First off, let me say I am so totally proud of K and all of her accomplishments this season. In no way am I upset with her performance today because I know that she stepped on the track ready to put forth 110% effort. With that being said, let me vent some of my frustration.
K's goal all season has been to run a 2:20 at the state meet and win the 800 title. Because today was all about her (she wasn't racing for the team, she wasn't racing for me, she was racing for her, for her dream) I totally encouraged her to go for it. She wanted to run 1:10/1:10 and she was doing it... for the first lap. She got into the 8th spot and held her position until the very freakin' end when a late kick by #9 runner moved her out of medal position. Ugh! The 9th place is the worst place to finish! So close, yet no medal, no state honors.
K's time wasn't her best. She battled a strong wind and no doubt an even stronger case of nerves. To top it off, the time she ran on Tuesday would have given her a 5th place finish today.
It's difficult as a coach to see your athlete fail at reaching a goal she's worked so hard for all season. Immediately after the race I started second guessing my coaching abilities. Maybe I had her rest too much this week. Maybe she peaked too early. What could I have done differently? In the end, I cried for her. Not because I'm disappointed in her but because I'm disappointed for her. The loss is still very fresh but I'm hoping that in a couple of days she'll be able to look forward to her senior season next year and use this experience to ultimately reach her goals on the track. Awesome job today, K, I'm so very proud!
1 comment:
9th place only sucks because she was just out of medal position and state honors, but she was 9th place out of how many people? I don't think you should doubt yourself as a coach at all. I mean, I don't know what you do with your girls or how you coach them, but the way you talk about them just goes to show how much you truly care. I don't think they could have a better coach than that. So, you should pat yourself on the back and know that you are a GREAT coach!
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