Friday Before Finals ... Find a Way

"If you really want something, you'll find a way. If you really don't, you'll find an excuse."

Tomorrow is the day. How bad do you want success tomorrow? Find a way.

Thursday Before Finals ... Flexibility

Sometimes you just gotta flex. Bend. Move. Adapt.

Game plans and strategies are good, but successful athletes always have a Plan B in place and go into any competition willing to flex. Rigidity is the death of accomplishment. Life throws you a curve, and you're not ready for it, you'll be swinging and missing or frozen in your tracks.

With an incoming storm, "the best-laid plans of mice and men" as it was once written are threatened to be washed out. We planned to run the traditional course. Our minds were wrapped around hills and dirt. But the clouds of heaven might make us move to flat and concrete.

Are you ready to be flexible? Are you ready to turn your mind off from "Plan A" and fully embrace "Plan B" as if that backup had been your primary all along?

Successful athletes will find a way to do that.

Wednesday before Finals ... "The Drive"

I received a letter today from the Trupp family, which they gave me the permission to post.  It says the following:

Dear cross country team, coaches and Coach Peters

Wow! We are so grateful for the time and generosity that you all have given to support our family. Rebecca is slowly recovering, although she still has daily headaches. She has therapy 4 days a week in Loma Linda. However, she works hard everyday and uses the drive she learned from cross country, track and DECA. Thank you again for all your support and prayers.

Fondly, The Trupp Family --

"Once a Wolf, Always a Wolf."

Neat letter, (Thanks Trupps!)  and more so another reminder of what's important in life. While CIF Finals is a great and tremendous achievement for any high school cross country runner, it pales compared to life itself. We're grateful for the life that's been granted to Rebecca; even to all of us.

But the letter reminded me too what always inspired us about Rebecca, and what I hope will be a characteristic of your races on Saturday. The Drive.  Rebecca was unceasing in her pursuit of improvement and excellence. She was, and is still, a driven person.

I want to encourage you to head into the CIF Finals determined to drive toward your goal. Drive into the hills.  When it gets tough, when the pain mounts, drive through it. Don't give up. Don't surrender just because it's hard. Drive to the finish line.

Being driven in life can have it's drawbacks, but in my opinion, it is more often the path to success than it is the path to defeat. 

Rebecca Trupp has shown us how its done. Let's show her we've been paying attention.

Tuesday before Finals ... Three needed blocks of the Pyramid

We last talked about Wooden's Pyramid a couple of weeks ago now. Not wanting it's wisdom to disappear, we brought it back into the discussion today. Overlooking the pinnacle, "competitive greatness" as something that will be reserved for Saturday, I challenged each of you to revisit and think about three of the key blocks that support the peak, and more to the point, how you could implement what you've learned about yourself in those categories as you head into the race.

Mental Confidence.  Are you ready? Are you ready to perform at a high level? Of course you are! You've trained. Go back and look at your miles for the season. Remind yourself of those break through races and workouts where you proved your fitness to yourself. Remind yourself of the sacrifices you've made to be good this year.  All of those things, coupled with the realization that you qualified for this race should build your confidence.

Poise.  This is such a hard thing for athletes your age to master, but we're not the kind of coaches to let athletes slide because you're sixteen. We expect you to show poise. Why? Because first of all, it's needed. You can't perform in big competitions without it. But also because poise is a byproduct of the work, the races and the preparation that has gone into this race. All 16 teams on the line Saturday are talented. All are fit. All are prepared and well coached. You don't get this far without that. So what will separate you from your opponents? What will allow King to excel?  One thing. Poise.

Team Spirit.  Sometimes team spirit is easy in August, and it's much tougher in November. Sometimes teams thrive on team spirit all season long, it never lags. Other teams never seem to get it. The whole season is a dirge.  But often, by November, it's tough to maintain. Why? Cuz folks are tired. Folks are "used" to each other and we let our gaurd down.  This is not the time to let that go. I challenge you to keep building bridges between yourself and your teammates. Guard your tongue. Find ways to build each other up. Find ways to stoke the fires of enthusiasm. When we race on Saturday, we have to race as much for each other as we do for a crown, a spot or a time.

Monday before Finals -- Opportunities

With CIF Finals upon us this Saturday, I got thinking about how the race represents an opportunity or more. Certainly, on the sport's grandest stage, it's an opportunity to achieve excellence in cross country racing. The course, the weather, the fans, the competition, it'll all bring it out of you.  It's an opportunity to put into practice what you've trained all year to do.  It's an opportunity for some individuals and teams to qualify and move on to State.

Opportunity abounds.

One of the railroad millionaries of the 1800's was once asked by someone, "How'd you get so rich?" His answer was simple. "I seen my opportunities and I took 'em". 

