HS Coaches: What do you say to an athlete who comes in last?

"you suck kid"

It gets easier if the individual ran a pr. You can work with that, but if he put the work and for some reason still ran slower I just try to say positive things. No need for criticism since I know for a fact that he has being working hard.

100 mile weeks this summer kid and you will neve lose again

best say nothing at all. They know what place they came in.

I start the conversation the same as I start it with a winner, "What do you think about the race/effort?"

If you have done a good job of coaching prior to this race, the winner as well as the last placer will find some positives as well as some things to improve. You then reinforce both and add positives and areas to improve as well. Stay positive even when addressing things to be improved.

Tell them if they had done xfit the result would have been better.

If they know it was bad, I say something like "Well that was a rough one, huh?" Sometimes they just need a coach to be sympathetic. If the coach is overly-positive it can sometimes come off like the dreaded pity clap.

Then when it comes time for analysis after the initial disappointment has worn off, I'll go over the splits with them and just focus on their race, not necessarily how they responded to other runners as you would for somebody who was going for points. Maybe they started out too fast, maybe they died at the end, maybe they slowed down in the middle. I try to constructively focus on that.

You're cut, kid.

"You looked like a sick puppy out there."

Not said unkindly. It's more about the tone and attitude than the words.

Happened at the very beginning of my track career, when I was trying to be a sprinter. I needed to do something different and the coach was (accurately) pointing it out.

I tell them that they just don't have it as an athlete, but they are in luck, there is an activity for them, it is called cross fit, anyone can do it, most of the competitors are unsuccessful athletes just like them.

Really depends on the situation. Did the kid run a PR in a super fast race and lose to a bunch of 1:52 800m guys? Or did he walk part of the race during a dual meet and lose to 2:20 guys?

"Every train has a caboose."

In my experience 95% of the time when a kid comes in last it is due to a lack of effort in training.

The last time I had a kid come in last place she was legally blind. She wasn't upset about her performance in the 100 meter dash and I was proud of her.

"Your brother never would have run that slow. It should have been you in that plane crash."

bloob wrote:

"Every train has a caboose."

But even the caboose is doing the same speed as the engine.

otter wrote:

In my experience 95% of the time when a kid comes in last it is due to a lack of effort in training.

The last time I had a kid come in last place she was legally blind. She wasn't upset about her performance in the 100 meter dash and I was proud of her.

What.....that's silly, the part about "due to lack of effort"!!!! In fact, someone must be last (barring a tie).

How about just complemented the kid with "good effort," "good job," or something like that. Of course, it depends on whether you think he's trying but just doesn't have the talent, or whether you think he's just going through the motions. In the latter case, you don't say anything.

critic 100 wrote:

best say nothing at all. They know what place they came in.

That's what I did about 6-7 years ago. I said nothing.

The kid was last and had a guy right in front of him and didn't even try to pass him at the end. NO competitiveness at all. Other races he wasn't close to anyone else.

Why was he even running CC. I don't know. He was a frustrating kid.

I know that's my fault as I should have at least found out why he was out there.

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