How to usurp a coaching position at the high school where I teach

Overthrow? Have you spoken to the coach about helping out the team? Have you spoken to the athletic director about your interest in coaching? Start there.

You don’t happen to be from NJ do you?

Measuring contest usually settles these things.

I hear Brian Laundrie is looking for work.

Just try to work as an assistant.

Work as a either a paid or volunteer assistant, and go from there.

If you know your stuff and the kids start to perform they will come to you. They will know who the "real" coach is whether this guy has the title or not. If the new guy is clueless or doesn't care, he'll be glad to pass the work off to you.

Don't apprentice under a coach that knows nothing. You will improve the team, he will get the credit and a new contract.

Set up a meeting with the AD. Run him through a well prepared slide deck presentation that displays your passion for the sport, your knowledge of training theory, your ability to recruit, and give him a solid deliverable such as a conference title or a team berth at state within 2-3 years time. There is no harm in going for a position that you want. This is how it works in corporate America. Don't be a doormat because you work in a school and everyone pretends to get along or is willing to wait their turn.

If you were really sincere about your desire, you'd have gotten involved with your H.S. team in some capacity a long time ago. 4 years???

There is something rotten in the state of Denmark.

If Shakespeare is anything to go by, you need to use psychological techniques to make the old coach think he is haunted and going crazy. Like put speakers in his office that sporadically play low volume ghost noises that only happens when he thinks he is alone.

kmaclam wrote:

If you were really sincere about your desire, you'd have gotten involved with your H.S. team in some capacity a long time ago. 4 years???

Thought about this too. If the new coach is a total noob to running and you are very accomplished, you can still help him out.

Even if you have little kids, or you're going to school, etc.. and didn't feel like you could devote time to coaching you can still give that guy some pointers in a nice helpful way.

shut up, becky wrote:

I have been teaching at a high school now for four years. This program has a strong XC/track history with dozens of guys going sub-1:55/4:20/9:20/15:45 during the 00s decade.

The coach from that era retired, and the current head coach is a younger guy who has been there at least as long as I have been to the school.

Currently, they have one XC runner faster than 19:00. They also have just two guys who are sub-5:00 in the 1600.

I teach many of the students who run XC, and they know that I love the sport and have coached at the HS and college level, but it wasn’t until recently that I felt like my personal life would allow me to coach.

How would I go about overthrowing the current guy and leading the team back to greatness?

Since this isn't Game of Thrones or world war, I'd put ideas of "overthrowing" the current coach, to rest. If you volunteer to be an assistant, do a good job (which does not involved undermining, or acting superior to the current coach) and the kids like you, you'd be in good position to take over when he/she steps down.

But do it only if you think you'd enjoy it, and can hold your tongue when you think you know better than the coach, not as some sort of conquest.

i would just start running with the team and being a "volunteer assistant" if they'll have you. i was in a very similar position a few years ago where the coach was not that successful and i was probably the better runner. actually now that i think about it the paid assistant coach for XC was literally overweight. i had the time so i just started going to practice every day and running with the guys. i probably had better attendance at practice than a lot of the kids on the team. i actually got in pretty good shape lol. and it was pretty fun. i ended up not getting hired back for the next year but i would imagine had i kept that up i would have been able to step up eventually. i was somewhat surprised how competitive coaching jobs can get. everyone wants that $2K stipend or whatever it is.

Try to become a volunteer assistant coach and go from there. If you are by far the superior coach you will eventually become the head coach at that school, or you will be offered an opportunity at a nearby school.

