The Life and Times of Karjuan Williams

It is a fact that everyone from New Orleans has a story.  Often these stories take on the aura of the city itself: regarded by many, beset by tragedy, but always resilient.  There’s a Katrina story, or a “where were you when the Saints won the Super Bowl” story, and then the ever present story of where you grew up and went to high school.  They all carry a certain prestige, or a certain rite-of-passage in the New Orleans community.  A bond shared by the people of the “city that care forgot.”

The following story is no less remarkable than any other you will hear in this great town. This is the story of Karjuan Williams.  To the uninitiated of track and field, the name most likely won’t ring a bell.  But for us fans, we get a vision of a former high school prodigy, the darling children of our sport.  Karjuan’s journey from the nomadic and trialed youth to a magnificent high school runner, finalized by a professional athletic career cut short is one story that must not be kept secret.

On a Sunday evening in New Orleans in late January of 2014, Pat Gavin (owner of Louisiana Running Company and head administrator for the Louisiana Milesplit affiliate) and I shuffled through papers and computer files preparing our plans for the website for the following week.  A new concept we were experimenting with would be podcasts which was something neither of us had experience with but seemed full of potential.  A weekly guest would be our planned spotlight; some sort of interview or discussion on relevant topics in our running community would be the theme.  Pat had talked to several runners and coaches and one, Karjuan Williams, had decided he could be our guinea pig for our first session.  Instead of having a simple interview on the sporting world of track and field, what followed was an intimate revelation on the life and times of a native New Orleanian.

We get a knock at the front door of the store at around 6:20 PM and there came in an exuberant and cheerful Williams.  Karjuan stood a few inches taller than me with an athletic build, despite confessing he had gained a bit of weight since his “retirement” from running.  Regardless, it was somewhat amusing to see someone who had run 1:45.79 for 800 meters look like a “normal” guy.  He wore an Adidas Running windbreaker and t-shirt, seemingly still loyal to his sponsor after almost two years of being away from the track.  Pat and I cleared some room at the grey plastic folding table that had become our work desk for the night and sat with Karjuan to fully explain the idea behind our interview.  We decided that the best place to start was from the beginning- the days of his youth.

As soon as the conversation started, it was easy to tell that Karjuan was at home behind a story.  He had an air of confidence about himself, though remained humble.  Surprisingly we soon found that Williams had nothing he would shelter us from about his life.  He was an open book, and after only a short amount of time we realized we weren’t doing an interview anymore.  We were at a story telling and the orator knew every line from memory.

The hour or so spent listening to Karjuan jumped from point to point, but let us begin this story from days before Williams ran track- in his formative years.  Karjuan grew up in New Orleans in a single parent household with five other siblings.  His mother worked a steady job in Harahan in Jefferson Parish, but despite that fact his family often moved, nearly once every year or two.  He describes himself as being from “the whole city,” living everywhere from uptown, to the Westbank, to the lower 9th ward.  Being busy and often away from home, his mother had told him to watch after his younger sister Jamie and assumed the role of her protector.  Unfortunately, Karjuan would often discover that it was actually himself that would be the center of troubling situations.  

“This is something a lot people don’t know about me. As a kid, I had a lot of issues.”  Karjuan was always the new kid wherever he moved which he believed made him a target for bullying and fighting.  His lack of discipline, or at the very least his inability to avoid controversy, left him suspended or expelled from several schools before he even began high school. It kept him behind in school and left him disillusioned with his future and where he was going in life.  Knowing he was going down the wrong path, he still often had a tough time making good decisions.

His situation started to change when Karjuan began running track for coach Jackie Callender of the New Orleans Comets (now with the United Southern Express Track Club) the summer before his freshman year of high school.  Jackie was a straight-laced man who worked with the Army Corps of Engineers and coached in his spare time, helping young athletes like Karjuan find better places for themselves.  Another influential coach he found with his summer track team was James Gray, a city councilman for New Orleans and graduate of Harvard Law School.  These two men motivated Karjuan to make better life choices and focus on what he can be great at- track and field.  This was before the days of being a superstar.  Karjuan had run no amazing times yet and would not until the following year.

Before his first foray into real running, the most Karjuan had ever done was attempt to run away from his brother in street races.  His brother Joel ran track as well and would use Karjuan as a rabbit for workouts.  Karjuan would line up far in front of his brother who would attempt to chase him down.  Interestingly enough, this sibling rivalry that would last several years.  Joel, Karjuan’s brother, would run 1:46 for Jackson State University, leaving Karjuan the fastest 800 meter runner in his family by only one second.  Having that natural spark for running, his coaches worked to keep Karjuan focused.  His summer track coaches eventually counseled Karjuan in his decision to attend St. Augustine for high school in hopes of placing him around a good set of peers and mentors.  Even then Williams would be hard to shake off his old self.  But there, a close friendship with a teammate would turn this story in the right direction for the young man.  

Kendall Raines was a tough, versatile track athlete for St. Augustine High School who ran on the summer circuit as well.  I personally remember him and his teammates as we often competed against each other as we were all from the same high school district.  From the many times I talked to him, I could remember he was always excited and happy to be running.  He was tall and muscular with a powerful stride and could be a fearsome competitor, much to the disdain of his competition.  He placed well in many local races including finishing 3rd place in the 800 at the prestigious Sugar Bowl Track Classic in 2004.  But before that, he was Karjuans adversary.  Not by his own accord, but rather Karjuan’s, who held a strong dislike for Raines even through the beginning of their time together at St. Aug.  Raines would actually speak positively about Williams to others, hoping to motivate his teammate, though Williams would respond back with unprovoked vitriol.  Perhaps Williams held a bit of jealousy for Raines who was well-liked and had a cheerful demeanor, while Williams chose to focus on the “chip on his shoulder” from his issues growing up.

Karjuan and Kendall struggled to keep their team focused and connected from the outset of their time together.  Kendall, being one of the older athletes, held the role of the team captain, and Karjuan attempted to undermine his leadership from the beginning of cross country in the fall of his freshman year.  It is said that time heals all wounds and inevitably, being around each other day in and day out, Karjuan began to relinquish his misguided hatred for Kendall.  Karjuan noted that Kendall had a similar upbringing, often moving and going through his own trials, but Kendall kept smiling.  Where Williams would find anger, Kendall would push through with his chin up.  It used to anger Karjuan that someone could be happy when their life had so many downfalls, but soon he was seeing things Kendall’s way.  At this point Karjuan began reshaping his philosophy on life, aided by the former enemy turned friend, and began wanting more for himself.  They developed a bond that would last a lifetime.

