Q: How long have you been coaching and why do you keep doing it?

A:  “I have been coaching for 12 years, so this is the 12th year. There are new challenges all the time with it and there are a ton of great kids. It’s just fun.”

Q: As a coach what do you do to help your team improve?

A: “Honestly that’s the whole goal, the whole point is to try to help them become better. Not just as runners or athletes, but also just as people too, as students, and hopefully as grown ups someday. Everything we’re doing is based on trying to get them to improve, to get faster and stronger.”

Q: How do you manage having such a big team and making everyone feel important?

A: “I have a really good coaching staff. There’s about 7 or 8 people who help me out, who take their events and help the kids in those events. Into the middle of track season of those 300, I try to know all of their names. Then when we are out competing I can cheer for them and encourage them by name.”

Q: How many times have you won state in your coaching career?

A: “There’s 18 state championships between the two sports.”

Q: How do you balance your life with running, coaching, teaching, and everything else?

A: “I just try to prioritize and try to put my family first even if there are some coaching things that are really important to me, I still always want to put my family first. My two girls and my wife are the most important thing to me. And they are all really good with my schedule and with the things I am passionate about.”

Q: What is your biggest running accomplishment aside from coaching?

A: “In 2004 I made the Olympic trials for the marathon. So there were a hundred guys in the United States who made it and I finished 49th. So I didn’t make the Olympic team, but I was racing to make the Olympics.”