Starting a Track Program

[qcyrunner]

I coach XC at Quincy Notre Dame. We have no track program! We rolled out girls XC 8 years ago and boys XC 7 years ago. There was the usual resistance to adding boys XC as it was feared that we would rob key athletes from FB, soccer and golf. Fears did not materialize as we draw from a different group or from kids who don't get enough PT from the other sports.

I have tried now for three years to start a track program. We do not have a track, nor are there plans to build one. I have financial backing to acquire start-up equipment, uniforms and supplies and we have a successful 5K/10K road race each June which is reaching a size where funds could be split to support a second sport. I have volunteered to coach for free for two years as have my two assistants and have made arrangements with our Park District to use a portion of a near-by park as a training facility. Private backers have offered to construct HJ, TJ, shot and discus rings for the cost of the materials. The sport would not cost the school a penny! Fears are now that track would pull girls away from SB and Soccer and guys away from BB. We have 60+% extracurricular participation in Fall IHSA offerings (includes cheerleading and PomPon). In the Spring the participation levels drop to less than 30% of the student body.

I've even proposed limiting the events we would compete in to lower the slots available for students to fill to allay the unfounded fears of athletes swarming to Track. I know this is clearly political. I'm going to petition the Board again this Fall for a shot at starting the program next spring. Does anyone have any other approaches/angles/experiences I could consider to help sway my school board to give track a chance?

[xcnccben]

At Yorkville we have been fighting a similar battle, though on a smaller scale.

We have been trying to get a middle school cross country program going for a few years now, and we are finally close to getting our way. We had to do a lot of work showing that almost all of our conference schools have middle school programs, and we need to say competitive with them, among other stats which you no doubt have already compiled.

That said, no matter how much we *****ed and moaned about it, nothing got done until our HS parents started rattling the cages, too.

It seems like you have ample community support for a program that is a staple in most schools, so I'd say use your community contacts when trying to bolster some support from the district.

As for taking away from other sports, you hit the nail on the head... sure other sports may lose kids, but SO WHAT? This isn't about what kid is in what sport. The kids are still active, and it will probably get more kids up and out of their homes and doing a sport that builds self confidence and teamwork!

Next year we will be adding soccer for the first time in school history, and no doubt we will lose some guys and girls to it. While yeah, it does stink that we will lose these kids, at least they are out there doing a sport. We consider it a privilege to coach our athletes - that they grace us with their presence, not the other way around. If they choose to join soccer, bless them! They are lucky to have the choice, and if they excel, then who am I to fault the soccer program for their success?

In short, the argument that adding a sport will hinder other programs is very self-serving to the coaches/parents that are complaining. Is the reason we are coaching to simply win, or is to be a positive force in a student athlete's life, and if winning happens to be a by-product of that, so be it!

[qcyrunner]

I also failed to mention that we also have no JH track or XC. I have distance runners who start from scratch every season. Year-round running is a dream for me to someday witness!

Your last paragraph is the answer to the whole dilemma in my opinion. How to work around it is the issue. I know I'm in this for the right reasons. I'd hope we all are.

Please keep any thoughts coming. I will be using them in some fashion.