It would be the coming summer where Karjuan would start to see his future in track and field.  In the spring and summer of his freshman year (2003) he would go on to run 2:00 to 2:01 several times. This is an amazing mark for a young high school runner; however, Karjuan was a year older than much of his same-grade peers.  Nevertheless, the summer track circuit is based on age, not grade, and he was matched against great athletes who ranged from freshman to juniors in high school in the 15-16 year old division of USA Track and Field Summer Track.  That year the Junior Olympics were being held in Miami, Florida.  This would prove to be Williams’ first big test as a runner.  

After the qualifying rounds for Miami composed of the district and regional meets held near home, Karjuan and his coaches had narrowed down his best event as being the 800 and 1500 meter events despite running great times in the 400 meter race.  In Miami he would be entered to compete in those two events with the goal of making the finals.  But this wasn’t a local championship anymore; this was a major national competition and the stakes were higher with less room for error.  Karjuan was paired in a heat with many runners who had run in the mid-1:50s for the 800m, and Karjuan began to feel the pressure to perform well to qualify for the finals.  When other athletes asked him what he had run, he would lie and say he had run 1:56 in practice but had not run as fast in actual competition, masking his insecurity about his ability to perform.  He watched as the first two heats of the qualifying round of the 800 meter event finished with winning times in the 1:56-57 range, well above his lifetime best.  

Let me stop and say something.  There is a moment in every great athletes’ life where he would be put to a challenge far above his head.  The reaction to  this challenge, not necessarily the outcome, proves a person’s place in the halls of greatness.  I can think of Prefontaine taking the pace in the 5000 meter finals in the 1972 Olympics, as well as Christian Smith going from last man allowed into the 800 meter trials all the way to a 3rd place finish in the finals and a berth on the Olympics team in 2008, and even the marathon Olympic Trials the same year seeing Brian Sell qualifying for Beijing despite having a very mediocre college running career before going pro.  The spirit of self-belief is prevalent in these types of people and their success becomes self-evident.  Sometimes these events take a long time to manifest, and sometimes they manifest meteorically.

This time it was meteoric.  Williams toed the line that day with all the probability of being an also-ran when the final results were posted.  Instead, he found himself crossing the line in a 1:55 with the fastest qualifying mark going into the finals.  He had dropped five seconds off his personal best time in one race.  And thus the meteor shower began.  His coach believed he should jog the 1500 meters to save energy for the final of the 800m, so Karjuan “jogged” a 4:16 and almost made the finals in the event he was trying to shrug off.

One great thing about Karjuan is his ability to remember names and times.  He spoke of his roommate for the evening, a young man named Terry, who told Karjuan he should believe in himself for the finals and he can definitely win if he focused.  This was uncharted territory for Karjuan, who went from being a good freshman runner to one of the favorites to win the national title.  A bit awestruck, he was late to warm-up on race day.  Despite this, he was spot on pace, coming through the first 400 meters in 53 seconds with enough left to run the second 400 meters in 59 seconds, cleaving another three seconds off his personal best to run a 1:52.83 and take home the victory.  He recited his time with a smile on his face, almost amazed that he still remembered the mark he ran over a decade ago.

From there, things began to shape up for Karjuan.  The following year he ran 1:50 for the 800 meters as a sophomore and became one of the big names in high school track and field, mentioned with the likes of Michael Granville and Alan Webb.  There wasn’t any competition for him in the state, and he was already the top in the nation.  The summer of his junior year in late June, Karjuan won the national Junior 800 meter championship, besting the rest of the country in the 19 and under age group.  A chance meeting at the finish line of that race would prove to be eventful just a few months later.  Nicholas Sparks, the author of novels that became movies such The Notebook, A Walk To Remember, and Safe Haven, offered Karjuan a congratulations.  He gave the young runner high praise on his talent and left an impression on Williams.  Sparks was not only a former college 800 meter runner, but also was coaching his own son to very impressive high school track times.  Karjuan had left Carson, California as a champion again, but also knew that his name was now firmly cemented in eye of the track and field community.  That was just a couple months before things would change and leave Karjuan looking to the author once more.

Life has a way of throwing a curveball.  While preparing for cross country his senior year of high school, the state of Louisiana changed in late August of 2005.  Hurricane Katrina was headed towards New Orleans.  The Williams family packed their belongings into Karjuan’s brother’s Chevy pickup and drove to Lake Charles where their aunt lived.  Although they planned and packed for just a few days visit, after watching news reports and hearing of widespread devastation, it was clear that Lake Charles would be their home for the near future.  Karjuan took his newfound resiliency he acquired from his friendship with Kendall to take life’s lemons and turn them into lemonade.  He connected with Trey Harts (former Baylor sprinter) who at the time was attending Barbe High School and moved into the same school district with the plans to compete for Barbe his senior year.  

Sometimes life piles on problems.  Sometimes one great tragedy isn’t enough, and we have to find a way to push through and suffer multiple issues to truly test our mettle.  This happened again just a few weeks later as Louisiana suffered yet another major hurricane disaster, this one named Rita.  Though lesser known than Katrina, Rita was equally as potent and damaged the lives of many on the western side of the state which was the newfound home for the Williams family.  They would have to move on, again.

Luckily, just a few days before Rita hit, Karjuan began to receive calls from North Carolina.  Nicholas Sparks had offered to help the Williams family in their time of need.  Sparks, knowing that Joel Williams was running at Jackson State, contacted the coach there who in turn contacted Jackie Callender about Karjuan.  Lastly, Callender had gotten in touch with Karjuan’s mom and connected them with Sparks.  His efforts proved fruitful.

Karjuan was reluctant at first, but with the problems now compounded by Rita, he found himself in New Bern, North Carolina with his third team in as many months.  After travelling to New Bern in the same Chevy pickup that took them to Lake Charles, the Williams were made as comfortable as possible in the small town that was now their home.

This would also be a major step towards Karjuan’s eventual move to become a professional runner.  With Sparks as his coach, Karjuan was no longer training like a long sprinter, but more a distance runner with much more volume of training.  It took some serious adjustments in his mentality and approach to his fitness that he had never considered before.  There were new challenges in both track and life and he was unsure how he would respond to them.  It was not long before he began to do poorly in school and grow homesick, not being able to contact his friends and even being unsure where some of his own siblings were at the time.  One was incarcerated and another was simply missing and had not yet found a way to contact his family.  The seriousness of the storm’s effects were growing on his mind.  He persevered through the school year knowing he would shortly be in college.

