1) What was your own athletic experience? What sports did you participate in before high school? What sports did you participate in at Trabuco Hills? Any experience after high school? If so, what did you do?Sports have always been an important part of my life. Growing up my parents put me in everything. I was in Track, Baseball, Basketball, Football, Wrestling (at a solid 75 pounds in 7th grade), Soccer, Karate, Tennis, and Swimming. I never was on a traveling team for any of the sports, because this would have taken away the opportunity to do other sports during the same season. My mom would drive my two younger brothers and me, in our perfectly suited 1990's Astro van, all over the city for the 3 sports each of us were in some seasons. Now that I have been a parent for a while, this still boggles my mind how she did all that. When we weren't driving around to various sports, we were at home playing outside all the time. (Photo courtesy of JT Ayers)
When I attended Trabuco Hills High School (class of 2001), I continued to try many different sports. I tried baseball during my freshman year and started at shortstop. I had a tough experience with a coach who showed very little care for his athletes; this was a lesson I would never forget. After that experience, my earth science teacher and football coach walked me down to the track one afternoon and told me about track and field. The thought of getting faster got me excited and I was hooked! I eventually lettered in multiple sports including football and track, my junior and senior years.
After high school, I was recruited to play football and run track at some Division 3 schools, but I was never a Division 1 guy. My Dad, to his credit, told me early on never to play for a scholarship. Play because you love it. I ended up going to Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and played every intramural sport there was. I had a blast!
2) Who were the coaches that had the biggest impact on your athletic career?
I wish I could tell you that I had some amazing coaches that impacted my life in unimaginable ways. That didn't happen. In fact, I had more examples of "what not to do" than I could count. My dad was a great coach. Not because he knew the science or strategy for a particular endeavor but because he taught me that I have value regardless of how well I performed. He was always interested in two things, my effort and how well I led others. He wanted me to be a leader in everything I did, in my words and by my example. "Be a leader" was often yelled at me from the stands, and I was given gentle reminders at home.
3) What led you into coaching? What was your first coaching experience and what did you learn from that experience?
I never wanted to coach. My wife and I were in the process of getting our teaching credentials, when the track coach at Trabuco Hills High School, my alma mater, at the time found out I was in town, called me and begged me to coach hurdles. He didn't have anyone. At 24 years old, I reluctantly said yes and did what every first-year coach does: I coached the way I was coached. Looking back, I have no idea how the athletes saw any success. It wasn't too long until I fell in love with coaching, especially Track and Field. I wanted to learn everything about it: the science and art of sprinting, the motivation, the leadership, the potential positive influence you have with kids, all of this was incredible. I was reading books, watching DVDs, calling other coaches to be mentored, Track became more than just a job, it was a passion. The following year I was coaching football and took over the sprints and hurdles for both the boys and girls team. In my third year of coaching, I became the boys head coach at 26 years old and that team won its first South Coast League Title.
4) What is your current coaching position and what else do you do outside of coaching?
My current coaching position is Head Boys Track Coach at Trabuco Hills High School. I am also a teacher at Trabuco teaching a course, I created, about life lessons and leadership. The class is offered for freshmen students only on how to become a life-long disciplined learner.
Outside of coaching, I have been married to my best friend, Jess for 15 years, and have 4 children ages 10, 8, 8, and 7. Last fall, I coached two flag football teams and a kindergarten AYSO soccer team. I am also a Community Pastor at the Village Church of Irvine.
I live around the corner from the high school and drive an electric scooter to class every day. I have clocked my commute, if I hit the one signal right, from the front door to the classroom door in 3:29.3 seconds. Needless to say, I live a pretty busy and blessed life.
5) What have you been doing during this downtime to keep your athletes engaged with the hope of the season continuing soon?
This has been a hard thing to navigate since I want to ensure that with integrity I follow the rules outlined by the district and society to the best of my ability. The school closure happened so suddenly, I was unable to even say goodbye or explain what was going on to my team. Luckily, we had communication avenues already in place that made it much easier to connect with my community. Mailchimp emails, our team app, instagram, twitter, the Remind app, and text messaging have made it manageable to lead from afar. I created a Google Doc with a detailed schedule on what to do from all my coaches and sent it to over 600 people via email. I even did a zoom call with my captains and talked with them about how they were doing and feeling. We didn't talk about training because I trust that my athletes know what to do. My style of coaching has always been to include the athletes in the process. Some of my seniors are some of the best assistant coaches I have ever had. They know the science, the coaching cues, and how to warm up and train. They don't need me. I just wish this would be over soon so my coaching staff and I can be there to encourage, lead, and influence these young men into future leaders. I miss my team.
6) What have you been doing for yourself in terms of continued learning, mentorship, and networking?
My family is very close and we really like being together. My wife and I are fortunate enough to both be home and are now homeschooling our kids. PE class is Sprint training. My 4 little ones are going to come out of this time very fast. I have the detailed Google Doc of their progress. Over the years, I have been able to develop a network and community of great leaders and coaches throughout the county. Phone calls and texting has been important but also utilizing social media like Twitter. I recently have been part of a few zoom calls this week with 100 people in the room talking through further education in the art of coaching. I am not great at sitting still when it isn't earned. So we are purposefully busy with a daily routine and intentional use of time. (Photo courtesy of OC Register)
.jpg)
7) During your coaching career, who have been your coaching mentors?
