, stability, and power that runners need most. In the Bulgarian split squat, the athlete begins by standing on one leg, with the other behind them with the knee bent and the foot resting on a plyo box, bench, or bar. The standing leg is positioned slightly forward, so that the heel is roughly even with the front abdominal wall (this typically requires a small forward hop once the back leg is in place). The athlete then performs lunge-like movements, bending the knee of the standing leg and lowering the body until the back knee touches the ground, then returning to the starting position. Since the standing leg does practically all the work, athletes can use different weight loads for each side to address strength disparities. They can perform the squat with no external resistance, with a dumbbell in each hand, or in a power rack with the bar resting on their shoulders. In addition to building quad and hamstring strength, this movement also engages the stabilizer muscles in the foot, ankle, and calf to maintain balance and keep the shin from moving laterally. Athletes who become proficient at this squat show improvements in sprinting, horizontal jumping, and acceleration. Another staple of our strength program for all athletes is Olympic lifting. Much like sled pulls, lifts such as the hang clean and clean and jerk train athletes to push with maximum force against the ground, which helps develop speed and acceleration. For sprinters in particular, we want to train pushing against the ground in as many ways as possible, and Olympic lifting accomplishes this while also requiring coordi-

Outside the weightroom, there is one key aspect of our track and field con ditioning that differs from most other programs: We pay more attention to cardiovascular work. They also include notes on progress, difficulties they are experiencing with a particular exercise, and other observations. The journals are a great way to open lines of communication between athlete and coach. I look through them at least once a week and provide individualized feedback on how they can make adjustments to enhance their training. For example, if someone appears to have reached a plateau with a certain lift, I will recommend switching to different exercises that develop the same muscle groups. If someone reports problems completing an exercise, I will observe them one-on-one to look for flaws. If I find they’re lifting their heels during squats, for instance, I’ll give them some range of motion exercises to increase flexibility, then talk them through proper squatting technique. Other times, I’ll simply help them find another exercise that offers the same benefits.

nated movement of the hip, knee, and ankle joints. There’s also a psychological component to these lifts. They activate the entire body and leave the athletes feeling stronger and more powerful, particularly when they complete their first set with a higher weight load. It’s hard to quantify that benefit, but we believe it provides an extra motivational edge during tough workouts. Outside the weightroom, there is one key aspect of our track and field conditioning that differs from most other programs: We pay more attention to cardiovascular work. We want everyone, even our sprinters, to be able to jog steadily for 30 minutes. I believe longer bouts of steady-state running can benefit any athlete. Distance running is the most basic form of plyometric work, and it promotes soft tissue and ligament integrity, which can improve performance and decrease injury risk in virtually any activity. Our program’s emphasis on distance running began out of necessity. Until recently, we didn’t have an indoor track, and during the long Alaskan winters, all our runners used treadmills for speed training. Our fastest treadmill topped out at just 16 mph, so to make the sessions challenging, we had to increase running volume. We liked the cardiovascular benefits and noticed that our injury rates were consistently very low, so we’ve maintained that focus even now that we have access to a beautiful new indoor facility. To reduce impact stress during longer runs, the athletes will often do their work on our artificial turf surface instead of on the track. And of course, those who struggle with compartment syndrome, alignment issues, or other special considerations won’t run for volume as much as their teammates. But overall, all our team members have reported feeling that it helps them become better athletes. For all of our program’s training philosophies and techniques, the true measure of value is meet performance. When we see our runners’ times steadily dropping, our long jumpers earning top spots in national competition, and our field athletes breaking school records, we’re confident that our strength and conditioning priorities are setting up our athletes to maximize success. n

Best Practices While our athletes have come to take A version of this article was previously published in our sister publication, Training & pride in the individualized nature of their Conditioning. To read more articles from T&C, visit: www.Training-Conditioning.com. 30

Coaching Management

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Circle No. 120 117

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25 Tips & Drills for Coaching the High Jump In this DVD, University of Miami Jumps Coach Calvin Robinson focuses on teaching the approach, which he believes is the single most important aspect of championship high jumping. Drills include straight ahead runs, curve line runs, circle runs, double-leg flops off the ground, full approach jumps, box jumps, and much more.

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Tapering and Peaking for Optimal Performance Tapering and Peaking for Optimal Performance offers in-depth discussion of the science, strategy, and program design of the tapering phase of training. This first-ever book devoted to the subject features various training models and experiential knowledge allowing readers to design optimal tapering programs for each athlete. 224 pages. 2009.

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Track Facilities Recognizing Excellence

Athletic record boards from Austin Plastics are a great way to motivate your athletes to do their very best. The company’s boards are easy to install, made of durable plastic, and available in your school colors. Track record boards are available in three standard sizes and can be customized to fit your needs. Record plates can be engraved, or schools can print their own using Austin Plastics’ printing program and perforated card stock. Custom and standard boards are available for all sports.

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Heavy Cover

M-F Athletic recommends the heavyweight vinyl tarp with weights cleverly sewn into the hem to keep the cover in place. This is its heaviest cover— a thick, 18-ounce, vinyl-coated fabric to protect your long jump pit. Custom letters and logo imprints are offered in a wide range of colors, and tarps can be ordered by the foot in sizes as needed. For more information, check the M-F Athletic facility catalog, call 800-556-7464, or view the company’s Web site. Circle No. 502

AAE’s Portable Discus Cage, used in conjunction with its Premier Outdoor Throwing Platform, is the perfect solution when schools need a temporary throwing area. The all-aluminum posts feature a three-foot offset to prevent deflection. Precisely angled brackets, combined with exact-length weighted support braces, allow for repeatable cage assembly, adding stability and eliminating human error. The weather-treated nylon main safety net can be raised and lowered by pulley, and a backup net is included to keep onlookers at safe distance. AAE offers models for both high schools and colleges. Visit the company’s Web site or call for more details.

Coaching Management

Circle No. 501

Raceclock timing clocks are available with four-, six- or nine-inch digits featuring super-bright LEDs or traditional “flip” digits. The single- and double-sided models are accurate to 1/100 of a second. Internal batteries provide more than 10 hours of operation with selectable timing modes set by a keypad. Accessories include a tripod stand, carrying case, remote control, and remote display operation compatible with Finish Lynx. Electro-Numerics, Inc. • 800-227-9860 www.raceclock.com

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Circle No. 505

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Beynon Sports Surfaces has launched yet another innovative track and field product. The BSS 3000 IAAF certified system has been designed for faster times and less surfacerelated injuries. The product efficiently converts impact energy into kinetic energy, thus leading to faster times, and does not contain any SBR.

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Mondotrack is designed to provide optimal traction and a greater contact area than other tracks. It converts the maximum amount of force generated by athletes’ foot strikes to energy for maximum energy return, which helps athletes achieve faster times compared to running on other surfaces. Mondotrack also provides excellent athletic comfort and maximum safety with the optimal blend of speed and comfort for both competition and training.

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Providing Protection

Cross-Over Zone ® and Bench Zone ® Track Protectors provide the cushion and cleatproof protection that modern track surfaces demand. Made with tough geotextile fabric and self-ballasted with chain-in-vinyl edging all around, they stay down without stakes or sandbags. Easy to install, remove, and store, these track protectors are used by hundreds of high schools and colleges, including Villanova and North Carolina State. Standard sizes are kept in stock for immediate shipment. Aer-Flo, Inc. • 800-823-7356 www.aerflo.com

Circle No. 503

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