April 9, 2014
In my senior year of high school, my coach would have the hurdlers – all three of us – run one 400 at the end of every workout as a way of improving our late-race endurance. One day, for like the third time in two weeks, only two of us lined up to run the rep. When our coach asked us where the third kid went, we answered that we didn’t know, but “I think he went to the bathroom,” my teammate said.
Coach hesitated for a second, scowling at the fact that this kid was ducking the hardest part of the workout yet again. But then Coach’s face lightened as he shrugged and said, “that’s par for the course.” He had the two of us line up and we ran the rep.
Our coach could have had sent someone to the locker room to bring the delinquent hurdler back to the track and demand that he either complete the rep or face a harsh punishment. That’s exactly what a lot of coaches would have done, and many would argue that it’s what he should’ve done in order to maintain his authority.
But my teammate and I were glad he didn’t do that. We appreciated the fact that he didn’t delay us in finishing our workout in order to fuss out a teammate who was lazy and unmotivated anyway. Instead of feeling cheated that we had to do the 400 while the third hurdler had weaseled his way out of it, we felt that our coach recognized our dedication and was rewarding it by focusing his attention on us. So though we felt tired at the end of a long day of hurdling, we put all of our effort into that 400.
I’m reminded of that incident every year around this time – after the newness of the outdoor season has worn off. By mid-April, the kids who really want to bring out the best in themselves have clearly separated themselves from the kids who are out there just to be out there. This is the grind time of year. And not everybody is willing to put in the work.
My approach to coaching the slackers is based on my high school coach’s approach: don’t sacrifice the quality of workout of the dedicated athletes in order to address the laziness of the unmotivated athletes. With the championship season only a month away, I need to know who my warriors are. I need to know who I’m going to be able to count on. I need to know who the young kids are that I’ll be able to develop into future contributors.
If by mid-April it’s still apparent that you lack the work ethic to be a track athlete, then I’ll give you workouts to do, and you will either do them or you won’t. I’m not fighting that battle. More than anything, I want the kids who work hard to know that their hard work is appreciated. I want them to know that they will receive the lion’s share of my attention.
Track is a sport in which you have to be self-motivated. Having a coach yelling at you or preaching to you or giving you motivational speeches isn’t going to make any difference if you lack an intrinsic desire to excel. In the end, those who work hard will reap the benefits, and those who cheat the workouts are only cheating themselves.
