Best way to make track more popular in a school

Honestly...get the cool kids out. Once you get a couple of popular kids out your numbers will grow. One pretty girl to help recruit the halls and you'll more boys than you could ever wish for.

1.) Put-up flyers in the hallways.

2.) Recruit. Recruit. Recruit. Simply ASK kids to join! You'd be surprised how many will come out. (They simply need the incentive of attention.) Recruit from your classroom. Ask the gym teacher to recommend athletes.

3.) Pick-up those cut from other sports.

4.) Buddy System. Have your athletes "bring a friend" to practice. That could possibly double the size of your team.

5.) Use the PA/intercom system to make announcements about the program. Also, use the announcements to recognize wins, including specific people. Success breeds success!

6.) Make it fun! Pasta parties. Movie night. Bowling. You can "hide" workouts & a rigorous training schedule within all those "fun activities."

7.) Take your time. It might take 3+ years to get your program off the ground. Be patient. It will come.

8.) Be energetic! Show your passion & it'll rub off on your athletes. I email all my athletes when track is on TV. I email videos of races on flotrack. I email them about world records broken & specific runners' times. I photocopy articles out of Running Times.

9.) If you're a young coach, do NOT use practice for your own training! Show them your attention. My athletes appreciate that I run with them (easy days, long runs, aerobic runs, etc.). But, they also see me running after practice. But, I do NOT use them for my own training!

When I do run with them, I run with everyone: fast athletes, slow athletes. I go out with the fast runners, double back to check on slower ones, work my way back through the pack, visit with the "in between" runners. Everyone gets my attention.

hank moody wrote:

Honestly...get the cool kids out. Once you get a couple of popular kids out your numbers will grow. One pretty girl to help recruit the halls and you'll more boys than you could ever wish for.

I 2nd that I coach in a school of 800 or so in grades 9-12 and we have 100+ on track and 40-50 in cross-country every year.

I accept slow runners and gear their training to that but I have a state ranked team for boys and girls.

My staff and I treat slow athletes with respect and notice PR's even if it's a 22:30 5K for a boy or a 12' long jump for a girl.

Track & Field is already the 2nd most popular (football) boys sport by participation and #1 for girls.

It has been this way for a long time.

http://www.nfhs.org/content.aspx?id=5752

Too Late wrote:

Track & Field is already the 2nd most popular (football) boys sport by participation and #1 for girls.

It has been this way for a long time.

http://www.nfhs.org/content.aspx?id=5752

Thank you!!

runn wrote:

hank moody wrote:

Honestly...get the cool kids out. Once you get a couple of popular kids out your numbers will grow. One pretty girl to help recruit the halls and you'll more boys than you could ever wish for.

I 2nd that I coach in a school of 800 or so in grades 9-12 and we have 100+ on track and 40-50 in cross-country every year.

I accept slow runners and gear their training to that but I have a state ranked team for boys and girls.

My staff and I treat slow athletes with respect and notice PR's even if it's a 22:30 5K for a boy or a 12' long jump for a girl.

That is awesome that your staff takes the time to do that. Many runners I know today got their start in high school running and have just kept it up. In this day with overweight people getting kids active could really help them later in life.

3 words: Naked Girls 3200

My track coach in HS was also an assistant football coach so he made a rule that all the football players had to come out for track. It sounds bad to force kids but honestly 98% of them loved it and we got great athletes out for a lot of different events. The running backs sprinted, lineman threw etc. I would talk to the coach of the basketball team (potential jumpers, sprinters) and the football team (potential sprinters, jumpers, throwers) and convince them that it will make their athletes faster, stronger and more agile for their sports in addtion to keeping them off the couch and out of trouble in the off season. Then they make it mandatory and who knows maybe you find the next usain bolt was playing wide receiver poorly for the local football team.

Sorry also football and basketball players are usually pretty popular so if they go out there is a good chance it will become more popular.

hank moody wrote:

Honestly...get the cool kids out. Once you get a couple of popular kids out your numbers will grow. One pretty girl to help recruit the halls and you'll more boys than you could ever wish for.

That is true. My old coach made a point to go after class leaders. We always had at least one class president, National Honor Society, Key Club.. whatever.. it doesnt matter if they are very good runners, it opens to door socially for more kids to follow. XC becomes something "OK to do" in the minds of teenagers.

set up a facebook page for them, give out sweets etc...

It won't happen quickly, but if you're tough, fair, caring and offer opportunities (such as travel to a big out-of-town meet or two) the kids will take notice and they'll come to you. You'll still have to work hard, very hard, but if word gets out that you're one of the best coaches in the school, that will go a long way.

Think like a teenager, too. Nice uniforms & warm-up suits carry a lot of weight.

When I taught science and coached track and CC, I asked the p.e. teacher for a list of names and times of kids who ran the presidential fitness mile. I send letters to the parents of every kid on the list who had strong grades. The letter told them a little about track and cc and explained the importance of strong academics and extracurricular activities. I had huge numbers come out. Be strict, fair, have high expectations, and expect strong academics, and you will keep the athletes and lose the riff raff. Good luck! You are doing a worthy thing, track coachschool.

Don't get me wrong, cross is always going to have the largest group of general "weird misfits", but you gotta get a couple of cool kids to let the rest of the halls know it's not just some PE class for chess club.

The cool thing is, at least during my time in high school, the varsity teams were always close. Whether it was the homecoming king --the kid who used to play football -- or the home school kid who literally doesn't go anywhere without his lunch box--looking back on it it's pretty cool really. Normally does a lot of good for both parties.

Have a track meet.

Why kind of school? Elementary? Middle?

Silverfox,

You wouldn't--if you don't mind me asking--happen to have a copy of that letter? Would you be willing to post it? I would love to see the wording of the "importance of strong academics & extracurricular activities." I totally agree, but was wondering if you had some facts & statistics to back your arguments. I'm sure that would really get parents' attention.

Thanks,

High School Coach #1344

What's the importance of strong academics and extracurriculars?

When I was in high school, during my senior year a number of the senior cheerleaders ran on the cross country team. This had a two-fold effect. First, it helped increase numbers on the team. Second, it increased student body participation as spectators at meets.