Thankful Thursday ~ I love Track!

Happy Friday, everyone!

Yes, for the second straight week, I'm delayed in getting my Thankful Thursday post up on the blog. But, you'll live, right?

In case some of you didn't already know this, I am an Assistant Track & Field Coach here at our local high school. Track season officially began on March 9. I had a few days of practice before whisking off to Wichita. This week has been really great for getting into the rhythm of track practice as a part of my day.

With the track season upon us, I am super busy and my days are lengthened by about two hours each day for practice. It would be easy to look at practice as another commitment, another thing I have to do that takes time away from being home. But that's not how I see it. I love running and I love track. But more importantly, I love spending time with the wonderful young adults I have the privilege of coaching. I try to find some time each practice to tell at least one athlete that I'm glad they're there, thank them for being on the team, and tell them something specific that they do or say that brightens my day.

I think this positive energy returns back to me, and to all of us on the team.

Last Wednesday, when I arrived back from Wichita, my flight had landed at 1:30 p.m. and I was tasked with driving back to Rudyard (about a two hour drive) and hopefully making it in time for track practice. I found out via email earlier that day that our Head Coach and another Assistant Coach were both unable to be at practice that day, and that our third Assistant had a meeting after school and wasn't sure if he'd be there either. Our Junior High Head Coach had said he was going to be there, but then within minutes of practice beginning, called me and said he probably wasn't going to make it either.

So there I was, after a long day of travel, feeling tired, grumpy, and let's be honest, really kind of just wanting to go home, but knowing that I couldn't skip practice. I was the only coach who could be there.

I walked into the school, and immediately bumped into about three of our track athletes. Right away they called out to me, "Hey Coach Bangs!" "We missed you!" and "Are we doing yoga today? I hope we're doing yoga today!"  I couldn't help smiling and immediately my grumpiness and sleepiness waned. Their friendly hellos reminded me that I was there for them.

Not a practice has gone by since that day when at least one athlete hasn't specifically smiled at me, or asked me how I  was doing that day. One girl seems to have made it her goal to specifically give me a huge smile and wave right when I walk into practice each day. It truly makes my day every time.

These kids are so, so friendly and they work so, so hard during practice. As their coach, I'm proud and honored to be part of the team and to get to spend time with each of them for a few hours each day. I think having a good, positive, healthy coach-to-athlete relationship benefits all of us and the team as a whole. If we're invested in the coach/athlete relationships we have and if the athletes are invested in the relationships they have with their teammates, they'll continue to want to work hard for each other, and for their coaches. In turn, I continue to want to work harder to be a better coach for them.

We have our first track meet tomorrow in Cut Bank, MT. The weather is supposed to be iffy but the kids and the coaches are excited and ready to start competing! Wish us luck. Today we handed out our team uniforms. I was reminded of this quote from a fierce female runner that I love, Kate Grace:

A team is more than a uniform. It's encouragement and support before and after competition. It's frequent interaction, about running, but also just about the daily grind. It's friendly competition - pushing each other to the next level in workouts. It's running together, cheering on friends together at the water-stop. - See more at: http://www.oiselle.com/blog/open-letter-flock#sthash.rFwCPCm1.dpuf

Those few sentences sum up our track team pretty well, and I couldn't be more excited or thankful to be part of this group now for my third season of coaching.

Taking a stretch break after running timed 400s. 

Even though track season is a long season and huge time commitment, especially when one lives as far away from town as I do, it's something I look forward to each year. I'm grateful for the people I get to spend my time with after school at practice, on long bus rides, and at some of our marathon meets. These kids have a positive effect on my outlook and they teach me something every day. If you're a past or present track athlete that I've worked with, thank you for being you! Keep being awesome!

Who are some people who have a positive impact on your daily outlook? Who inspires you to work harder? Who can brighten your day with a smile and a wave?