Then in track that year, even with injuries from his now more voluminous training load, he ran 1:50.74 indoors and 1:49.97 outdoors, finishing both seasons with the top times of the high school year.  Track was Karjuan’s outlet to release the stress of school and being homesick.  He became a leader on the team despite his brevity at the school, helping New Bern become a strong squad that spring.  He capped his senior year off with a win at the Nike Outdoor Nationals track championship in the 800 meter event, yet another national championship.  Sparks had helped Williams not only become a national champion again, but also to learn and trust the more difficult training.  It would aid him later down the line when his professional training would challenge him like never before.  Karjuan also cited coach Callender’s saying -“If a kid believes in his coach, he can walk on water.”  

The next chapter in the life of Karjuan Williams would take place at North Carolina Central University.  Growing up, Karjuan was enamored by the talent of Otukile Lekote of the University of South Carolina who ran 1:44 for the Gamecocks, but was disappointed with USC’s ability to produce quality guys after Lekote.  When he visited Texas Tech and Arkansas, two powerhouses in college track and field, he did not find what he was looking for either.  Finally he decided that NCCU in his new home state was the best fit.  Williams had a successful freshman campaign and improved to 46.24 and 1:48.81 for the 400 and 800 meter events respectively, but yet felt something was missing with his ability to progress in the 800 meter race.  He felt his training at NCCU was 400 meter centric.  In what he described as “a bad decision and good decision,” Karjuan decided to forgo the rest of his college eligibility and turn professional by signing with Adidas.

Finding a coach as a professional athlete was challenging for Williams and he even forewent his first coach, a man he felt issued too much distance training.  He worked with his agent to help find a new coach and eventually set up a meeting with a man named Andrew Alden.  Once they met, Williams realized Alden was the former coach for USC (and now current coach again) when Lekote was running, but had left long ago.  The precipitous decline of the 800 meter program at USC was because this coach had left; but now he was here and was willing to coach the runner who had idolized his former athlete.  It seemed to be a great match.  “That full circle took me right back to the guy I wanted to train with in the first place,” said Karjuan.

Even with some nagging injury issues, it did not take long to improve under Alden as he ran 1:45.79 in his second year in Alden’s program. Things were going great.  Karjuan mentions that he still, as a professional, kept in touch with Kendall and was offered a lot of advice.  Kendall was now close to finish nursing school and “had his life in order.”  More or less, when Karjuan had to make a tough decision, it was Kendall who he would call to discuss which action he should pursue.

Karjuan was now feeling the pressure to make the next step in his fitness.  His competition was running 1:43-1:44 for the 800 and he needed to keep up.  He decided he needed another change of scenery and it was time to pack up and go to one of track and fields mecca’s of the world, Los Angeles.  His training moved from the more middle distance-oriented workload he had thrived on in the past couple years to a training similar to the style that propelled Johnny Gray to a 1:42 a couple decades earlier.  At the time it seemed necessary, but in retrospect he said it was a “horrible decision.”

There was another event around this time that made life tough once again for Karjuan.  In December of 2010 Kendall Raines was shot in a random act of gun violence in New Orleans, just days after his semester exams at nursing school.  Kendall was shot in the neck and suffered a fatal injury which left him dead within minutes of the shooting.  The loss for Karjuan was devastating.  Sitting in front of Pat and I, even though the event happened over three years ago, Karjuan couldn’t contain his sorrow.  Kendall was as close as a brother to him and it was lost over a senseless crime.  To make the situation even more darkening for Karjuan, he says that “the life I was living, before I met Kendall, it was almost similar to the people that killed him.”  It was “the life he was saved from.”  He needed to keep his head up now any carry the torch for Kendall.

The summer before Kendall’s death, 2010, would be the last time Karjuan would set a personal record.  He had on and off injuries and ran nearly two seconds slower in 2011 than his best he set the year before.  Despite this, Karjuan felt he was shaping up for a great year in 2012 which also happened to be an Olympic year.  Like he often did, Karjan moved again, feeling Los Angeles was too distracting and could not offer him the path he was looking for.  He moved back to North Carolina where was pursuing a long term relationship with his girlfriend; he was only planning on running professionally for five more years and sought to begin the setup for his post-athlete life.

During May of that year, Williams was set to perform at an early season meet in Ponce, Puerto Rico.  His training was progressing amazingly and had just days before produced a workout of ten repetitions of 200 meters between 25-26 seconds with one minute of recovery.  He thought this would be his year to move from national caliber to international caliber.  Later that day he would start to feel pain in his knee; not a good sign for a track athlete headed out to an international competition, but he did not want to chance missing the race.  His knee became stiff from the plane ride to Puerto Rico, and then worse on the car trip to Ponce.  Once at the hotel he realized his knee was becoming increasingly enlarged and immediately consulted the medical staff.  He was given the unfortunate news of being diagnosed with a suspected meniscus tear, a surely season ending injury.  The staff in Puerto Rico did not have the capability to surely diagnose the injury because they lacked the proper equipment, so Karjuan held out hope.

He was sent back stateside to see his personal doctors immediately, feeling intense pain the entire time.  Upon Karjuan’s return, his doctors were unable to discover the true reason of his injury and recommended surgery to get a better idea of his injury.  Karjuan was hesitant because he didn’t have insurance, but he was helped by his old coach Nicholas Sparks to pay for some of the costs.  After having the surgery he was told the doctors were still unsure what caused his injury, leaving Karjuan without a clue for help.  He followed up surgery with physical therapy which helped him get back to walking normal; however, he was told it would be a year and a half before he could continue with a full training load.  Being 25 years of age, he was worried this would be a long term derailment that may not even allow him to reach his former fitness.  Furthermore, it disturbed him as he watched the competition he used to run stride for stride with further improve that summer while he simply sought to walk normal again.  He was in a very tough spot.  

In order to pay bills, Karjuan sought employment in North Carolina.  However, once he broke up with his girlfriend he realized he had nothing holding him there and longed to return to his first home, the place he had grew up, New Orleans.  To him it was “his city.”

He made his return in 2013, giving up his dreams of competing in the Olympics and is now focusing on one of the richest resources the city of New Orleans has to offer: he manages musicians and entertainers.  He loves the networking, communicating, and meeting people within the business industry, evident by his demeanor with us.  His honesty and easy going manner is evident.  Additionally, Karjuan helps his brother run his contracting business.  But it wouldn’t be the new Karjuan Williams, the Kendall Raines inspired one, without wanting to give back to the community.

