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| | Throughout the track and cross-country seasons, the editors of DyeStat.com will choose a Running Warehouse Coach of the Week to recognize coaches around the country for outstanding recent achievements in guiding prep athletes.
| | | troy anderson | eastlake wa
11.18.09
By Dave Devine, DyeStat Senior Editor
 From a father-in-law who ran as the #2 man on Steve Prefontaine's Marshfield OR high school cross country team (behind Pre) to a high school coach who included a "Survival Week" as part of the seasonal training, Eastlake WA coach Troy Anderson has had his share of influences. In a state with a rich history of legendary coaches and leading distance running minds, the young Eastlake mentor is carving out his own reputation with back-to-back girls 4A state cross country titles in 2008 and 2009, and a berth to the NXN Finals last fall.
With a mix of hard work and humor, fun and fitness, Anderson has helped mold the latest crew of Eastlake Lady Wolves into that most-feared form of cross country team: the tight pack. Running deeper in the field, but with a narrow compression between the #1 and #5 runners, the Wolves have had the potential to be Giant Killers in larger races. At the 2008 WA 4A state champs they edged favored Gig Harbor by a single point, 96-97, with their first runner crossing in 20th place. A week later they secured a trip to the NXN Finals using the same tactics which delivered their state title, snagging the second girls’ ticket to Portland without any runners in the top 25. This year it was more of the same, with a repeat title at the state meet led by Chelsea Orr's 15th place finish and a 45-second 1-5 spread.
It hasn't been all girls success, either. In 2007 Anderson led the first boys team in the history of the school to qualify for the state meet, and has high hopes for that group as they follow in the footsteps of the talented Eastlake girls.
DyeStat senior editor Dave Devine caught up with Coach Anderson in the days leading up to the OR/WA BorderClash, where Orr and #2 runner Katelyn Steen will compete for the always tough WA squad.
1) Congratulations on back-to-back Washington 4A titles for the Eastlake Lady Wolves! You've had a chance to coach some standout individuals and some great teams, but you've won these two titles with tight packs and no individual "stars." The team is the star. Can you talk about the approach with this group, and how you've helped them form that pack mentality, believing that they can win without anyone in the top 15, or even top 20 in some cases?
Developing a focus on team has definitely been challenging over the past several years. All of the girls come from a variety of athletic backgrounds, but the one thing they have in common is a fierce competitiveness. All of them want to be the #1 runner on the team, which is one reason why there is so much movement in our top 14. The depth on our team is a coach’s dream, however it means there are at least 14 girls fighting for 7 spots. At times that competitiveness turns inward and can be damaging to the pack, but we have been able to focus that raw competitive spirit into a supportive-competitive energy. They can still be competitive with each other, and yet supportive and encouraging even when they get beat. They all agreed that if it comes to a choice between individual accomplishments and the team goals, there is no choice, team first. We reinforce that support-compete principle by bringing our top 14 girls to State. At the end of the day, they all have the same goal in mind…win State.
2) What are some of the basic coaching tenets underlying your work with the runners at Eastlake? Are there specific hallmarks of the Eastlake training approach that you've developed over the years, in terms of volume, key workouts, competition and things like rest and recovery?
Much of our training focus for XC is around developing strength (both mental and physical) and having fun. In the middle of September we travel to Seaside, OR for the 3-Course Challenge (below). This invite combines a ton of fun with some significant mental strength, as the courses change each year, and if you draw the Hard course it is 3.5+ miles of fun suffering. Our runners love it, and it’s the highlight of the season for many of them.
 From a workout standpoint - each season we have one week that epitomizes strength called the Week of Pain. During that week the runners are treated to workouts like Drop Deads and Death by Numbers (yes, there’s a theme) :) This is the most intense week of the season in terms of volume and quality, but it tends to be the team’s favorite week. I love seeing which athletes really step up during some of the week’s most challenging workouts. At the end of that week there is a quiet confidence within the team, a sort of “yeah, I just did that”…it’s a good week.
3) Last year's team had the opportunity to travel to Nike Cross Nationals and place 21st in that highly elite field. What do you think the girls carried away from that experience? What did you learn as a coach from taking a team to that sort of national championship caliber event (even though you have to step aside as coach after the official season ends), and did it cause you to change or modify anything this fall as a result?
Competing at NXN definitely raised the bar for the girls. They came back from that experience very fired up to step up to the next level, and not just qualify but really see what they are capable of. Having dinner with Kara Goucher and hearing some of the pro athlete’s stories helped them realize that, if they wanted to, they could possibly reach that level. Our approach to the 2009 season took on a slightly different tone than 2008. Instead of gunning for the past year's State Champs, we were the team with the target. We kept winning State as the primary goal, but all along the girls knew they wanted a bid to NXN again. Several things transpired which resulted in us not qualifying this year, but now that they have tasted Nats once, that will be a goal each season. It brings an added focus to off season training, and has definitely helped in developing the pack mentality.
4) I know you coach both the boys and the girls at Eastlake; do you find yourself having to take different approaches with the two genders, and if so, how do you make time at practice to accommodate both teams? In the last few years, the boys at Eastlake haven't enjoyed quite the level of success the girls have...does that disparity ever make things difficult? Does the success of the girls inspire the guys? And as a coach, how do you manage the different expectations those teams have about their seasons (perhaps, for one team, qualifying for the state meet, the National championship for the other)?
