So, Coach Carl, you’ve been the head track and field coach for Boulder High for almost thirty years. How did you get into coaching?
“I volunteered here in 1980, my senior year of college. Then I was first hired in ‘81, and then head coach since ‘95.”
What is your experience with playing the sport you now coach?
“I went to Boulder High. I ran track, played football, and was a wrestler…when I was a junior, I placed third at state in the high jump. And then, the next year I decided that I wanted to try the hurdles, so I became a hurdler. And then I became league champion and went to state, and went with high jump to state, too.”
Why did you decide to coach at BHS?
“A lot of it was because of my legacy of being a Boulder High graduate. I had been asked two or three times to coach at Fairview, and I just couldn’t. I have nothing that’s red and white.”
What do you love about track and field?
“Track, what I love is… there’s a vast variety of people that run track. From distance to throwers and that type of thing, they all come from all different walks of life. And so it’s kind of interesting to put that whole mishmash of things together and then all of a sudden they become friends and stuff, so. That’s what I like the most about it.”
Why do you continue to coach after all these years?
“I still love it. I love working with kids…I say that I’d love to have state champions, but I get as much pleasure from having somebody that just comes out and can’t walk and chew gum, and at the end of the year they can run. And so I like to see that progression… I enjoy trying to build them to become as good as they can be. It’s kind of exciting to me and I still enjoy it.”
What is a personal motto you have for coaching?
“Kids don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. And you know, I also tell some of my coaches, ‘Don’t coach the way you competed.’ I don’t coach the way I competed. I was a tenacious type of competitor. I’ll get you going, but I’m not that same thing.”
What advice would you give to someone nervous to try out for track?
“I would say that it’s a great experience. Don’t be intimidated by running. You meet great friends and people. Just come up here and run. You run as you are. There are no expectations… So that’s probably my biggest thing. It’s open, they can come and run and do stuff. When we get into the season, we go five days a week, plus the meets. It’s low key but it can also be intense.”
If you’re interested, the Boulder High track team’s preseason is currently running four days a week, Monday through Thursday. Come try out and be a part of the team!
