COLORADO COACH- WINTER 2018-2019 FROM THE SPORT PRESIDENTS CROSS COUNTRY/TRACK President Brett Shanklin Fellow Coaches, Thank you to all of the coaches who attended the 2019 CHSCA Track and Field Clinic in January. I believe it was one of the best clinics we have had between the out of state speakers and the local Colorado coaches who presented. We were blessed to have Don Babbitt from the University of Georgia, Tony Holler from Plainfield North HS, in Illinois, Scott Christensen from Stillwater HS in Minnesota, and Mark Vanderville from Raising the Bar in Oregon all present as our keynote speakers. It is obvious why they have seen the success they have in the disciplines they coach. You all should have received the emailed survey to fill out on the clinic. I appreciate all the positive feedback as well as the constructive criticism I have received so far from surveys. My goal is to continue to improve the clinic every year with a variety of sessions and topics. Please know it is my intention to continue to bring in new speakers and not bring in the same speakers we have heard countless times. I hope to bring in speakers that challenge your own coaching philosophy and what you have your student athletes do. If you were in Tony Holler’s sessions I have no doubt that probably happened to many of you. As coaches we only get better if we continue to learn and try to perfect our craft. This is a constant work. As we prepare for track season hopefully your staff has completed all of the necessary “paperwork” on arbiter. Now is the time to be tying up loose ends to make sure everything is ready to roll officially on February 25th. Looking to the 2019-2020 school year it is worth noting that State Cross Country will be held on Saturday October 26th and not Saturday November 2nd. Because of a scheduling conflict state will need to be on the 26th for this coming year. Best of luck to all of your track and field teams this spring. I wish you all nothing but nice weather and track meets with zero wind. Please stop by to say hello if you see me at any meet. I always enjoy meeting new people. You can also reach me at shanklinb@frontieracademy.net if you have any questions, concerns, or comments. WINNING? It’s Just One Thing by Ken Reed Ego-based thinking, attitudes and behaviors are at the root of the win- at-all-costs (WAAC) mentality that warps sport at its best. Let’s start with a look at the WAAC approach to sports. The WAAC mentality sees sport as a metaphor for war, in which opponents are evil and must be conquered. It’s a mindset that sees only one thing of value in athletic competition: winning. Vince Lombardi was quoted as saying, “Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.” That’s it. For the Lombardi types of the world, if you don’t win, the whole endeavor is a waste of time. With that line of thinking there is no other reason to compete in sports. I strongly disagree with that philosophy. That mindset leads to the behaviors (cheating, taunting, cheap shots, fighting, belittling, etc.) that drive WAAC-based sports. And it’s that type of thinking and behavior that provides the foundation for Sport At Its Worst. Sport At Its Best, on the other hand, isn’t a zero-sum game. Both sides can succeed, no matter what the scoreboard says. I believe the healthiest – physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually – way to view sport is this: Winning isn’t everything, it’s just one thing. Striving to win is an inherent part of competition, including athletic competition. Striving to win isn’t the problem in sports. It’s striving to win at all costs that’s the problem. Winning, in the best sense, isn’t just about wins and losses. Nor is it just about your performance, or that of your team. It reminds me of the saying, “If something is worth doing, it’s worth doing poorly.” In other words, there are so many positive benefits from sports participation that even if you are a lousy athlete and only rarely win on the scoreboard, it’s worth doing. And sport participation has to be about more than just your needs and wants in order to be fulfilling. If sport is to be totally satisfying to the human spirit, and not just the ego, winning needs to have a communal good aspect to it.