I love coaching both the boys and girls squads. Our coaching staff has talked about breaking out the teams, like many other schools do, but decided that it doesn’t fit with our XC and coaching philosophy. At times it is challenging to balance the goals between the two teams, but both squads help each other to be successful in different ways. The boys definitely strive to reach the level the girls have achieved and they have been moving down that road the past several years, with the first Eastlake boys team to qualify for State in the history of the school in 2007. They have definitely stepped up their off season training, and each year get more and more focused on their goals.
One of my favorite quotes is by Vince Lombardi, “The spirit, the will to win, and the will to excel are the things that endure. These qualities are so much more important than the events that occur.”
Winning State, or qualifying for NXN, while very awesome experiences, really are ‘the events that occur.’ I really have one expectation for all the runners on the team- do your best, each race, each practice, everyday. In short, excel. This is what we tell the JV runners before the League Championship, the boys varsity before Districts, and the girls varsity before State. If you can honestly say that you have done your best on any given day then there can be no regrets.
 5) How did you first get into the field of coaching? Was there a specific influence or mentor who suggested you consider getting involved at this level? Have there been coaches in Washington or beyond who've specifically influenced your approach, or with whom you've exchanged ideas? As each year passes, do you find the rewarding aspects of it changing?
I’ve always loved working with young people, and in 2001 I applied for a coaching position at a local junior high. Two days later the head track coach at Eastlake called and asked if I’d like to coach the distance team. That fall I was brought on as an assistant coach on the XC team, and in 2004 moved into the head XC coach position.
In the past 9 seasons there have been several coaches within the State who have definitely influenced my approach to coaching, specifically Denis Villeneuve (Redmond HS) and Patty Ley (Gig Harbor HS). Patty and Denis epitomize coaches who have built very successful boys and girls programs. They also value the whole team, not just those runners who are fast or win races. Patty has developed what I consider the strongest distance program in the State, and perhaps the Region. No other team has had the success in both the boys and girls squads, with individuals and teams, than Patty. Washington State running will definitely miss her presence next year as she moves into the world of collegiate athletics.
However, the most influential people in my coaching career have to be my father-in-law, Kirk Gamble, and my high school coach Tom Jimenez. Kirk grew up with Pre and ran as the #2 guy with Pre on the Marshfield XC and Track team. We’ve spent hours talking about their training philosophy and workouts. Those conversations have inspired me to grow as a coach. My HS coach, Tom (I used to call him Mr. J), taught me the spirit of XC and the importance of having fun. I still incorporate many of the things we did on the Sprague XC team, in fact our team’s Week of Pain came out of something he called Survival Week…we called it Hell Week.
Parents and runners often ask me what season is my favorite. I honestly cannot say which season has been my favorite. I count the 2007 season, when both boys and girls teams qualified for State as one of the most memorable, and the 2008 season as one of the best because of the State Championship and NXN, but more so because it was the year all the runners who were freshmen my first year as a head coach graduated.
6) One of the more amusing quotes on your team's website suggests that your "runners think Troy is evil, but he really just feels misunderstood. 'Just because I think running up Bridal Crest Trail for 90 minutes sounds like a fun workout doesn't mean I'm evil...does it?'" Joking aside, it seems like you do take pride in hard work, and in teaching the value of hard work to your runners. Is it difficult in today's environment, with the distractions available, to convince young people that working hard is worth the time and energy?
Our school district has a pay-to-play system, and about the three weeks into this XC season one of the Eastlake football coaches asked me, “How did you convince all these kids (90+) to pay $275 to do something they can just do for free?” My answer, ‘marketing!’
I really don’t think I do a lot of convincing…I just do a little bit of trickery combined with some well-placed peer pressure. All runners know that running is addicting. We do enough fun stuff, and sugar coat some of the really hard things, that the runners don’t realize how much they are working until it’s too late. By that time the hard work is just normal, and they thirst for that runner’s high again.
 7) Elsewhere on the site you note, "Running is more than just a sport or activity. Through running I believe we can each discover much more about ourselves and our place in the world." What have you discovered about yourself and your place in the world through running and/or coaching?
Running is so personal. When asked the question, “why do you run?” no two runners would have the same answer. I prefer trail running, the constant shift in terrain, the need for your legs to adapt and anticipate. Even running the same trail, each run is unique. Some runs are painful and frustrating, others sheer joy, but every run is a lesson, a learning experience.
Running and coaching has taught me to never stop learning, to never stop striving to improve.
8) If you were approached by a young person who wanted to get involved in coaching high school runners, what advice would you give them?
I would suggest they first determine what they want out of coaching and if they are willing to grow. Each year of coaching has been a fantastic growing experience for me personally and in my view the best coaches are those who learn from their athletes as much as they teach their runners.
Once they’ve determined their initial goals for coaching, I’d encourage them to seek out a position with a coach or program they have admired. Through that experience, begin to develop your own coaching philosophy. Don’t try to duplicate another coach or program, because each situation is unique, and each coach must work within their own strengths, personality, and philosophy to be successful. Finally, once you become a head coach surround yourself with great people. I have the best assistant coaches, who possess complementary strengths and a passion for working with young people.
But my number one piece of advice…be patient and go for a run. .
Photos: 3-Course Challenge photo by Cheryl Nelson; All other photos by Ken Anderson | |
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