He has been working as a volunteer coach at his old high school, St. Augustine.  He appreciates how coach Dixon of St. Augustine allows him to have control over the distance runners, allowing Karjuan to implement a middle distance-based training program and not one that is sprint-based.  “Darren Dixon listens.  He’s willing to work with you.”

Just because Karjuan no longer runs world class times doesn’t mean he is done.  This story is far from over.  He has plans to establish a summer track club.  Also, he wants to eventually host a track meet in Kendall’s honor.  Karjuan’s message is simple: he wants to enjoy life and wants to show people, young ones especially, that the future can be bright if you believe in yourself.  Before Karjuan left the store that evening, he summed his hard earned lessons as this: No matter where you come from, it doesn’t matter.  You shouldn’t let where you come from determine where you are going.  You can go as far as you want to go if you have a positive attitude.

Chaz Caiado is the distance coach at John Curtis Christian School in River Ridge, Louisiana as well as head coach of the Southern Athletics youth track and field club.  He is a graduate of Tulane University.

Special thanks to edits by Micah Simoneaux.

Interview with Khadevis Robinson

Two Time Olympian Khadevis Robinson talks to us about his life as a coach.

Coach Robinson, can you give us a brief biography and timeline before you became the distance coach at LSU?

After competing professionally for 15 years, I started coaching at Louisville High School in Los Angeles (2010). It is an All-Girls Catholic private school. Then I moved on to coach at UNLV (University of Nevada, Las Vegas) for about 2 seasons (2010-2012). From there I worked at The Ohio State University for 1 year (2012-2013), and now I am at LSU. I DID NOT EXPECT TO MOVE AT ANY POINT AS I LOVED EVERYWHERE I HAVE LIVED. Life happens... We make plans and GOD laughs.

What factors led you to come to Louisiana to coach?

I am originally from Fort Worth, Texas. After graduating from college in 1998  I moved to California. So, I had been away from home for a long time. This move allowed me and my wife to move closer to home. Additionally, LSU is one of the premier track and field programs for both men and women for  some time, so that played a part in my decision.

There are 2 decisive moments in a persons life.

1.       The moment you were born.
2.       The moment you realize why you were born.

I was born to help, motivate, and inspire others. What better way to do than than track and field and at LSU!

You took over the team late in the summer.  How did the athletes respond and how big of a learning curve was it for the team to begin a new system just weeks before racing began? 

Yes, it was a big challenge as I have a pretty unique philosophy and training program. I expect a good amount from the student athletes both Academically and Athletically.  I hold every athlete accountable no matter if they are a walk on or a full scholarship athlete. I absolutely do not play favorites and I challenge the athletes to truly believe in themselves and their group. It took them a while to respond and it is/was a huge learning curve for them. Yet, they all have run personal bests in something this year.

You've already solidified some great recruits for next year and the future looks bright.  What do you tell recruits that LSU can offer them, and what sticks out about LSU that future prospects should consider?

First of all, I absolutely enjoy coaching Cross Country and the distances. I have coached everything and have had some relative success in the 400, 400 hurdles, 800, 1500, 5k, and 10k. Firstly, I want the athletes to know that we fully expect to become a better cross country and distance group. Secondly, LSU has everything we need to be successful. We have everything we need as it relates to budget, facilities, schedule, school support, coaches, resources and we have all the pieces in place. Thirdly, I think that I can build a foundation starting with the local and state talent. If LSU could start to get the local and state talent to come here, then the foundation will be set and then we could fill in the pieces with the national talent.  The bottom line is that LSU is starting to position itself to become a better distance program, yet we need the support of the coaches, parents, and the state.  

Many high school runners feel they "aren't good enough" to run in college.  What advice would you give to those borderline runners who haven't made up their mind on whether to pursue running at the next level?

Well, I was a 1:53 runner in the 800 meters. In Texas, that is not considered that fast. I did not get a full scholarship. So, I had to go the loans and grant and all of that route also.  I really did not take any truly official visits to colleges for sports.  In other words, I think I was one of those borderline runners.  But, I am not afraid of hard work. I am a competitor, I know Hard work beats Talent, when Talent don’t work hard. So, I tell all of those runners, if you have a goal, a dream that GOD  put in your heart, then go for it. You never know. You may be a late bloomer. Some kids go through puberty and are developed in high school and others do not develop or develop until after they start college. I went from 5 ft 11 inches and 153 pounds my senior year  in High school to 6 ft  1 inch  my freshman year in college. I was a different physical person.  Stay with it. Believe in yourself.

There are as many different high school training programs as there are teams.  How do you mold athletes who come from dissimilar training backgrounds into your program?

I have a unique program that has worked everywhere I have been. I have coached and worked with kids that were 4 and 5 years old with the Youth Track and Running Club I Co-founded in Santa Monica California. Yet, I have also worked and coached Masters runners and my program has worked with all of them.  My program is based on a system that develops each individuals athletes own unique strengths and weaknesses. That part is what I am pretty strong at because I have lived and worked in so many different environments and most of the athletes I worked with were not considered to be the top or best athletes but they ended up performing pretty well.

For various reasons LSU has not been a strong distance program since the 80s.  Many runners who focused on events above the 800 left the state for college.  How are you changing that culture?

It’s a challenge. That has been a big challenge because a lot of the talent that leaves sometimes leaves for schools that are not really that much better than us.  So, if they all stayed then those schools would not be better than us and your family would be able to watch you compete more often. You would have more support. You would be part of a tradition and you can build your own tradition. Plus, you would be a Tiger…FOR LIFE!  Firstly, I am letting those athletes and coaches  know that we want them here at LSU. Will it be easy? No. But it’s not easy wherever they go. Secondly, I let them know that we can be successful here.  Thirdly, I am recruiting all of them. If they did not get an e-mail, call, or letter then I probably do not have their address or it got mixed up. I have started by actively recruiting all of the local and state talent.

If you could name one aspect of your program that makes it unique from others, which would it be?

I am a big believer in Core and Stability. I have a core DVD that I have made so it is important that I teach the athletes the basics.  So, the one aspect that is unique is that I am a big believer in overall basic body, core, and structural balance and strength.  If you can maintain proper form and running position then you will run more efficient and run better and faster. Just go study everything Alberto Salazar has been saying about all of his great athletes. What does he see as the difference. Biomechanics and running form.  Everyone is training hard!

