Coach of 1:48 HSer says “The most important thing is that I am his coach.”

that is a next-level d**che right there

Fantastic response and he’s 100% correct! The guy knows his stuff. It’s sad when you see potential stuck with mediocre coaching. There’s no shortage of that!

High School Richard Cranium right there!

Hopefully the idiot combs these boards so he can see himself being mocked roundly.

There is no such thing as a HS coach who is a big deal.

Clown.

John would run 1:49-1:50 with a really bad coach. That is still really good for hs.

The next few sentences:

After that, John does everything. I give credit to all of these athletes who had their worlds turned upside down in March, but managed to stick to the task and not only stay in shape, but reach heights that they never have before. That's hard and the vast majority did not do that. So John is not alone in doing that, but he is in rare company.

John not only does the big things like coming to workouts ready to have good days, but he has taken on the challenge of doing all of the little monotonous things. John's mechanics are smooth, but not perfect. He's working on it. John completes his core work without cutting corners. He's serious about what he's doing in the weight room. He told me that the best thing about the shelter in place is that he's able to get more sleep. He's learned about how to properly fuel his body, by eating healthy foods. He has even figured out that on certain days, he needs to deviate from the plan and do a little bit less. Not because he's being lazy, but because that's what his body needs. John has made a decision that he wants to be fast and he has started to do the things that will make him fast now. He is not someone who is going to wait to get to college to start doing those things.

Love these guys they get 1 very talented kid and all of a sudden they are a genius. If he is the coach with the magic touch and call the answers where is the line of great or decent runners he has cosched,?

I'll wait

Still waiting

Yea just as I thought

If you could read, you would notice the sarcasm here.

“I think part of the reason that you sent me these questions is because you want to get a better sense of what makes John so good. But you never asked that. First, John is good because he was born with some talent. You don't run 1:48 ever, much less as a 17 year old if you don't have some talent."

In telling a joke, this is called the staging...

"But not everyone who can run 1:48, does."

That is the setup...

"So the most important thing is that I'm his coach. Simple as that.”

That is called a punch line.

And if you took the time to read the rest of the interview, you would notice the obvious self-effacing tone of this coach--his humility--and his repeated directing of all credit to everyone other than himself--his athletes, his mentors, his teammates.

Reading comprehension lesson concluded. Clown.

If you read the whole interview, you'll see that the guy has a sense of humor and that was a joke too because everything else in the article is about his athletes. He names many, many athletes and even his own high school teammates and coaches. He also talks a lot about Lester's work ethic, talent, and dedication. So, yes, as they say, lighten, up, Francis.

He was obviously joking. The guy has a solid background, running for Cornell (more than most high school coaches), but seems to understand the pattern of coaches with talented kids that think it's about them. His Ivy League education has equipped him to craft a joke that might be missed by those with lesser intelligence.

I would still question this guy’s credibility. He discusses how he was so fast when he played team sports but then he became a distance runner. Did he run a fast 800m? How fast was this guy? He did not sound that cocky, but he said he was not so great at team sports, but he was fast. Maybe he was, but often that would translate to being a fast 800m runner, for instance.

0/10

No it definitely was not a joke. Maybe you should go back to 3rd grade because you that's where your reading level is.

Labenthraub wrote:

Love these guys they get 1 very talented kid and all of a sudden they are a genius. If he is the coach with the magic touch and call the answers where is the line of great or decent runners he has cosched,?

I'll wait

Still waiting

Yea just as I thought

I've known ozzie for a long time running at a nearby high school, and now coaching at a nearby high school. I'm not close to him, so have no personal reason to defend him, (but I dont dislike him either, I enjoy a short conversation the handful of times I see him per year).

1) I'm sure he was being sardonic. That definitely fits his personality. He's a high school teacher by day, so sarcastic is basically a prerequisite.

2) he has had solid results, so I'm not sure what you want to hear. He had a kid run 1:52 two years ago.

3) maybe more important than any single kid he has had run well, he has a solid team every year. His cross country kids are competitive in NCS every season, and it isnt a weak section. He consistently has a few kids make NCS Mocs every year and kids go on to state.

Somebody else wrote "I hope he combs these boards." I can confirm that he does come here sometimes and posts under his own name. No idea if he has seen this thread or not. Also, he was at Cornell on the team when Rojo was coaching there, I think. I think he may have been a grad assistant there after he graduated, too? But I'm not sure about that.

I have only nice things to say about this coach in my passing of him. Seems a solid gentleman and a good coach.

Anyone with some years of program success can see that this is an inside joke with the coach and kids. I would bet that if you look at the body of work, he has had a lot of success as a program to have the confidence that his athletes and parents get it and that's really all that matters.

The day to day grind of a structured, successful program has a bar that most programs won't understand and that's what makes the joke inside by nature. You don't have to be Ivy league pedigree to know this. There's plenty of blue collar programs that get it too. These coaches have a lot of success at all levels and their competition dreads going up against them year in and year out. Once in awhile you get that special kid that helps raise the bar for the rest. But I guarantee you, that coach knows what the hell to do with it when he has it!

Now get out there and eat that turkey leg before the big race!!! Thanks for the memories Pete!

Notice how the OP specifically points out that his remark was at the end of the article, when really there was another two paragraphs, as a later poster shows. That detail is the most telling.

The OP is probably more of a douche than the coach.

Hey everyone, John Lester here. I can affirm that, yes, the single most important thing to my success as a runner is my coach. Period.

Don't ever disrespect King Ozzie.

Nothing new here. He sounds like Michael Smith of NAU/Georgetown.