So simple, yet so true. I ask you, will you see the race this Saturday as an opportunity to succeed? Will you "take it?"

Going the Distance ... Nick Rini

It's not hard to notice Nick Rini.  His persona stands out from the crowd.  He's the one adorned in a mane of somewhat unkempt hair, proverbial t-shirt and cutoffs; the threads from which hang like stalactites.  Nick Rini is a simple guy ... he's got his style and it fits him.  Pay no heed to fashionistas who surround him.  Unpretentious to the core, he responds to the moniker "homeless boy" with a smile and a pleasant, "how ya doing?"  Life seems to move in slow motion for Nick. He moves through time unhurried, content with the tune in his head -- probably a Led Zeppelin song -- and the friends he's surrounded himself with. He's an easy guy to like.

He's an easy guy to fall in love with when it comes to racing. That quiet demeanor in his day-to-day is a roaring lion between the start and finish lines. Watching him outside of the race, you'd swear it can't be the same guy ... but then you notice the hair, flowing off the back of his head like tongues of flame from a rocket.  Tenacious, determined, competitive, he's as tough as the course, even tougher. Simply put, he's a guy you WANT wearing your uniform, as you know beyond a doubt that he'll give everything he has, every step of the race.

Cross country is the epitome of team sport.  It takes all types to make the team and all types need to do what they do to bring success. What Nick has brought to the team of King High cross country has been a quiet form of leadership. He models the ethic of the runner. He preaches by practicing. He races without fear. He accepts with humility the occasional defeat, but more often than not, his style of racing has brought his team victory.  Over the course of four years, he has improved tremendously. As a freshman, his marks were usually at the high end of 19:00 ... today that's slower than a threshold for him. This season, he's been consistently King's #3 man, a roll that unenviably could be lost in the shadows of the leaders and bypassed as folks strain to find the 5th scorer. Nick just may like it that way. Let me do my job, the glory can go to others...

The days of his wearing the King uniform will soon come to an end. In his gracious, gentle spirit, he'll hang it up and drape himself again with cut-offs and t-shirts emblazoned with bands of his liking. Having arrived quietly, we suspect he'll retreat from the sport in similar fashion. We're ok with that, as long as he knows of the tremendous impact he's had on our program and the lives around him. King High XC is better because at least once a week for the past four years, the long-haired wonder wore the red white and blue.

Wooden's Secret of Success - Competive Greatness

Congratulations King Cross Country! For most, you have reached the end of the season and with that, we discuss the last secret to success- Competitive Greatness.

It is always a difficult time of year for many athletes. On some levels you are relieved that the daily grind is done, the long miles in the heat are over and the sore and tired legs are feeling refreshed and energized. I would assume for many, however, you are replaying the season in your head recognizing how quickly it all went by and wishing you had more time to improve or run a race over again to prove your hard work was worth it. Hopefully you don’t have any regrets, but if you do, use it as a learning tool and strive- really strive-to do more and be more next season.

No matter what, you have accomplished something. For each of you it is different. Perhaps finishing three miles is a huge triumph- perhaps breaking 20 minutes was a success- perhaps winning a race was a first. You know what you have done right and you know what you have done well. Enjoy that feeling and know that you deserve it.

What you have all been a part of is a team. You have had to achieve and sacrifice for the sake of a team. It is a unique honor to be part of something special and hopefully you would never let your team down. You want to be better for your team and you should absolutely refuse to let your team down. When we do things for a higher purpose, when we recognize we are willing and wanting to be more successful for the sake of others then we are working towards success. When we are truly EAGER to do things for a higher purpose, you are a success.

You will be a part of a team the rest of your life. Your family is a team, your community is a team, your workplace is a team, and your country is a team. There is a spirit in a team that is unshakable and when you commit yourself to it, you accept the responsibility of the human experience. You must give to receive and you must be at your best and prepared to be at your best even in times of uncertainty, sadness, and difficulty. You should always want to contribute to your teams in life. Think of the greatest relays of all time. The energy, the spirit of the crowd, the intensity, the unwillingness to let a teammate down- the athlete always seems to compete at his or her best.

Carry the spirit of the relay with you when you are faced with pain, when you want to give up, when you don’t think you can give any more. You can’t control the actions of others, but you can control your own. You must remain EAGER to do your best for the sake of the team.

Be great. Make each day your masterpiece. Have faith, have patience. It is not easy, it will not come to you. You must eagerly work to attain it. Your work will pay off. You might not know this now, but you will.

Wooden says that “true competitors know it’s EXHILIRATING to be involved in something that is very challenging. They don’t fear it. They seek it. Is it fun to do that which is ordinary, easy, simple, something anyone can do? Not at all.”

