First off I want to thank T. Jones for allowing me to have this platform. Secondly, understand this is MY opinion. I realize some people will agree with what I say & some will not.
My first topic on "The B' Side" is The Club Athlete. I have been a high school coach for boys and girls at three different high schools. I am also a club coach; I've been coaching for about 20 years (my own team 16yrs). I've even reached the mountain top as a sprint coach on a state title team.
Club track offers so much to the track athlete that it can be used in everyday life. There are some clubs who take any and every kid who shows up. There are some like my team who only want elite athletes (sort of like colleges that recruit the best). The club athlete usually starts at a young age having an indoor/outdoor season. And by the time they reach junior high school they have faced state, regional and national competition. They athletes have learned to adjust to any situation on and off the track as well how to overcome obstacles.
Please keep in mind that the club athlete has traveled the state and country as well as walked on college campuses and competed in college stadiums, which they probably would have never seen. They have basically taken their family to a city they may not have seen off of God given ability. I remember the faces of the parents when we went to New Orleans a couple of years ago as we drove through the neighborhoods of where Hurricane Katrina hit. It was a priceless experience to actually walk up to the houses. It was an image that you saw on the news, but now you are there. The club athlete has built relationships with teammates, other parents, coaches and competitors as well as their families. They happened to realize that there are kids from all over the US who happen to live the same lifestyle you do.
The club athlete has dealt with pressure from qualifying for nationals and then once you get there, performing at an even higher level to reach a PR or if you're blessed to stand on the podium as one of the best in the country. How many can say they are the best at what they do in the country? Be it a barber, chef, mechanic or teacher, can you say you are the best at it? The athlete has been ranked and can see their name on [various] web sites. My son has been blessed to win a national title five times. And the work that was put in matched that of a professional athlete. In fact my whole team is treated like pros from the uniform and spikes down to weekly massages to keep their bodies fresh. If you're going to practice in 100 degree heat or cold rain giving up what you are, I'm going to take care of you. Work Hard/Play Hard. You have earned it!
Many club athletes have never left the city limits. I remember in 1998 in an interview in our local paper, several kids stated they had not been past the mall. So to go to Seattle, Washington and compete at Husky Stadium, go to the top of the Space Needle as well as meet and talk to Evander Holyfield, who was just casually sitting on the other side watching his club team from Atlanta was huge. It showed them there was another side of life other than what they saw on TV or on the streets where they lived that was filled with violence and shootings. A kid can be inspired on just onetrip!
When they get to high school they have a higher level of confidence and are usually, not always, better than the other athletes. The so-called BIG meets like conference and sectionals mean nothing to them as far as nerves and pressure. They have faced the best from California, Texas and Florida- and the rest of the US. There are times when the athlete isn't as motivated for the little meets and find themselves having to set new goals like the school, conference, sectional or maybe even chase a state record.
The elite club athlete looks at how they match up with the others in their event across the country not [just the local] area. This leads the athlete depending on where you go to school to attend the BIG high school meets like at Texas A&M, Kentucky, Arkansas, Simplot Games or New York with high school national championships (and that's just indoor). Think about it, last year Lincoln-Way East girls whose relay team has been running club with Illinois Elite for years competed against the Jamaicans! Are you serious, the Jamaicans?! They were basically one of two US high schools who had a shot and basically represented the US vs. Jamaica.
If you look at past years athletes from Jackie Joyner to Alexandria Anderson to now especially in sprints/hurdles/jumps the club athlete is the one who wins. Look at Shamier Little and "The Franchise" Aaliyah Brown. They are on a totally different level!! They usually have more focus (definitely not in all cases) and have pretty good grades and stay out of trouble. Believe me there is a HUGE number who run club who can't. Some go on to D1 colleges and have a good career. Remember the pressure of competition in college really doesn't shake up the club athlete if they came from a good program. Why? It's because they have done this their whole life. They are used to training, competition, traveling, and keeping their grades up. The majority of the athletes have parents who have leaned on them and taught them the importance of an education. You can't run, jump, or throw forever. Yes, you want a scholarship, but ultimately club track is a vehicle you ride in to get a college degree.
This was dedicated to one of my friends and fellow coaches: jumps coach for the Aurora Flyers Coach Elijah Johnson… R.I.P.