almost right wrote:
I don't disagree that it's great to have a good coach. Through HS and my DII world, I saw very little of it, though, and I've seen plenty of people get along on their own with various degrees of success.
I am sincerely sorry you had poor coaching through high school and DII. Unfortunately, there is little, if any motivation, to coach at the high-school level beyond those that truly love the sport AND want to give back.
Think about this, to be a high-school XC/Track coach you need to be able to commit 3-4 afternoons a week plus weekends (if you make it to sectionals/regional). This is then coupled with a criminal background check, CPR/First Aid - AED cert. Additionally, you have to deal with unmotivated teenagers, difficult/unavailable parents, and an adversarial coaching environment. Finally, you are liable for any and all issues to do with the program for a grand total of $1,500 for the season.
This week I saw a posting for a high-school Track Coach at a sports academy for $10-12 and hour. My local MacDonald's pays $11 an hour. Flipping burgers pays as much, if not more, than being responsible for the health and well-being of children.
Are you going to sign up for that?!
At the DII level, your program is at the whim of the AD and budget. The AD decides who they hire and if they will support the program. Many DII coaching positions are part-time. Just looking at the postings this week in DII for track jobs salaries are as low as $19,000 (this is BELOW the US Poverty-level - about $23,000 is the threshold) to about $40,000. Mind you, the $19,000 job is in a major US city. Rent alone will be more than 3/4 of this "salary".