There were several big performances recently at the Auburn Invite for your team, including Blair Henderson running 1:50.82, Andi Aguilar running 4:56.83 and Morgan Schuetz running 2:11.33.  What was the demeanor of the team after such a big competition?

Everyone was excited because literally everyone ran personal bests! They all have been running personal bests in Cross Country and track. The team is started to really believe and buy in. You have to be ALL IN. It is said that 1% doubt= 0% Faith. You have to be all in and believe.  Things will be up and down…That’s called LIFE. We must learn to deal with both the ups and the downs. Now, they are seeing what they are capable of doing if they put the proper work in.

Can you give us a glimpse of how you progress your athletes from cross country to track?

My main focus is the big meets. All of the other meets are meets that we use for preparation. Cross Country is used not only to run well for the Cross Country season, but it is base for the Track season. I want my athletes to have 3 relative good seasons.  Not a great Cross Country and then disappear for indoor and outdoor track. I want them to run well for all 3 seasons. In order to do that you have to learn to prioritize which races and what training is important. Unless you have a big time star or someone that run really fast out of high school, then you have to do some form of periodization or Meso/Micro/Macro scheduling.

I know you mentioned at the coaches convention about wanting to host a distance camp in the future at LSU.  Can you talk about that and any other programs you would like to install?

Yes, I think it is important to have a distance camp and also get all the high school coaches involved in the success  of distance running at LSU and the track and field/distance running in the state. You cannot tell me that you have all of these amazing runners in Texas and then you cross the state line and the runners become slow. NO. It’s just an imaginary line. There has to be more talent here in Louisiana. We have to work together in recognizing and nurturing that talent. Then, helping me keep that talent in state.  That is the only way I will be successful here at LSU, with the help of coaches and parents. I want to have a distance camp. I want to have a running/training group for kids that may not be quite there yet, but in 2 years may have developed enough to walk on to the team. I want to be able to come and build a distance tradition that will compliment the sprint tradition that LSU already has. So, if you coaches have any ideas or want to help me with this goal, I will be all ears.

GEAUX Tigers!

Milesplit version of the article can be found here.

Interview with Coach Joel Bernard

Continuing with the interview series, this interview comes from a coach from California who has had his share of success.  Coach Joel Bernard of Hughson High School gives us some insight into what he has done in the past couple decades.

Coach Bernard's team from Hughson High School

Chaz Caiado:  Coach Bernard, can you give us a short biography of you and your team profile including any honors won either team or individual?

Joel Bernard:  I hold BA in P.E. and a M.S. in Exercise Physiology.  I was hired at Hughson High in 1998 to teach special education.  Our school used to host a country program for Severely Emotionally Disturbed students.  Someone told me I’d be good at that, so I applied.  During the interview I found out that the track coach at HHS had just retired, so I told the panel I’d love to coach the track team and since the football team was coming off a state championship, I said I could coach football as well.  My first year at HHS I was very lucky to be able to coach Alexandra Guerrero. She had previously run times of 5:19 for 1600m and 11:26 for 3200m as an 10^th grader.  Since we did not have a cross country program at HHS when I arrived, she was running with a rival school (Riverbank High, which would later produce German Fernandez).  As a junior she won a section title while training with our rival, then went on to finish, I believe 19^th in the state Division 4 race.  My first chance to coach her was in the spring of 1999.  She was in good shape coming into the season, running 11:00.74 at a very early season all comers meet. My goal was pretty much not to screw her up.  She ended up that year running 10:40 for 3200m to take 6^th at the track state meet, a few weeks after that, we went to Denton, Texas for the USATF junior meet, where she placed 5^th in the 3k.  The following year, she dropped her time to 10:30, placing 2^nd at the Golden West Invite (back before NBN and NON, GWI was THE post season meet).  Back then that time was good enough for #8 in the United States.  We went back to Denton in 2000, where she placed 3^rd in the 5k, beating that year’s Footlocker champ, Victoria Chang of Hawaii.

The other really notable girl that I’ve had run for me is Becky Hobby.  She posted PRs 2:18, 5:01, and 11:05 on the track.  During the cross country season of 2009, Becky ran 18:25 at the Woodward Park course to place 5^th in the Division 4 race.

Team wise, we’ve had a lot more success with the boys than with the girls, but individual wise, our top dogs have been girls.  It wasn’t until this year that we had a boy win an individual section championship in cross.  Our boys have never been outside of the top 3 at our league meet except for the first year we had a team.  We finished 4^th that year.  The boys have never been outside of the top 8 at the section meet sine the second year I coached the team.  We’ve qualified for state 4 times as a team with the boys, placing 10^th in 2003.

My current top boy, Zach Morrett has been a really interesting kid to coach.  One of my other athletes recruited him during freshman roundup in 2010.  He was the last kid I would have picked out of a lineup as a star runner, but he found his niche in cross and has been on an uninterrupted upward trajectory for the past 4 years.  Winning the D4 section meet in cross was a really nice feather in his cap.  He was hoping for a top 10 finish at state, but his legs were just not very peppy there and he finished 15^th with a time of 16:14.  The aim for track this year is to go sub 9:20 for 3200.   Zach is naturally geared for the longer distances.  His 1600 PR is only 4:38, but he’s run a 9:37 for 3200m.  He will likely run the 10k in college.

Our track teams have had quite a bit of success lately.  Our boys have won the last 3 league titles and our girls have won 2 of the last 3.  Our girls also won a divisional section title in 2011

(note:  California schools compete in divisions for cross country, our division for cross country is loosely defined as having schools sized from 501 students to 1250 students)  In track, there are no divisions for the state meet, but there are divisions up until the week after league meets, where we have team section championships.  Simply qualifying for state is extremely difficult.  To get to state, our kids have to first qualify out of our league meet by placing top 3.  The next week, they have to qualify individually out of one of the 3 divisional meets, for us that means placing in the top 5.  The following week, they run at the Sac Joaquin Section Masters Meet against the top runners from all the other divisions in our section, and have to finish in the top 3 to advance to state.  The SJS, last time I checked, has 198 high schools. )

CC: Your school is of small to moderate size but you are piecing together a good program with some solid front runners.  What challenges to you face with your team and what measures do you take to overcome them? 