I am going into my 14th year as a coach, and early on, I knew that I was not smart enough to be good at this on my own. During my first year of coaching, the head coach made a questionable decision and I asked him about it. What he told me has shaped my entire career as a coach and a leader. He said, "Listen, I know what I am doing. I have done this for 35 years." What he meant to say was, "I did this one time and then repeated it 34 years in a row." Since my first year, I have been so fortunate to have amazing mentors and friends to learn from. Every year I pay attention to the track world and take multiple coaches out for coffee or lunch each summer based on what they are doing with their athletes. I have driven and talked with coaches from Upland, Vista Murrieta, Rio Mesa, Visalia, Murrieta Mesa, Great Oak, Woodbridge, Buchannan, Exeter, Santa Margarita, Mater Dei, JSerra, and many more. Brian Fitzgerald, out of Rio Mesa, has been a wonderful mentor and friend this past decade. Recently I have talked a lot with Tony Holler out of Illinois and have started to befriend his whole network, which stretches across the country. This has been a true joy to learn from so many people he is connected with. Simply put, being mentored and mentoring others have been some of the most impactful moments in my coaching career and philosophy.
8) Since you started coaching, what are some of the biggest changes that you have made as a coach? What change did you make that you consider a game-changer?
There are so many things that I have changed and done since I first started coaching. I have become much more organized. We train fast and lift hard with our Mass Specific Force program. However, the two biggest changes that I have made and given a lot of time and energy to are the following: first, how I try to create and sustain a program of excellence. Marking and branding our program gives so much value to those that are in the program currently and also those that have graduated. I think our program gives people a sense of pride when thinking about the track and field team. I want to represent the school, the athletes, the parents, and the sport itself in a way that makes people proud they were involved with Trabuco Track. The second biggest change is the way we warm up and recover during our training. RPR (Reflexive Performance Reset) has been a game-changer. The athletes are running faster and recovering better than they have ever before. The results speak for themselves. I am also just scratching the surface with RPR. It is incredible and I am so eager to learn more.
9) What have been some of your highlights as a coach?
Track and Field coaching in many ways is about creating moments. Moments that are both meaningful and memorable. As a coach you hold onto things, both good moments and bad, and those moments are wonderful to look back on. The moments are frozen in time and I have the pleasure of sharing those moments with those athletes for the rest of my life. A few moments that come to mind are: in 2013, I was at a different high school, at the CIF D.3 Finals my team was not supposed to win. I think we were ranked 5th at best. My school had recently told me they were not going to hire me back and the athletes were amazing that day. Winning that Title was truly a memorable moment. 2 years ago the boys 4x100 ran the fastest Orange County time ever at 41.24 and the next year ran a school record in the 4x400 at 3:15.62 (video below). However, as I sit here and think of my career highlights I can't help but think of the people I have been able to coach. Some of those athletes have come back to coach with me, some have become family once they graduate. This is a truly special job. The highlights of any coach will always be the people we have coached!
Track and Field coaching in many ways is about creating moments. Moments that are both meaningful and memorable. As a coach you hold onto things, both good moments and bad, and those moments are wonderful to look back on. The moments are frozen in time and I have the pleasure of sharing those moments with those athletes for the rest of my life. A few moments that come to mind are: in 2013, I was at a different high school, at the CIF D.3 Finals my team was not supposed to win. I think we were ranked 5th at best. My school had recently told me they were not going to hire me back and the athletes were amazing that day. Winning that Title was truly a memorable moment. 2 years ago the boys 4x100 ran the fastest Orange County time ever at 41.24 and the next year ran a school record in the 4x400 at 3:15.62 (video below). However, as I sit here and think of my career highlights I can't help but think of the people I have been able to coach. Some of those athletes have come back to coach with me, some have become family once they graduate. This is a truly special job. The highlights of any coach will always be the people we have coached!
10) If you had the power to change anything about California HS Track and Field, what would you change?
One thing I would change would be the way the athletes must qualify for opportunities to earn a chance to compete. Having 6 meets in a row where you must be perfect in order to qualify is very difficult, especially in the D.1 Southern Section. Swimming and college track have it where the athlete's marks determine a future opportunity to compete in a championship level. I would love to see this in the high school track and field world.
One thing I would change would be the way the athletes must qualify for opportunities to earn a chance to compete. Having 6 meets in a row where you must be perfect in order to qualify is very difficult, especially in the D.1 Southern Section. Swimming and college track have it where the athlete's marks determine a future opportunity to compete in a championship level. I would love to see this in the high school track and field world.
11) What is your advice for a young coach just getting into the "business"?
Find a mentor and never stop learning. It is OK to fail. Fail, learn, and become a better coach the next season. Always become a better coach the next season.
12) Anything else you would like to add.
Not really. I love this job and I am so fortunate to do something that I find so much joy in. I love learning about track and field. This sport is not boring in any way and I get a chance to help change lives through the power of speed training. Every athlete and team is drastically different from any other I have ever coached. The greatest game in the world is Football, the great sport is Track and Field. I plan to do this until I die. This is part of who I am. I am a Husband, Dad, and a Coach. I am proud of that!
Thank you for the interview. It was a pleasure!