A few thoughts on coaching

I don't know of any coach of any sport who doesn't live something of a manic-depressive existence during the racing season.  The highs of winning, the lows of 'missing the wax', the highs of athletes achieving PRs, the lows of watching your athletes struggle with health issues or just having a bad race.
I've experienced the ups of seeing athletes make it to State (which for Nordic skiing in Minnesota is a big deal), representing their team at Nationals, be named to represent their country in Jr World Championships and on international trips.  I've seen them crushed by just missing out on State, or being hit by an asthma attack or a fall that removed any chance of a successful race.  And I've also watched them bouncing off the walls because their teammate won, giddy with the joy of their friend's success.  It's all part of the equation, and on the whole there are a lot more 'good days' than 'bad days'.

One of the things I've always believed about coaching is that there ain't no "I" in "Coach". At most there's a "we".  "I" didn't win a race, perfect an athlete's technique, or train a single minute for their race.  The athletes did that, and *I* am always careful when I talk about their accomplishments to leave "I" out of it.  "They" did the work, "they" left their hearts out on the course, "they" did repeats until "they" grooved the desired motion and committed it to muscle memory.  "They" spent the hours in the gym lifting. "I" didn't.  "I" will tell them how proud I am of what they accomplished, and *I* will fall on my sword if I made a bad call on wax and no amount of extra effort on the part of an athlete was going to allow them to have a great race, but I won't take credit for their success.  Coaches encourage, coaches present information, and I think good coaches care. At times, coaches may even need to be a bit Machiavellian to make opportunities present themselves for athletes.  But in the end, "I" didn't do anything out there on the course - the athletes did it all, and "I" get to stand back and take in the moment.  What I hope "I" can do is to give them some guidance, inspiration or thoughts on how to think about racing, technique or life.

I got involved with coaching young athletes to give something back.  I have always classified myself as a "sub-elite" athlete.  I did well enough in cycling, multisport racing, and skiing, but never making it to 'the big time'. And that's been fine.  I never tried to make the leap into the top ranks of sport,  but I've been lucky over the years to have incredible mentors, coaches and sponsors who have made it possible for me to compete at a pretty high level. I am fortunate to count as friends a number of Olympians and professional athletes in several sports, and to have been mentored by some of the best coaches and officials in my sports. It's been impressed upon me the importance of "giving back", and that's led me to coaching.  As I look back from this point in my coaching career, the moments I savor the most are not the victories (which are really fun), but the breakthroughs.  Like the 9th grader (slowest on the team) who came up to me after practice and said "this is the coolest sport ever. I'm going to do this the rest of my life" - went on to ski at university and is still skiing.  Or the athlete who suddenly drops 2 minutes off a 5K time because they figured out the technique. And it's the athletes that you watch grow, from giggly 7th graders to seniors who still like to sing silly songs at the top of their lungs, and then switch gears to go win a big relay race.  The athletes that become students of the sport, and are now coaching teams of their own.

One of the things that has always amazed me about the athletes who are drawn to Nordic skiing is the level of commitment they have in common on school and grades.  Many engage in something other than athletics (like music, drama, debate) in addition to sports.  I have observed that most skiers are AP/IB track, have very good GPAs, and expect to head on for more education after leaving high school.  Nordic in particular is a very hard sport, but one I think appeals to these smart, inner-directed kids.  It's intensely technical, and requires the highest possible physical output for 10-20 minutes while maintaining perfect technique.  On top of that, you have to master two different very styles of skiing, different waxing techniques, different terrain, snow conditions, and weather.  One race can be at 35-40 degrees, and the next at -3F.  Training hours are long and hard, and outside of your teammates, there's not much peer comprehension of what it takes to be out there.  Bottom line is that the kids who are drawn to become athletes in Nordic skiing aren't there due to peer pressure to participate. They are there because they want to be.

Next Thursday will be a particularly bittersweet moment on this path for me.  I have been coaching high school Nordic skiing for 12 seasons now, and I have decided that it's time to step away after next week.  There are a couple of reasons for this, mostly having to do with time commitments to my bill paying job (which I really like), but also to devote more time and energy into coaching kayak racing, and a desire to do more bike riding with my wife, including exploring some other places to ride around the country. I've gotten to make friends with a number of really good coaches, friends for life with the guys I coached with for all the years, and with many of the parents of the kids I've coached. I have learned _so_ much, only some of which has anything to do with skiing.  About the only regret I have about it is that there is another bunch of young athletes on their way up who are fun to work with, and who I would enjoy coaching over the next years.  I will still follow their progress, and may even be able to show up from time to time and help out - but without the responsibility and commitment that I feel being a 'regular' coach.

It's been quite a ride.  I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

Mahalo