This is Jim Kiler wrote:
High school coaching is fine if you can mesh with the current coach, had/have HS kids so you have a clue, and you realize that high school team success is managing to have a star already, who then inspires others to run fast, too.
You can't (quite) recruit, you're just dealt the cards they give you. Hopefully there's a good one in there.
I did the same thing for a few years that you are hoping to do.
I treated kids differently if they wanted to place at states or if they wanted to lose 10 pounds for prom.
As for recruiting, you can show the girls basketball coach that they lost 6 games after leading at halftime/3rd quarter. Send me your girls in the fall and they will have the endurance to fight hard in those last 5 minutes of the game. Also, xc is a nice break from the wear and tear of a 12 month wrestling/basketball/tennis season