"Chemistry and Attitude"

Ever since my little girl was born 8 years ago this coming November 4, I've been trying to instill in her the reality that attitude trumps talent. I don't know what talents she has yet, she's still in the process of developing them, but in the course of her life, she's going to have to work at things that are NOT her speciality, and in those moments of challenge, she's going to have to realize that a positive attitude will see her through to success.

I thought of that a couple of days ago when I watched the Philadelphia Phillies Phinish their Phantastic, even fenomenal season. Even though they are not my boys -- my boys wear blue -- I still get a kick out of watching the celebration of winning teams. I get the dog pile. The champagne makes sense. The jubilation, jumping and jiving are fun to watch. After a long, grueling season, the moment of accomplishment must be almost impossible to contain. It erupts on the pitching mound. Mound Vesuvius flows with molten glee.

The Phillies are no doubt talented. But are they the most talented? One could argue that there were a lot of teams equally talented. So why did they win?

Maybe the best explanation would be Charlie Manuel's, the manager. When asked by a reporter what made the difference this season, why they were the champions, his answer was quick and short: Chemistry and Attitude.

He didn't talk of how good his players were. He talked of how they got along, made each other better, kept each other accountable and had a "winning attitude." There were several teams with better records than Philly, but in the end they stood on top because of team chemistry and great attitudes.

As a coach for 19 years now, I've come to realize that most of our kids come already preloaded with their attitudes. They're hardwired into them and there's not much I can do to radically alter their world view. (That's why I'm trying like the dickens to get my daughter to fashion a can-do attitude early.) I agree with Manuel, though, that when it comes to great teams, chemistry takes the cake. Throw the most talented athletes in the world together and it doesn't guarantee a winning record if they can't get along.

Our teams have enjoyed positive chemistry now for a few seasons, and our boys have it in spades this year. It's fun to watch. We're not the most naturally talented crew in the Section, though we have a fair dose of it. But we are running circles around other teams when it comes to the singular goal of "getting along."

What will that mean for us down the stretch? I'm not sure, but if the Pholks in Philly are any indication, there could be a dog pile going on. We'll see.

Made at Mt.SAC

Texas

They say big things come from Texas. Big trucks, big guns, big hats, big burritos (OK, that's Texmex, but I think you get my point). Well, we've got a bit of big Texas right here in our program. He goes by Brad Sheets.

I've called him Texas mainly because back when he started as a freshman, the now-Junior seemed to wear a University of Texas shirt every day. Being the big 'SC fan that I am, and being that Texas had beaten SC for the football National Championship that previous New Year's (actually their quarterback Vince Young beat 'SC, but that's a different post), the burnt-orange long horns that were printed across his chest every morning got my attention.

There was another thing that got my attention as well ... Brad liked to walk. He walked a lot. He walked sooner, rather than later. He was a very timid runner that first summer. I thought, "we've got work to do!"

Well, the work has been done, and Brad Sheets has gone from walker to runner, and now in his third season, he's well on his way toward showing what can be done when one's mind is made up.

Back in '06, it would normally take Brad 20 or 21 minutes to cover three miles. His Mt.SAC PR, normally a standard for the season, was 20:05. This season, he's been consistently in the mid-17:00's, and racing somewhere from 10-13 on our depth chart.



What hasn't changed about Brad is his Texas-sized attitude, smile and good cheer. When he got literally clotheslined playing hat-tag in Mammoth, ripping some good skin off his face, he just smiled, got up and kept playing. The raspberry near his left eye was more the cardinal of USC than the orange of Texas, but it soon became an opportunity for some self-deprecating humor that had everyone in stitches. Fortunately for him, stitches weren't necessary. The guy is class, all the way, even if he is a fan of the Texas Longhorns.

I've heard some speeches described as "longhorn speeches." A point here, a point there, and a lot of bull in between. That does NOT describe Brad, he's intelligent, athletic, funny, well-rounded and well respected. Not bad for a young man!

And he's also not alone. Brad's no "Lone Star" on the team, he's got a posse of runners around him, many of whom joined with him back in 2006 and make up a large part of what is today, King's best ever guys team.

For that improvement and good cheer, I have just one thing to say:

Yee hah!

Captured at Clovis

Ahh, the sweet nectar of morning!


What's the guy in the middle (with the C on his chest) thinking?? Dude, relax!

Monday Miscellany #4

I had a great conversation with Robyn Wroblewski this weekend. We had a full van of kids, but no one wanted to talk (has today's ipod generation lost the art of conversation? I wonder...), so I got to pick the mind of Robyn for a couple of hours. She's an amazing person, has a well-paying modeling job, yet "isn't interested in fashion." She's an avid horse-enthusiast, training and caring for Omega a Warmblood-Thoroughbred mix. I learned all about her two lives, the modeling world (I asked a lot of photography questions!) and the horse jumping/show world -- something I know just next to nothing about! I came away totally impressed by Robyn ... a quiet senior who's quietly doing the things she loves and is good at doing. Thanks Robyn!

____

Some stats from Clovis -- King had six runners that finished in the top 30 of their individual class, two were the third fastest of their class!

____

The weather in Clovis was absolutely stunning. I loved being cold again! Fall ... nothing beats Fall.
____

Mrs. Becerra, Mrs. Bowman, Mrs. Werley, Mr. Schupp -- we're not in Clovis without you guys! Wow, thanks!!!
____

Talking with Coach Peirce over dinner Friday night ... who are the top 5 presidents of all time? While we could agree to disagree on #1, (He goes with Washington, I go with Lincoln) he tried to sneak Jackson in at #3. Number three?? Are you kidding me? For the record, here's where I'm at: Lincoln, Washington, FDR, Teddy Roosevelt, Jefferson. For fun I try to get Polk promoted to "legendary status" after all, he did get California in the union, but it never seems to stick with folks. I'm trying to start a club called "Polk Folks". Any takers?