JB: As I mentioned before, when I got to HHS, we didn’t have a cross country team and didn’t have any distance runners to speak of (except for Alex Guerrero).  As a matter of fact, that first track season, Alex was our only runner to break 5 in the 1600.  Toward the end of my first year at HHS, I went to the AD and asked if I could start a Cross Country team.  His only stipulation for saying yes, is that I wouldn’t try to recruit kids away from football.

The first year with cross was really challenging.  I had Alex, who was one of the better runners in California and I had 2 boys that had run track for me as freshmen.  The rest of our team was made up of, to put it politely, fringe kids who thought that cross country would be cool because it was the un-football.  That was a group that I could not really trust.  Quite a few times, I would tell them to go off for a warm up, then catch them sneaking off into an orchard to sit around.  My two sophomore boys that had run track for me the previous year ran pretty well.  Nic Dodd placed 17^th at our section meet that year.

The following year, only 3 of the fringers came back (2 boys and one girl).  I put special emphasis on getting over to our junior high feeder and making presentations for the PE classes.  The following year, I had a pretty good freshman class come in.  The top boy out of that class was Ernesto Madrigal (now FATHER Madrigal).  Ernesto, Nic and the 3^rd dependable boy, Gabe Pitman, made up the nucleus of our team for the next 3 years.

The hardest thing to do at Hughson was to build a culture.  I feel like, after 15 years, I might finally have a handle on the thing, but it can evaporate quickly.  After our section title in 2003, we graduated all but 2 of our boys.  One of those was kind of a flaky kid and the other had to stop running after suffering a spontaneous collapsed lung.  Without any senior leadership, the team culture that I thought I had developed went out the window.  It took a good 5 years to finally get the team back to the right mindset.  I learned the hard way that once, as a coach, you let the wrong type of attitude linger on the team, it is really difficult to root out.

What really allowed our team to turn the corner about 4 years ago is when we stopped talking about trying to win.  I made the focus for each kid to simply be the best runner he or she could possibly be.  I made sure to start praising the little things that kids were doing right rather than simply praising good results or fast times.  I’ve been trying to emphasize that success in distance running is dependent on hard work and dedication. Once I started praising effort and stopped praising the talented slackers for being fast, the team attitude came around pretty quickly.

CC: Can you describe your teams training for cross country and track and how your training differs, if there is any different?

JB: There isn’t a whole lot of difference for us between the two seasons.  During track, we will pay more attention to running at various race paces, but for our mile/2mile kids, the general framework is the same.  

CC: How do you train your female athletes different than your male athletes?

JB: My training groups are broken down based on 2 categories: 1. Previous training volume and 2. training pace. For cross, our top 2 training groups run about the same volume, but the second group runs a little bit slower.  Usually, my top girls will be in this second group.  Only Becky and Alex have ever trained in the top training group.  I have 4 groups all together usually.  Groups 3 and 4 are pretty evenly balanced between boys and girls.

I am beginning to re-think this strategy a bit.  For our top girls, the way I group the kids seems to work pretty well.  The downside is that it is very hard for the girls to develop as a cohesive unit.  I will probably try to have my varsity girls’ team train all together next fall.

For Track, the training groups are based on event first, then experience, then racing speed.  Boys and girls train together in these groups as well.

CC:  Distance running is an intense mental sport.  How do you help your athletes prepare for training and racing from the psychological side?

JB:  Every kid is different.  This year, I think my biggest mistake with Zach was to try to build him up mentally.  He already puts a lot of pressure on himself.  Leading up to state, I told him a number of times that I thought he could get into the top 5.  I think that ended up being too much for him.  He had run 16:02 on the state course in early October, but despite being in much better shape 7 weeks later, he ran 12 seconds slower.  So, with runners like Zach, the attitude has to be, “hey, let’s just get in the best shape possible, then line up and let it rip”.  Other kids maybe don’t have the same internal motivation or confidence and they need more of the building up.  I think that in general, my kids are pretty driven, so the best thing I can do for them is to keep workouts and meets light and fun.

CC:  What steps do you take to prevent injuries on your team, and how do you deal with injuries when they arise?

JB:  We do core work twice a week.  We stretch daily after practice.  I keep an arsenal of foam rollers in my store room and encourage the kids to come in after practice and roll out anything that is sore.  This makes for kind of a cross country party in my classroom after practice.  Kids rolling around on the floor, icing, rubbing on smelly liniments…

Our school was forced cut shop classes after the 2008 economic downturn.  For our distance runners, this has been a blessing. I’ve been able to round up a few exercise bikes, a rowing machine, and an elliptical trainer and put them in the old wood shop.  When kids start to get a little hurt, they head over to “The Room of Shame” (their term, not mine) to spend time on the bikes.

CC:  Do you have any team building exercises that you think foster the team atmosphere in your program?

JB:  For cross, we do a camp in the Sierra’s every summer.  While we are up there, we play team building games.  This season, I didn’t really do a lot of team building stuff once the season started.  The group I had was super cohesive already.  Really, the only thing we did this year was an occasional game of Ultimate Frisbee, or Capture the Flag. 

We used to have a pool on campus, but it would have needed $500,000 worth of repairs.  Before it went away, we would do some pool workouts if the weather was too hot in August or early September.  The kids really liked that. (You would probably scoff at our idea of heat, but it can be as hot as 105 when we practice at the beginning of the school year.)

CC:  Since the early 2000s distance running has taken off to previously unheard of levels in the US.  Do you feel the coaching side of the sport has improved in the past decade or are better athletes joining the sport?

JB:  First of all, I would disagree with your statement that the levels of success were unheard of in the US prior to 2000. We had some stud runners in the 70s.  Frank Shorter and Bill Rodgers in the Marathon, guys like Rudy Chapa and Eric Hulst in high school.  Of the 7 high schoolers to break 30 min for 10k, only one (Mo Trafeh) has done it since the 80s. You are correct that running has greatly improved since 2000, but I think we are back to about where we were 30-35 years ago.

I think it has been the internet. From where I’m sitting, I don’t see superior athletes coming in to the sport.  I see more coaches who have access to all kinds of free training info now that maybe they would have had to go to a clinic or buy a book to get before.

I think the biggest factor has been that coaches have re-discovered distance training.  When I first started coaching at Westmont High, in 1991, my kids were doing 45-50 mpw and everybody was looking at us like we were crazy. Nowadays, it seems like 45-50 is the floor mileage for teams that are any good and that many of the better squads do much more. Back in the Day, guys like Eric Hulst were running over 100 mpw and Lindgren was running over 200 mpw at times.

