Weirdest thing an opposing coach has said to you after a race?

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Should have responded with if the other runner had a better coach he would have run better splits and thrown in no offense.

This or, "if 2nd place had a better coach, he could have beaten me, no offense tho"

Had a coach offer to slob on my knob.

On the opposite end of the spectrum from the heckling stories, I once had an opposing high school coach become absolutely elated that we beat his team.

My high school had been a really solid distance/mid distance program for years back in the '70s and '80s, but by the time I got there, the program had fallen off and had been pretty terrible for quiet a few years. Our "rival" school dominated the district every year without much competition from us or anyone else.

Our program experienced a bit of a rebirth while I was on the team. When we beat our rival for the first time in many years in XC, I expected their coach to be kind of pissed, but instead, he came bounding over to our team after the race, and almost gleefully shouted "great job guys! I hope it's like this every year from now on!"

At the time, I didn't really get it. I was like "you want to lose every year?" But now I realize how cool his reaction was. He knew that it left everyone better off for us to be a better team. His attitude wasn't "I just want to whip on you every year," it was "I want everyone to run up to their potential so that we can compete at a higher level and we can all be better as a result." The guy just wanted to see kids be great, even if it came at the expense of his own W/L record.

So, probably the weirdest comment I've received from an opposing coach, but probably the coolest, too.

"______ (my teammate) is a real thoroughbred, and _______ (my other teammate) is just incredible, but you're like a plow horse. I like you."

A coach at any level has no business saying anything but congratulations to opposing athletes, regardless of outcomes. The only exception is if you see an opposing coach doing something dangerous to/with his athletes. Then you speak with him or meet officials.

I have only once been in that position and it was with soccer (which I also coach) and not track. I was a spectator at an out-of-state game and the home team coach returned a player to play after the athlete suffered what appeared a very probable concussion. I informed the coach he went against NFHS concussion guidelines and he needed to bench that athlete. He glared at me but finally agreed, probably because the ref came over and agreed with me.

There are some very bullheaded and stubborn people who become coaches, and they may in fact be very good coaches in some regards, but they do not always do as they should. If you're an athlete and a coach from another team says weird or disrespectful things to you, tell your own coach but otherwise disregard the dude.

Weirdest opposing coach scenario was when I ran my senior conference race in XC. Early in the race someone hit me in the face with a branch accidentally by pushing it out of the way with their hand. Was bleeding everywhere and couldn't see well. I was in the lead by the end of the race but the line to guide the course was orange...and covered in fallen leaves. So I ran off course in the wrong direction from the finish line and almost lost my lead. The coach of the kid that hit me was screaming at me pissed off. I ended up winning and the coach tried to get me DQed and called me out over the incident in the newspaper saying that I went off course and that that wouldn't fly at Districts. His runners were very embarassed because A) they hit me during the race by accident B) their coach overreacted to something that actually hurt my performance not theirs.

Was running the anchor leg of the DMR. I got the baton in 3rd place, well behind the leaders. Eventually, I caught up and moved into first. With two laps to go (this was indoor) the opposing coach started heckling me and the two teams who were ahead of me at the handoff outkicked me. When I was walking on the infield after the race, the same coach saw me and said "You'll never catch him." Even though I clearly ran a faster split....

Very similar experience at a road race. I was a Jr in HS and we ran a road race just before the start of XC season as a way to test our summer training out. It was a 5k and a 10k that started at the same time, the 10k split off at around the 2M mark, I was in the 10k and when we split I was in 4th overall.

I picked off a few others and won the race. Afterwords a guy asks who won the 10k and what the winning time. I tell him it was me and the time. He looks and at me and says "That's not very good. That's not what usually wins that race."

I wanted to tell him I wasn't claiming I was Halie G or anything, just glad to win a race.

Next time you say, "yeah, fortunately I have better coaching than that guy."

"You've got some good stamina...why don't you hop in the shower and wait for me".

Didntknowwhattosay wrote:

Just ran my first indoor meet and won the 1600 in 4:24 by about 4 seconds. After my cool down a well know coach in the state came up to me and shook my hand and congratulated me on running a smart race. We talked for a little and he ended by saying this "No offense to you, but if second place ran better splits you definitely wouldn't have won this race"

I literally had no idea what to even say back to that. I just kinda shrugged my shoulders and walked away. Was this guy just a dick or is this a reasonable thing to say to a high school kid after a race?

I had just won my second foot locker and this coach from SoCal who looked like a major stoner walked up to me, offered a shake and said, "Hey man, who cut your hair?"

/////////// wrote:

Should have responded with if the other runner had a better coach he would have run better splits and thrown in no offense.

POTD

weird but cool wrote:When we beat our rival for the first time in many years in XC, I expected their coach to be kind of pissed, but instead, he came bounding over to our team after the race, and almost gleefully shouted "great job guys! I hope it's like this every year from now on!"

That guy gets it. very cool.

It wasn't said directly to me, but after an 800m in 8th grade the other team's coach grabbed me and stood me next to this shrimp that I beat by a small amount (sit and kick) and said something along the lines of "Look at this kid. He's got twice the stride length as you, you did great. If you had a little longer legs, you would have beat this kid." and then just leaves.

"Mind if I push in your stool?"

High school coach?? wrote:

Didntknowwhattosay wrote:

Just ran my first indoor meet and won the 1600 in 4:24 by about 4 seconds. After my cool down a well know coach in the state came up to me and shook my hand and congratulated me on running a smart race. We talked for a little and he ended by saying this "No offense to you, but if second place ran better splits you definitely wouldn't have won this race"

I literally had no idea what to even say back to that. I just kinda shrugged my shoulders and walked away. Was this guy just a dick or is this a reasonable thing to say to a high school kid after a race?

I am assuming this is High school. What sort of "coach" shiat talks a kid? That is all sorts of pathetic behavior.

I would not assume that. I have no idea how half of the College track coaches were ever hired. Maybe because of the low pay and the lack of knowledge from AD's about the sport.

Tell him, "thanks a lot, jackass!"

He has poor tact, but is not probably a dick. I'm sure he meant someone in the race ran poorly. Some people just don't relate well in communications. Best to try to understand different people's personalities. Good to you for running well, but don't absorb too much about what strangers say. Definitely don't let it affect you.

My senior year of college I was coming back from injury and mono as we headed into outdoor season. We knew I would not be fit enough to so to Mt.sac or Stanford to run a fast 10k so we put all our hopes on getting fit enough to run a fast time at conference. So conference rolls around and after the first lap it became clear that it was going to be a sit and kick affair and I wouldn't get the time unless I led. So from lap 2 to lap 23 I lead. No one came to help, they all just sat (I don't blame them, it's smart racing). With two laps to go three guys go blowing by me and I'm left to struggle through the last two laps in no man's land. I stagger across the line in 4th and run my second fastest 10k of my college career. A few feet away leaning against the fence with a stop watch in hand is Marcus O'Sullivan. He is looking at me, pity in his eyes, shakes his head, calls me by name and says "that's the tough way to do it." Bent over sucking air I say, "I know, but someone had to do it if I was gonna make regionals." He nods, says nothing more, turns and walks away. I was the last or second to last to get into regionals, dropped another 30+ seconds at the race and qualified for nationals. I'll never forget that exchange with Marcus though. I respected him a great deal and that he'd acknowledge me at the end of my career after one of the toughest races I'd had to run was a memory I won't forget.