Would you recruit a star runner if they didn't want to follow your training plan?

Depends on what control over his own training means. If it means he completely makes up his own training then no, I would not. If it means he has some input, possibly. But the fact that he is already insisting this, leads me to believe that he wants total control. So I would say no.

hypothetical wrote:

You could always get rid of him if he was a problem, right?

If this is your attitude towards a potential athlete of yours, then he deserves better. Just a thought.

To answer your question, I would adjust the team training as a whole. If you're in a weak conference and your team still doesn't stand out, even if you're not working with a talented crew you're probably doing something wrong. If the kid has success, try an approach that is a hybrid of yours and his. Make compromises, and adjust your program fluidly. Nothing should be set in stone.

stupid to recruit him - this will destroy your team for years.

Joe Newton said it many years ago: "Resisters will *always* fail you in the clutch." I resisted(!) this wisdom when I first heard it, but after another 20+ years of coaching I can say that he was right.

Neither this kid nor the coach's team would be well served by having the runner in the program. The benefits that one would expect (of having an übertalented kid who's already better than the conference champs) would *not* be forthcoming.

Not saying the kid, or the coach, are "bad" people--just that the situation would be a bad one.

I was that kid, don't recruit him. He'll either run his own workouts or when you force him to follow your training schedule with the rest of the team, he will absolutely obliterate his teammates and make them feel like shit and care even less about their own running.

No.

Not at all. It would wreck the morale of the rest of the team and knock the credibility of the coach, which will put the whole team back. A team is not one runner.

I would talk to the athlete and try to convince him/her that the program is changing and that you are changing the workout plans. Then, change the plan. Get some feedback from the runners, but make sure they believe in you and your training plans and that you believe in them and their abilities.

Hypothetical, you're name isn't Beth Sullivan by any chance, is it?

Jimmy Chitwood?

I wouldn't.

And if he has a scholarship, it isn't as simple as just getting rid of him, usually. Student welfare my disagree.

Honestly, it shows the other kids on the team one of two things:

1) You don't know what you're doing

2) You have no control

Either way, it's better to pass on the kid. They think they know what's best, but they have no idea. Their 5 years of collective experience can't be more than yours. At least, I should hope not.

The Newton quote is very, VERY true.

Well if he's performing better my crappy team in our crappy conference, then I guess he's probably the one who knows what the hell he's doing and I'm the idiot. For that reason, I couldn't recruit him. I wouldn't want to ruin a smart kid with a good future with my own incompetence as a coach.

You would guess that you are the idiot? Then instead of simply not recruiting him you should get the hell out of coaching.

why fix something that's not broken?

better idea wrote:

You would guess that you are the idiot? Then instead of simply not recruiting him you should get the hell out of coaching.

Probably. I didn't bother to say that because it goes a little beyond the hypothetical situation/question.

no

i've heard it said

"it's not about the Xs and the Os, it's about the Johnnys and the Joes."

talent wins.

good kids make your job enjoyable.

As a coach you must decide which one of those holds a higher priority. which doesn't mean they are mutually exclusive, but you get the choose the environment you want to create.

I say yes. I mean what have you got to lose? You're a cellar dweller with no standouts. So what if this guy implodes the team (likely) it's not like you've got much of one anyway. This kid could be your gateway to bigger and better things down the road. If it doesn't pan out go back from whence you came, probably no worse for wear and a little bit wiser.

hypothetical wrote:

Let's say you're in a relatively weak conference and your team is never really a standout team. You have the chance to recruit a runner (let's call him Jimmy) who has PRs faster than the winning times of 2 of the conference champions and is by far better than anyone you have on your team. However, he says he will only run for you if he can have control over his own training. He seems like a normal kid and wants to comply with all other rules etc of the team; he just wants to control his own workouts. Would it be smart or stupid to recruit him? You could always get rid of him if he was a problem, right?

I'd really like some input from some coaches please.

Offer a scholarship under the following condition: He is welcome to join the team but he will have to train (as every one else) under your direction. Then don't lose any sleep over it.

why don't we take it to the extreme?

let's say that Alan Webb or Ritz or Fernandez was this kid coming out of high school. What do you guys think you would do in that situation?

I was that runner. My Coach learned from me, applied it, and the entire program rose to a new standard. He ended up with a team of monsters that not only brought home his 1st NCAA x-c plaques over a 32 year span, but my own records got taken down by my own teammates the year after I graduated. I think I opened a mental block in those guys and they achieved great things beyond running as a consequence of the experience.

My Coach was my God anyway. I trained harder for him because I enjoyed bringing him more joy.

A Coach who dismisses this kind of athlete shouldn't be a Coach as far as I'm concerned. It's a statement that the Caoching position is about their fragile ego first and not about the team at all.