I challenge you tonight to go home and concentrate. Do not just show up tomorrow without direction and a plan. Focus on what you want and not on what you don’t want for your upcoming race. Create a personal statement and write about your goals. Write on what you want to dedicate to your team. Create something that will inspire you tomorrow and the rest of your life. If you have the courage, share it with someone else, you never know how your words can inspire others. OWN IT.
The Great Competitor


Beyond the winning and the goal, beyond the glory and the fame,


He feels the flame within his soul, born of the spirit of the game.


And where the barriers may wait, built up by the opposing Gods,


He finds a thrill in bucking fate and riding down the endless odds.


Where others wither in the fire or fall below some raw mishap,


Where others lag behind or tire and break beneath the handicap,


He finds a new and deeper thrill to take him on the uphill spin,


Because the test is greater still, and something he can revel in.


---Grantland Rice

Written by Leisha Clendenen

Going the Distance ... Daniel Balcazar

I think Daniel is a mystery to most of his teammates, and sometimes is to his coaches. Quiet and reserved, always with a shy smile, he followed in the footsteps of his older sister Tatiana, a quality runner herself, and showed early on in his freshman year that he was destined to be a varsity runner. He still holds a top-5 time for freshman on the Mt. SAC course at a very impressive 17:19 and was close to earning a varsity spot that year, something few freshman boys ever dream of doing. His long stride combined with a fierce desire to compete led us to see great things in his future.


By his sophomore year, he had improved enough to cement his position on the varsity team and have a spot on the CIF team that ran during the raging wildfires of 2008 on a shortened Mt. SAC course. He improved his Mt. SAC Invite time to an impressive 16:45 and looked ready to have a breakout year in 2009. As coaches we had high expectations, but instead of a breakout junior year, it turned out to be a time of trials and questions.

He returned to the summer of his junior year out of shape and not ready for the summer camp in Mammoth, something that frustrated his coaches who wondered what had happened to the talented young runner. As coaches, we have come to expect that many runners will drop out of cross country between their sophomore and junior year after seeing that they are not destined ever to see a varsity race. But Daniel had already made it to the varsity level, so we were left wondering if he had lost the passion for running.

Despite missing Mammoth, Daniel eventually showed the talent made the varsity team, but his season was again curtailed when poor grades made him ineligible at the end of the season. Despite having the skills necessary for both running and being successful at school, Daniel seemed to have lost the industriousness and discipline needed to do either at a successful level. I am certain that this was a frustrating lesson for Daniel, who despite his quiet persona has always shown that he is a very competitive person. Still, we wondered if he would even return for his senior season. Too often we have seen many runners give up when faced with adversity instead of recommitting to the hard work that it takes to be successful.

To his credit, Daniel’s started by getting his grades back in order and up to a B average by the end of the semester, and he maintained those grades for the rest of the year. Certainly as coaches we always stress academics before athletics, but when he showed up this summer fit and ready to run, we were happy that he had made it through a difficult time and committed to having a great final season of cross country. As we ready for league finals and CIF to follow, Daniel has shown that he is ready for the challenge.

As John Wooden has said, adversity is often an asset. Though none of us openly choose to make poor decisions or seek out hard times, most of us will experience it at some point in our lives. Often, we have to look to our family, friends, coaches and teammates to support us along the often difficult paths that life leads us down and find strength from them to grow and learn from life’s hard times, and I am certain that Daniel would say the same. As coaches, we know that high school is just the beginning of a long path through life, and we wish Daniel well as he continues on.

Going the Distance ... Samantha Enriquez

One of the first experiences that I remember with Samantha Enriquez was pulling her off the course at the Great American meet in Alabama because she was too injured to go any further. Tears of sadness of course followed, but not so much from the pain that Sam was experiencing, but the pain of what could be- what should be.
Sam was dubbed early on as a competitor. She was going to make her mark on our team early leading her coaches to believe she would be a freshman starting varsity. What became obvious as her freshman season and each season progressed after was that running for Sam was not going to be marked with the varsity experience we had hoped. Instead, it was going to be marked with enduring pain plagued with injuries and frustrations over what she should be achieving.

The battles and adversities a cross country runner faces are present even when there is no injury to report. The searing heat of August , September and October never make the sport all too appealing to most. The effort it takes to train for three miles is what some would assume is more like training for a marathon. The long hours, early mornings and Saturday meets would be sure to knock anyone down who is constantly working through injury and illness.

But not Sam.

Through it all, Sam remains steadfast in her efforts to improve, to run faster- heck, just to finish a season healthy is considered a success. In her senior year her personality has shown that it is the smiles she provides for others, her willingness to improve and her desire to remain a part of a team that makes her a true success story in our program.