My high school coach was in a similar position to you. A historically great program, then a coach took over for a couple years and those years were mediocre (but not as bad as you described). My high school coach (a younger guy) was an alum of the program, ran D1, and joined the program as a volunteer assistant. The team gravitated towards him, and the former head coach decided to step down to have a child. Now as head cross country coach, he got the program back on the championship track in year one. Next, he got approval to start an indoor track program and was automatically given the head coach job for that. The only obstacle was the outdoor track program, which in my opinion had a head coach which was not competent and had poor control over team discipline. My coach was a volunteer assistant/distance coach for the outdoor track team. The outdoor track head coach was an assistant football coach at the school, and clearly his priority was there. Head coaches in the conference regarded my coach (the XC/indoor head and outdoor distance coach) as the "real" head coach (and outright stated it), and many athletes (including myself) did too (though we kept it to ourselves). COVID came around and forced an overlap between football and outdoor track season, so the old outdoor track coach stepped down and my coach got the outdoor track head coach job with little issue.

If you want to skip that rambling paragraph, in the span of 5 years my high school coach went from unpaid assistant coach to XC/indoor/outdoor head coach drawing multiple head coach salaries with complete control over his distance program. He could have made the jump to college coaching, but his current gig pays more and as an alum he feels connected to the program.

Your ego would make you a horrible assistant coach, so please don’t do that. Support the program like you should as an educator in the school. Wait until the current coach resigns and then apply for the job. But realize you might not flip it around as fast you think you can. Coaching kids is getting harder and harder every year.

video him telling one of the runners to lose weight

I'll Take This One... wrote:

Don't apprentice under a coach that knows nothing. You will improve the team, he will get the credit and a new contract.

Set up a meeting with the AD. Run him through a well prepared slide deck presentation that displays your passion for the sport, your knowledge of training theory, your ability to recruit, and give him a solid deliverable such as a conference title or a team berth at state within 2-3 years time. There is no harm in going for a position that you want. This is how it works in corporate America. Don't be a doormat because you work in a school and everyone pretends to get along or is willing to wait their turn.

You must be joking?

you should not have wrote:

I'll Take This One... wrote:

Don't apprentice under a coach that knows nothing. You will improve the team, he will get the credit and a new contract.

Set up a meeting with the AD. Run him through a well prepared slide deck presentation that displays your passion for the sport, your knowledge of training theory, your ability to recruit, and give him a solid deliverable such as a conference title or a team berth at state within 2-3 years time. There is no harm in going for a position that you want. This is how it works in corporate America. Don't be a doormat because you work in a school and everyone pretends to get along or is willing to wait their turn.

You must be joking?

Right. Like corporate America.

Volunteer. Build a positive relationship with the head coach AND the kids. Recruit like crazy and make it a fun experience for everyone if you have such a passion. Win kids with running, not win running with kids.

By volunteering, its easy to get the experience without all of the management/responsibility issues that come along with being the head coach. It should be ok if its NOT your program. This will give you time to see if you really want to commit to ultimate responsibility while learning what you can from the guy thats been in the seat for 4 years already. Doesnt mean youll always agree or have final say in anything but it will be a lot easier to get out without too much trouble if you have to.

Again, go in to develop relationships and work together and youll have a lot more fun and a lot less stress. Winning is the result of a process combined with some talent and consistent training at an appropriate level. Not because you have great personal experience as an athlete or think you know better than others making you more qualified. Until you actually have the opportunity to have and develop your own program, you'll never really know.

Also, dont think you are going to convince any AD that you are the better man for the job someone else currently occupies just because you say so. They can smell a rat from afar and you will never be considered later if you cant get along with your peers or speak negatively behind their backs. Tread lightly there my friend. This is a BIG difference between schools and the Corporate world.

That being said, if a head position comes open at your school kr anywhere else you would consider applying for, then by all means, sell yourself like a used car salesman. But having some experience will go a lot further when competing for the job even if it is just volunteering. A positive experience could get you a raving recommendation.

I'm a big fan of cross country. The school I teach at has an awesome winning program. How could I make it my team?

As lots of other people have said, just volunteer to be an assistant.

Once you see what the head coach has to go through, dealing with the AD, parents, worrying about logistics, you might be happier to be an assistant.

I'm an unpaid assistant, I run the whole practice. The head coach takes care of all the administrative stuff. He can keep the $3,000 a year for what he has to do, I don't want it.