It’s You
by Steve McGill
Do you remember that old pop song from the 90’s, “How Bizarre”? If you don’t, that’s okay. But it popped into my head a lot in mid-August when I took on the position of head cross country coach at my school. How bizarre.
How I got here is a story unto itself. Last spring, after our track coach retired, I took on the role of head track and field coach, marking the first time in my life being the head coach. The previous track coach had also been the cross country coach, and I had assumed that he’d be replaced in plenty of time before the start of the fall season, but that turned out not to be the case. Before I get to that, though, let me first talk about where I had thought I would end up this fall.
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It was the third week of June — a week before I was to head to Maryland to conduct another of my hurdle academies — when I received a message on Instagram from one of my former track athletes who had just finished up his freshman year running for North Carolina State University. He asked me if I had heard about NC State’s sprint/hurdle coach, Allen Johnson, recently accepting the head coach position at North Carolina A&T University. I wrote back that yes I had, and that I was happy for Johnson to land a job as a head coach. My former athlete then asked if I would be interested in replacing Johnson at NC State. Sure, I wrote, I’d like to put my name in the hat. My thinking at the time was that I wouldn’t have much chance to win the position, seeing as I have no experience coaching at the collegiate level, and almost all D1 positions require at least 3-5 years of college coaching experience. I told him I’d look on the NC State website for the job opening, and that I’d apply.
The following night, I received a phone call from my former athlete’s dad, asking if it would be okay if he gave my contact information to the head coach at NC State. I said sure. About ten minutes later, the head coach called. He asked about my level of interest in the position, and I said that I was very interested. NC State is in Raleigh, where I had lived for over 20 years, dating back to 1994. I had established my reputation as a hurdles guru in Raleigh, and some of my most fulfilling moments as a coach had taken place on NC State’s track.
So, about a week later, after I had returned from my camp, the NC State coach asked if I could come to Raleigh from my home in the Charlotte area for an interview. Yessir! The interview took place on a Wednesday, and it couldn’t have gone any better. I was on campus for three hours, meeting some of the other coaches and athletes and touring the athletic facility. The head coach assured me that I’d have full autonomy on how I want to train the sprinters and hurdlers. In addition, it dawned on me that as a full-time coach, I would no longer have to teach English and grade essays all day long and into the wee hours of the night. Hearing him talk, I found myself thinking that this is the life I’ve always wanted to live, but I was just now realizing how true that was. I felt elated at the possibility.
Another two weeks passed before I heard the final verdict. The head coach called and said they had decided to go in a different direction. So, that dream died on the doorstep.
About a week later, in early August, I checked my school email account and saw an email from our athletic director addressed to all faculty and staff, asking if we knew anyone with coaching experience or running experience who would be willing to coach the cross country team. I looked at that email and just said damn.
I thought on it a bit, then texted Wil Rasmussen, who had assisted me during track season and had also helped out at my latest hurdling academy. I texted him, “Hey Wil, if you’re in it with me, I’ll do it.” He agreed, and now here we are.
Man, cross country is a whole lot different from track. I knew that already, but now I really know it. Cross country is even worlds away from road racing. I thought my experience running road races during my late-30’s and into my late 40’s would serve as solid preparation to coach cross country. But the terrains are so different that the two sports can’t really be compared. Cross country terrains can vary from rough, coarse grass to gravel paths to narrow forest trails to compact dirt to nice soft grass to high tall grass. During one of our recent workouts two athletes finished a rep and reported that they had seen a snake. Holy shiggidy. Steve does not mess with snakes.
Another thing that’s different is that I simply don’t do as much actual hands-on coaching. I send them on their way and it’s like see ya when ya get back. Even when we’re doing shorter repeats or hill work, there’s always going to be a portion of the reps where I can’t see the athletes. I’m used to being on the track where I’m constantly giving instruction, constantly troubleshooting issues with technique, constantly adjusting and readjusting workouts on the fly. Even on hurdle-free days, I’m timing reps, timing recovery periods. But in cross country, most of my time is spent waiting for them to come back.
Oddly, I don’t feel overwhelmed, and I don’t feel like I don’t know what I’m doing. In terms of planning workouts and preparing for competitions, my backgrounds in coaching track and running road races has served me well. Probably the biggest issue I’ve had is having 30,000 gnats buzzing in my ear at practice every day.
When it comes to coaching young people, getting them to believe in themselves, helping them to improve, that’s what I do best. What I’ve come to understand and appreciate more and more as I’ve grown older is that who I am as a person matters much more than who I am as a coach. And the ironic reason for that is that who I am as a person determines who I am as a coach. So when presented with a new challenge, or facing a wilderness, I don’t doubt that I can find my way.
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