Have fun!

Our number one goal is for all of our athletes to have fun. We believe that what you put into the sport is what you will get out of it. If you enter with a positive, can-do attitude and put time and effort into practice, respecting yourself and others, you will have fun.

Anyone can improve and achieve their best.

Regardless of talent or ability, be it a beginner or a very experienced runner, we believe anyone can improve through coaching and following a structured training program.

We work towards a peak.

We have a pretty structured training program that builds upon itself week over week, and works towards a peak. If you do anything extra or different this can impact when you peak and ultimately how you perform race over race. It is difficult to customize to 150 athletes, but our training plan aligns with the race schedule and is designed to achieve success by KingCo and for some, by State.

Discipline and hard work is the name of the game.

No one said this would be easy. Running events, especially endurance running, takes a great deal of discipline and hard work. Physiological, tactical, psychological and technical along with nutrition and sleep all play critical factors that can impact your performance. And, don’t be disheartened if you have a race or event where you feel you didn’t achieve, what you wanted. Slow and steady discipline wins the race in the end.

Individual actions can and will affect the entire team.

While XC, track and field are all considered individual sports, the actions of one individual can and will affect the entire team. For example, if one or two athletes are constantly late to practice or behave negatively, it can actually bring the entire team down. A tangible example would be if a relay member misses one or more practices, the athlete’s absence can  negatively affect the rest of the relay team and not allow the team to reach their potential.

Leave your ego at the door.

Every athlete has individual strength and weaknesses, which need to be coached and developed individually and specifically. We have found that the athletes that improve the most (outside of training) embrace their strengths, but also acknowledge they have weaknesses that can be improved. All of this in balance helps you exploit your potential.

Trust is achieved by effective communication.

We believe in open, honest and clear two-way communications. It starts with athletes and parents understanding our expectations of being part of this team. A trusted athlete / coach relationship relies on effective communication–the ability to provide feedback as well as the ability to listen. It’s also important that an athlete’s skills and the willingness to learn, to improve and to follow through on a training plan are in place. Likewise, it is important that, as your coaches, we respectfully listen and understand your needs.

Oh…did we mention Academics are important too?

While last on this page, it is not least. You are here because you are going to school to learn and make something of yourself in the future. We expect you to prioritize your academics over your sports, but we like to be the next important thing on your list. And while the school bar says you must maintain a 2.0 GPA and have no F grades in any class to be academically eligible to compete in meets.