Also, I think there has been a movement away from the “very hard” “very easy” training modality.  I used to have my kids running workouts like 6x800 at significantly faster than 3200m goal pace. The faster they would run, the slower they would have to go the next day.  I try to avoid that pattern now.  It seems like every time we slip into that training mode, we end up racing really flat. It seems like most of the good coaches have gone away from the very hard interval workouts in favor of more volume, more tempo, and when they do assign intervals, there is a clear speed limit posted.

CC:  How do you evaluate talent and help place athletes in different events?

JB:  My policy for track has always been to let kids flutter around to different events early in the season until they find one they like. The cross county kids usually gravitate to the distance events, but last year, two of my kids ended up going 1-2 in our league pole vault competition.

Last year, I stepped back from the head track coaching job because I needed a break.  The new coach instituted a battery of tests: 40 yds., vertical jump, 1 minute push ups, 1 minute sit ups, pull up max, and I think a 12 minute run for distance.  I thought it was a great idea and was all for it.  It took about a week to rotate everyone through all of the tests. After all that, I think the kids still pretty much ended up in the events they wanted to do

CC: And lastly, what do you think is the single most important ingredient for a team to have to be successful?

JB:  Culture:  You have to have the environment where kids are all striving to be the best athletes they can possibly be.  Praise dedication to the process and you’ll be well on your way to building a good program.

CC:  Once again, thanks a lot for your time, I really appreciate it!

Knowledge is Power- August 9th

So continuing with our weekly series of the best articles that you need to read, here ya go!  Also, if you have any articles you think should be posted on here, feel free to submit them. Email me at vpprotraining@gmail.com.

Meet Day Protocol by Scott Christensen- Why it matters:  Reaching your potential is in a large way influenced by what you do you to prepare, mentally and physically.  Knowing what to do with your body the day of the competition is pretty much the core of sports performance.

World Championships Predictions by Athletics Weekly- Why it matters:  The World Championships happen the year before and the year after the Olympics.  It's the height of non-Olympic track and nearly as important in the track world.

Interview with Malcolm Gladwell by Runners World- Why it matters: Malcolm Gladwell is the writer of Outliers, a book which puts for the notion that practice is what separates talent.  He is a former Canadian champion runner and is one of the brightest minds in the sport.

New Doping Punishments in 2015 by IAAF-  Why it matters:  Track and Field is the purest sport still left on the earth and it has no home for cheaters and dopers.  The new 4 year ban will be a deterrent for athletes to dope, plus it will keep dopers away from the sport longer.

Iron Deficiency by Carl Valle-  Why it matters:  Iron deficiency is a major problem in sports, especially for women distance runners.  Stagnation and chronic fatigue are two attributes of iron deficiency.  In order to combat this, we need to monitor our eating!

Interview with Alison Ringle of Parkway

I recently interviewed Alison Ringle of Parkway High School in Shreveport, Louisiana for the Louisiana Milesplit affiliate, Louisiana Running.  Alison is one of the top runners in the gulf south and is looking to put together a fantastic senior season.  

LR: As one of the top runners in the state, will you travel to any major regional or national meets this year to represent your school and the state?

AR: I do plan to travel to major meets this year.  I am headed to to USATF National championships in Greensboro, NC next week where I will race the 1500 and 3000m.  I also plan on racing at the Mobile championships for cross country and track, Nike Cross Regionals in the Woodlands, TX, Sugarbowl, Texas relays, and more.

LR: You recently ran some great times at the USATF regional meet in Baton Rouge. Can you describe that experience a bit?

AR: It was definitely a great experience!  I've achieved some of my goals that I set for these summer meets already, and it's exciting to know that I have one more chance to exceed those goals even further.

LR: Were you expecting to run that fast in the heat of the summer?

AR: I definitely knew that running in the summer heat would be a challenge, but part of running is learning to overcome those challenges.  With hard training and dedication, I did expect a pretty good summer season.

LR: Have you started considering any schools for college and are you currently planning on competing at the next level?

AR: I do plan on competing in college, and I am considering multiple options.

LR: What are some of the aspects of a school that you would look for in helping determine a college?

AR: I would like to attend a school that has a very good running program/team and will better myself as a distance runner, as well as somewhere that provides a quality education. 

LR: What are you favorite meets to race, and what meet are you looking forward to the most this year (outside of the state meet)?

AR: Other than state, I am really looking forward to racing the Chili Pepper in Fayettville, AR and returning to the Texas relays in the spring.

LR: What about working with Coach Falting do you believe makes you and your teammates successful runners?

AR: Coach Falting is truly the best coach that anyone could ask for.  He invests so much of his time in every single one of us and understands what each of us needs to do to better ourselves indivually and as a team. 

LR: Do you have a pre-meet ritual to get mentally prepared, and if so, do you mind sharing?

AR: Before a race, I like to listen to music and say a prayer before the race starts.

LR: Do you look up to any other runner, either in college or on the professional level?

AR: Since I was a freshman running the same race with her, I have always looked up to Kaitlin Flattman.  She is an amazing athlete, and it's inspiring to see the amount of success that she has had.

LR: What is the best pre-race pump up song?

AR: I've had a few favorites since I started running.  Right now my two favorites are "Hall of Fame" and "Radioactive".

LR: Thanks for your time.

AR: Thank you for your interest!

Interview with Olympic Coach Lyle Knudson

Our next interview comes from a great, but as of recent years less recognized coach who is one of the best international coaches to have come through the sport.  His name is Lyle Knudson and his expertise and knowledge of track and field rivals the best in the world.  During his career he has coached at the youth, high school, college (U of Colorado, Colorado State, Utah State, U of Florida), and international (11 U.S. teams) levels.  Coached 40+ internationalists, including 7 Olympians.   He is or was also a HS/CC math/computer teacher, college biomechanics professor, corporate researcher, and operated his own applied tech business.

Chaz Caiado:  Coach Knudson, you are a private coach for athletes across the country and have enjoyed a high degree of success.  How do you correspond with them, and how to remedy the fact that you don't get to physically see your athletes often, if ever?

Lyle Knudson: Keep in mind that despite a career where I previously coached athletes in all track & field events, because I now coach only by remote, I coach only distance runners (and a few triathletes).  The responses will reflect that.  Before I agree to coach an athlete or family/team, I insist on meeting and discussing the training program in person, if possible.   Then I prepare and send workouts biweekly as attachments by email, and communicate by email, phone, and/or in person as needed.  I attend their competitions when possible.

