How to Effectively Share an Athlete

Okay so you want that basketball player to be your high jumper, or the soccer player on your 4x4, or base runner on the baseball team to run the 100, what do you do?  This is a common issue at the high school level and it will happen, especially to track coaches.  What is an effective way to get that athlete compete for you?

First, you need to gauge any interest in being on the team.  There is a reason that person is doing another sport and not track at the time, so the interest might not be there.  But also, perhaps the athlete doesn't know if they would be competitive, so discuss that with them.

Next you need to consider team rules for the other sport.  Do they allow athletes to participate in other sports?  Most schools do, but some don't so be sure to discuss that with the coach of the sport.

If all is well so far, and the athlete will work with you in preparation for competition, you now have to come up with an effective training program.  Here, you need to consider how many times a week that athlete will practice with you, what is the best training to do on limited time, and how to keep the athlete healthy.  There is no easy way to figure that out.  You have to work to figure out an optimal arrangement and it may be tough.  Keeping the athletes you have involved, and trying to get new athletes in the fold is a crucial ingredient for most coaches, so do your best to see that you can effectively share athletes from other sports.