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Fall Training Tour With Coach Cook of CA Track Club
1. As we're at the end of the cross-country season, the fall training for your track & field athletes has begun. Let's begin with the sprinters. Where are they right now in their conditioning program? We are just finishing a general preparation phase and starting on speed. During the general preparation phase, we spend time on technique, properly doing drills correctly, and building core strength. I spend a lot of time focusing on starts, acceleration, and speed. The early part of the season is key to teaching the student athletes how to conduct themselves on an off the track. 2. With practice about to begin for most of the student-athletes across the country, what is your basic training philosophy in the fall as you prepare your team for the season? My basic philosophy for the youngest to the oldest student athlete is focused around 3 A�s: Academics, Athletics, and Achievement in Life. I truly believe that all of our student athletes are scholars. If I can get the students to work hard in the classroom, then they understand hard work and dedication. Those characteristics transfer in to sport. Athletics is combining the mental and the physical aspects to get them to perform at their best. Learning to be committed and give it up for the team are essential. Achievement in life is important because since of them are not running professionally they need to be able to apply life lessons to the real world. So the 2 A�s of academics, athletics and achievement in life are what I use as the pillars of our program. 3. How did CATC get started? CA Track Club started in 2001. The �C� stands for a non-profit organization called Creative Education, where we do sports activities, personal development, social skills, and those type of activities. The �A� stands for Academic Success, an educational tutoring program. The companies pay for some of the overhead costs but the majority of the funds from the beginning were from my pocket. I bought some T-Shirts and some uniforms and started entering meets. Our numbers were very low for a number of years because we were focusing on the older students athletes. About 4 years ago, CA Track Club focused on developing the age group student athletes. As a result, we have had a number of athletes, from Bantam through Young Men/Women, ranked in the top 50 in the country in the respective events and age groups, and medaled at the championship meets. I am really happy at the growth of the program. 4. You usually kick off the indoor season at the Simplot Games where you are the defending Boys 4x200 Champions. But looking at your schedule it appears you may skip out on the indoors. With the schedule in mind, how do you best prepare your athletes for the outdoor season knowing that they'll skip the indoor season. Will they still have plenty of chances to prepare for 2011 Outdoor season? We will have plenty of chance to run this season. I think that indoor races are great when you have some young kids who need the experience, you want some early rankings, or you believe you can come home will get on the medal stand. Although the indoor accomplishments are great, and it can build the self-confidence of the students athletes, the outdoor championships are vitally important. So, event though our indoor schedule is tentative, I believe that we will be ready for the Pacific Association Championships, Junior Olympics, and the other championship meets.
5. What did you learn from the experience of winning that 4x200 indoor championship at Simplot this year, and how does that compare with the lessons you learned finishing as runner-up the previous year? The process was interesting because we each dealt with it differently through the year. As a coach, I did not want to be a step late and a medal short, therefore, I went back �to the lab� to refine the training program. The student athletes talked about the race form the moment we lost the 4x200 and the 4x400, and they as a unit vowed to win Simplot the next year. In fact, they were all dinged up and injured the week before but there was no way they were going to not run the 4x200. IN addition, to get a chance to run against and eventually beat New Burn (sp), made the victory even sweeter. As a coach, I was reminded that it is about the small details in training that make the difference between winners and losers. I also remembered that we have to have open, honest communication with our student athletes. I learned that showing a belief in the student athletes gave them tremendous confidence to defy the odds. 6. You've coached some great athletes Noah Blue being one of them. Previously ranked #1 in the hurdles at 110 Meters. With CA Track having a rich tradition of success in track & field what does it mean to be a CA Member? I have had the pleasure of working with some very good athletes over the years. Garry Jones was my first #1 in 2002 (Stanford, 100m 10.45), Kenny O�Neal in 2004 (#3 in country at CA State Meet 100m 10.34), Cameron Island in 2006 (indoor 60m #4 in the country), the boys 4x200 in (top #10 in country indoor and outdoor 2008 and 2009), and now Noah in 2010 (#1 in 110h at Stanford 13.86). Although we have had national success with boys in the sprints, we have also had success with the girls side in sprints, jumps and hurdles, and Shana Watson (San Diego State), Dantia Hudson (CAL), Asha Treadwell (Cal State Fullerton), and Montairra Hubbard-Hart (Central Arizona Community College) and Cheron Amey (Central Arizona Community College). Referring back to my earlier comments, Academics, Athletics, and Achievement in life are the pillars of the program, therefore, the tradition of being a CA Track Club member is to strive for excellence on and off the track. I love when the older kids come back to practice and talk to the younger student athletes. At this point, I truly understand the importance of the program in the lives of my student athletes. We are in essence a family. 7. Now that you are beginning to groom your age-group kids at CA Track, describe the challenges and fulfillment of Developing young athletes. I really enjoy working with the age-group student athletes. We have been able to take children who can not walk and chew gum and had them qualify for the junior national meet. My goals for the younger athletes are to learn fundamentals, develop listening skills, follow directions, and become a competitor. I believe that when they learn those skills, and try their best, the end result will be achieving a personal best time, making the finals, and getting on the medal stand. As a result, coaching the younger athletes, I am able to help them develop a love of track, learn proper technique, and build life-long relationships. 8. Though most people probably know you from your running exploits, you've also accomplished a lot in the classroom as a professor of education at San Francisco State University and in various extracurricular activities. Can you describe a bit about the socially conscious causes you're involved in and how you see that fitting in with--and even reinforcing�your Coaching? I am a member of lots of community organizations. I am a board member of a number of community-based organizations. They focus on finding resources for young people in Oakland and the Bay Area. I am the chair-person for our Scholarship Ministry at Imani Community Church, which provides college workshops and access to financial aid for college. Moreover, I am the Director of Educational Activities for the Gamma Phi Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. We have a program taking young boys and helping them become men. I feel fortunate to be in a position to give back to the community because there were key people in my life who helped me stay on the right track. 9. What Does Coach Cooks like to do for fun when he's not leading his student-athletes in the right direction? A good book, exercising, and spending time with my wife and daughter.
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Head Coach Jamal Cook
CA Track Club
