Tips for Coaching Rich Kids?

I don't really see any specific problem here other than the A skip thing and I have no idea what that is. If the issue is that most of the kids are there to have an activity to put on their college applications I think you have lots of company. My kids ran for a very good high school that routinely was unbeaten and league champion and a close contender for state championships.

Typically they get 35-50 kids from each gender out for the team. and the coach told me once that he really only coaches a maximum of ten per gender because there are never any more than that who care about their running. The rest are there to pad college apps or because their friends are on the team and so on.

I think it's inevitable that you'll have stuff like this on a big team. Really, if you're a kid who's 17th on a 33 man team how much motive is there to be really serious? You aren't going to figure in meet results. You aren't going to run in the big end of season meets. If they're showing up and causing some sort of problem or if they're not showing up, sure, you need to put your foot down, maybe not allow them to run in a meet or something. But if they're just kind of casual about their running I'd try to get them interested in seeing improvement as the season goes on and not make yourself or them miserable trying to turn them into something they aren't. Focus on the kids who are serious and do what you can with the rest.

not a challenge wrote:

I'm not sure why people are acting like having rich kids is some kind of challenge. High school distance running is dominated by wealthy suburban schools.

True. And just because their family is wealthy doesn't mean they're lazy, disinterested or condescending. Maybe you're expectations are part of the problem.

Or jealousy as these kids have a better car then you, take cool vacations and date hot teenage girls.

I'll tell you what not to do - run off or cut kids. If you have 26 kids you are going to have 52 helicopter parents. As soon as you start hassling little Bobby, they will be calling the AD, who, if he is a typical AD, cares more about having happy parents then a cross-country title. Plus, the slackers will pick up on your hostility and ratchet up the defiance .

Resume padders are a fact of life in high school . Where I coach track we call it the exodus of the senior resume padders . Put in minimal work for 3 years and either don't go out their senior year or quit when the acceptance letters come our April 1. ( We even had one girl quit later in the season on the day she got off a waiting list to a prestigious school).

The reality is cross-country teams are judged by their top 7 not their bottom 20. Divide the team into 3 groups, the elites, those who could be elites, and those who don't give a damn. Give all 3 attention but focus on the first two groups.

not a challenge wrote:

I'm not sure why people are acting like having rich kids is some kind of challenge. High school distance running is dominated by wealthy suburban schools.

OP here. This school is in a category above wealthy suburban. We're talking parents with private jets, hedge funds, islands in the Caribbean, etc, etc. We're talking RICH.

thanks, good stuff.

Never cut a kid in x-country. You never know how they'll develop or like Richard Gere in an Officer and a Gentleman: "I got nowhere else to go" athletically speaking.

Also, I give kids glowing reference letters to colleges, even when they suck, cuz they'll remember it and you.

lime in my drink wrote:

not a challenge wrote:

I'm not sure why people are acting like having rich kids is some kind of challenge. High school distance running is dominated by wealthy suburban schools.

OP here. This school is in a category above wealthy suburban. We're talking parents with private jets, hedge funds, islands in the Caribbean, etc, etc. We're talking RICH.

To put it in perspective, the school just shelled out for 10 Garmin 235s.

I wouldn't try to run kids off the team. Even if a kid never becomes a great runner, he might be friends with someone that's super talented or have a great sibling. I've had scenarios where one slow JV kids convinces a few friends to run, and those friends end up being top 5 kids. If you are in a tight knit community that talks a lot, you want only positive things being said about your program in social circles.

As far as kids not putting in appropriate effort, try to make it so that it's more work to do the wrong thing. When kids don't do drills or strength work correctly, I have the entire team do the exercise again. I don't call individuals out, but just make a comment about what needs to get fixed and have the team try again.

Also be very proactive about how you group kids to run and empower them to lead. I know I have certain combinations of kids that don't bring out the best in each other, so they don't get to run together (except for cooldowns - I let groups mix then and have some social time). On easy days, everyone gets assigned a group, route to run, and a goal pace (usually a range of ~20 sec so they have some ability to run by feel). I often will ask my kids that tend to push the boundaries to be in charge of monitoring the pace for the group. They like feeling they have a little bit of power and it holds the group accountable. If their group has a great run or workout, I always give credit to their leadership as the reason for the group's success, and they love getting praised in front of everyone.

lime in my drink wrote:

not a challenge wrote:

I'm not sure why people are acting like having rich kids is some kind of challenge. High school distance running is dominated by wealthy suburban schools.

OP here. This school is in a category above wealthy suburban. We're talking parents with private jets, hedge funds, islands in the Caribbean, etc, etc. We're talking RICH.

Kick ass coaching them. Go beyond and even if they suck focus on individual accomplishments.

They'll tell their parents how awesome you are... Soon those vacation homes and jets are available for camps. Play it right and they'll tell you that you can use it any time. You're end of they year coaches gift will be nice too!

But if you're fake your kids will know. You already sound like a dick so I'm not sure if you can play this off.

Finisher wrote:

Create a "Team Within a Team." Who says everyone gets the same workouts, goes to the same meets? You can even get different uniforms for top kids. No cuts? No problem.

Wealthy kids (and parents) understand status. Nothing makes kids and parents want better results more than when they think they (their kids) are on the outside of the "A" team. If they don't care, problem solved, let them stretch and run an easy 4 miles a day, go to duel meets against South Northville Tri-County HS and get most improved Senior year.

This advice works at our wealthy suburban school. Everyone wants to be on the select team. Taking the top 7 to an overnight big name invitational will do wonders for motivation of the 6/7/8/9 runners.

Establish a tradition of winning - if you are successful, parents of kids will seek you out and will cut off a kid's ear if you tell them to do it.

Establish a tradition of excellence.

Talk about going to the state meet, talk about winning the state meet and what it takes to accomplish this. Share this with the parents at a preseason picnic.

Withhold praise till someone does something good ... and not just marginally good.

Talk about college scholarships at prestigious colleges/universities.

Basically talk about success, winning, goals and how to accomplish goals.

My last 2 years of HS I went to an all boys prep school which had formerly been a military type school. Basically, the ruling class sent their kids there. My mom worked at a crappy job and basically all of her salary went to my tuition. (no pressure) ;-)

Our XC and track coach was basically emotionless until you did something good, and when you received an "atta boy" and arm around the shoulder, you were golden. Also, if coach was mad at you or the team, his code word was "jug head".

I remember once at the state meet, we needed every point that we could get, to be in contention to win. A guy on a relay was pissed and threw down the baton at the finish because they came in second. Before the baton bounced and hit the ground a second time, coach was in his face yelling "Hey jug head! What was that?" lol

I like the team or teams within a team approach.

Call them out as something like gold, silver, bronze. The "golds" get the praise and attention. Let their parents know which team their children are on. It makes a difference.

Also, much of this is about you, the coach.

Establish an expectation of excellence, which will help to weed out the slackers and the kids just trying to get in shape for a winter sport.

ownership wrote:

Have the team meet and set their own goals. Being able to say "you've said that you want to win districts this year, so I've tailored your training to your goal" is way more effective than saying "do this workout because I'm the coach and I said so."

Lower-income kids are used to a world where authority figures simply tell them what to do. Upper class kids are used to working in partnership with the adults in their lives to accomplish mutually agreed upon ends. Give them some ownership and you'll see them respond.

^^ best advice in the entire thread

There is a lot of truth to this and it might even be more so if you're coaching girls.