CC: What are the advantages and disadvantages of training with a private coach?

LK: See the following article published in IOWATFXC.COM on 1/24/12:  Advantages & Disadvantages of Private T&F/XC Coaching. (The following is the quoted article)

Definition, Private Coach -  coach not officially affiliated with a school.

Disadvantages of Private T&F/XC Coaches:
1.  Private coach may not have adequate science and teaching-coaching education & experience to 
properly organize and apply a valid training-competition program.
2.  If private training program is inferior to the HS program, will be detrimental to athlete and team 
development.
3.  If private coach is too zealous or egocentric, may result in overtraining and/or over-competing 
leading to cumulative fatigue and chronic injuries/illness. 
4.  If private coach does not work cooperatively with the HS T&F/XC program, can be disruptive to the HS program.

Advantages of Private T&F/XC Coaches:
1.   Private coach may have even a greater science, teaching-coaching education, and training, competition background in T&F/XC than the HS coach(es).
2.  Private coaches are usually willing to work with athlete(s) year-around to maximize development in T&F/XC, whereas HS coaches often aren’t.
3.  A quality private program may be focused on longer term development of involved athlete(s) 
rather than how many points scored for the team, therefore may spread training and competition over greater periods to avoid cumulative fatigue and injuries, and promote more consistent and longer term development.
4.  A quality private coach, working in cooperation with the HS T&F/XC coaches, may significantly  enhance the quality of HS training program and individual as well as team performances in  competitions.

CC:  What is the typical type of athlete who you take on to coach?

LK:  I don’t recruit athletes.  They find me via referrals or searches on the internet.  My only requirements for accepting athletes are -  they must be distance runners (I don’t attempt to coach technical event athletes by remote), want to be good, and are willing to do the training and competing necessary to be good.  I accept athletes at any age (currently have ages 8 to 55) and at any level of development.

CC:  What do you feel coaches can do to make themselves stronger in their coaching abilities?

LK:  Take a “research and development” approach.  Get as much information (e.g., background science, technical aspects, teaching methods) from as many valid and reliable resources as possible, assimilate that information into a program that makes sense using some individual creativity, and test out that program on athletes before adopting it as a long-term strategy.  Then keep repeating that over and over again year to year.  Learn only from other coaches who have a history of consistently improving their athletes.

CC:  You spent a few years developing your system of training which you feel is scientifically sound, can you explain a bit about what you feel the strengths of the program are?

LK:  Training specific to the demands of the event(s); i.e., in distance running, emphasizing a speed, speed endurance, and specific endurance (rather than aerobic endurance) based program.

CC: Your training is not very high volume, but involves a large amount of quality work.  Is there a physiological driving force that prepares an athlete best with the quality approach that does not appear in programs which emphasize distance and longer steady runs?

LK:  As verified by valid international physiological research, the primary adaptive mechanism in the body is neuromuscular rather than cardio-vascular.  In fact, the cardio-vascular limits the ability to stress (i.e., train) the neuromuscular, which in turn limits the adaptation.  Therefore, training shorter and faster (and/or with less resistance) allows the body to adapt to run faster; and of course, that’s the objective.  Training long and slow adapts the body to run longer and slower.

CC:  If you had to say there was single most important aspect of training for a distance runner, what would that aspect be?

LK:  Combine the two previous answers.


CC:  What, if anything, do you feel is the biggest limiting factor in the average distance runner that keeps them from being elite level?

LK:  Speed, speed endurance, and specific endurance.

CC:  When do you feel in an appropriate age to begin training using a formalized training program?

LK:  Any age.  More relevant is the training/competition background and development level.  In early stages, keep it very simple.  Then as the athlete learns to train-compete and develops, add in and increase the level of the training aspects.  I have experienced 12 year olds with fairly detailed and complex programs, and beginning older runners with very simple programs.

CC:  Do you feel recent success at the Olympics for the Americans is based on a shift in training philosophies from coaches across the country?

LK:  Yes, but with only a very few coaches and athletes.  Most coaches still cling to the approaches they used as athletes and/or have learned from other not very knowledgeable or successful coaches; which continue to be the aerobic-based pyramid training model going back to the late 1960’s.

CC:  How do you feel about the future viability of the US as an international distance power?

LK:  The potential certainly is there.  Our athletes and coaches are as motivated, dedicated, and work as hard as ever.  The numbers and talent is higher than ever.   If we can only get them to training correctly!!!

CC:  If there was one thing you would like to see US coaches do more of, what would that be?

LK:  Think for themselves, as opposed to doing whatever most everyone else has been doing for the last 40+ years.

CC:  Do you feel that the American school system is inferior or superior to the European club system of athletic development?

LK:  Each has it’s advantages; the schools to potentially provide the educational and social benefits for the majority of student-athletes, and private/club systems to potentially provide more concentrated training/competition benefits to the very interested and talented athletes.  I use the work “potentially” since the majority of American public high schools are not providing quality educational opportunities for kids, and too many private/club systems are operated to serve the operators more than the athletes. Of American student-athletes, approximately 95% are only in the sport for social reasons, and after their last workout or meet their senior year, they’ll not do another workout or competition again.  So the quality of their coach and program is not important; and in fact, a highly motivated and talented coach will likely be more criticized than cherished with those.  Another 4% will continue training and competing at a low to moderate level beyond, requiring at least a decent training/competition program to maintain their interest and improve their performance levels some.  But, that other 1% will want to become as good as he/she can be, is willing to do whatever necessary to achieve that, and perhaps desire to become an Olympian and Olympic champion some day. Those need the very rare great high school or college coach, or more likely a great private/club coach working in cooperation with or if necessary outside the school program, to get them there!!

CC:  Do you have any opinion on if Mary Cain should forgo the college system and turn professional soon?

LK:  That’s a question that Mary, her parents, and her private coach should answer; based on what is in Mary’s current and future best interests.    Very few high school or college programs, if any, are capable of helping an athlete at her stature continue to develop over those school years.   If she can attend, get a higher education, and represent a school, while still getting the quality supervision and coaching that she needs, then college can be good.  Else, she’ll need to stay/go outside of school systems, as an increasing number of high school and college age athletes are, to get that help.

CC:  Lastly, is the sport of Athletics missing anything?

LK:  Quality leadership, that’s truly interested in the development of athletes over their own special interests!!!

CC:  Thanks a lot for your time coach.