____

I close with Kasey Tippets ... #3 all-time sophomore in KXC history. She may not want you to know that, she may not want to know that herself, but I'm here to tell ya' the girl can roll!

____

Ok, maybe I'll close with Casey Candelaria ... #2 senior all time! Amazing!

____

Big things ahead of KXC! Let's keep rolling!

Oxygen is for Wimps

Back in 2006 we welcomed one of the most exciting groups of freshmen we've had since the school opened. That group, now juniors, was large, enthusiastic, coachable and fairly talented. Though a few of them have quit under the pressure of work, the majority have survived and thrived and make up the nucleus of what is, in my mind, one of the best teams (guys and girls) that we've ever had. It's funny, even back then, when many of them were toiling at the frosh soph level, I just knew they were destined for great things if they would just persevere.

Here in 2008, I'm seeing what was once the future.

There are a ton of great stories emerging from this group. Many have found their talent, their knack. Some have become leaders. Others are hard working followers. They are enthusiastic about the team, about running in general, about their success. They are learning to set goals. I'll try and post occassionally here over the next month on some of those stories.

But for today, the story is Sean Lee. His nickname is Sean Lee, (you can ask him sometime what that means), but Sean's story is one that in many ways epitomizes the stories of so many of the guys in the class of '10, thereby making him as good as anyone to start with.

The brother of David, who was part of King's original team in 1999 and is now in law school at Santa Clara, Sean brings to our team an insatiable appetite for success. He's a worker beyond measure, in fact, he's trying to figure out how to take an "easy day" easy. Not an easy task for someone prone to find brick walls he can run through, or Everests to climb. If he could find a brick wall while climbing Everest, one would assume he'd found his own slice of heaven. In his backpack he carries the weight of self-imposed rigor. He drinks from the canteen of competition. His standard of success is so high it requires an oxygen tank, but like only Sean can do, he's attempting this summit on guts alone. Oxygen is for wimps.

The success he's achieved is obvious. Go back into the archives of 2006 and you'll find a runner straining to break 22:00; it wasn't until League Finals that season that he finally broke through, but still well above 20:00 for three miles

Last year his times dropped consistently in the 19:00's, with a PR of 18:12 on the fastest course we ran, Poly. Check out the first month of 2008, and you'll find him opening up at Seaside's speed course at 17:31, but more impressively was last weekend's grass and hill covered crusade at Central Park which netted him a 17:43 mark, a much faster effort than the PR in week one. His time at Mt. Carmel this year was 1:13 faster than it was a year ago. You get the picture. The Sean Lee of '09 is not the same Sean Lee of '06. This version, call it SL 3.0, makes the first release look like a dinosaur.

And Sean is not alone, for his work ethic has without doubt pulled many to keep climbing and climb more aggressively. Much of what he's done on this three-year trek has been a model that others have followed toward their own summits.

So take heart, those of you who read this while sitting in base camp. You are not what you will be if you choose to go the route of Sean Lee and many of this amazing class of 2010. Climb! Go! Head out onto the North Face of achievement. Discover for yourself, the lessons of Sean Lee, lessons found only in the rarified air of great improvement.

Monday Miscellany #3

How 'bout them Dodgers! Sweeeet!
____

It was an interesting experience sitting there on the 91 freeway Saturday morning. I was thinking about all the hundreds of bus rides I've taken over the years, never have we had a breakdown. One feels so helpless in that situation. What can you do? It wasn't the driver's fault. Stuff like that happens and leaves you thinking, "well, I guess we wait it out." Hope it never happens again.
____

Monique Carrasco again volunteered in her injured state to help with timing and record keeping at Central Park. She did a great job and I'm thankful for her willingness to help with a cheerful spirit.
____

Clovis is this weekend! I love everything about the trip. The drive is very manageable, the meet is so well organized, the course is to die for, and the competition always brings the best out of us. I can hardly wait!
____

Patience! We're doing a wonderful job of being patient in racing! Many of you are figuring out the early 1000 meters is not overly critical ... you gotta race, but you don't have to be winning at 1000 meters. Be patient, and the fast-starters will come back.
____

Pictures in the Park

Rini, Rising

One of the true and pleasant surprises of this season has been the ascension of Nick Rini. An unheralded freshman one year ago, he toiled in the ranks of the Frosh/Soph team. Little about his racing shouted for attention. He has always been a pleasant and quiet kid, and those qualities typified his performance as well.

Out of the gate this season, he finished 16th of King's runners at the Seaside Invite, and again, it was a typical finish for the sophomore. It was about where one would have expected him to be. But something has changed in Nick of late and that something is producing remarkable results.

At the second meet of the year, Mt. Carmel, he ran like someone else, ultimately writing his PR on the course some two minutes faster than he had run it a year ago. He was the 9th man for King that day, knocking on the door of varsity. Still quiet and a bit in the shadows at practice, his presence was noticed in the morning runs ... first in the required AM workout a week ago, (where he truly rolled) and then this week in the optional AM runs, he was there! A week ago he was right at the front of the JV race in the inaugural Big 8 meet.

This Saturday he dons the varsity jersey for the first time ever. Watch out, Rini's rising!