Coach Geo Tam is a familiar face around Boulder High, the head coach for one of the largest and most illustrious sports teams at Boulder… the cross-country team. When I got a chance to sit down with Geo and ask him about his experience coaching at BHS, here’s what he had to say:

So, Coach Geo, you’re the head cross-country coach for Boulder High. How long have you been coaching?

I have been coaching for about ten years. I was a student at CU and I went to Boulder High. I got into coaching because I remembered how amazing my coaches were and what a difference they made in my life, so I wanted to give back what they gave to me.

Could you describe your experiences with running?

I actually started [running] because I was done with soccer, and I was going to be done with sports, and my dad said no, you have to do a sport… My brother was on the team, and as I got more and more into running, it became apparent how incredible the team dynamics were and that people really care for each other on the cross-country team. A couple of my favorite things were the community, and the health benefits, and how it feels to just let loose and run.

What do you love about coaching?

One of the biggest initial motivators for me was that when I joined the cross-country team, I found coaches that cared in a way that I hadn’t seen before. They made some big impacts on the course of my life, and so I had my eyes opened to how big a difference a coach could make. I really started coaching out of a place of gratitude for what my coaches in high school had done for me, and hope that I could return the favor.

What has it been like coaching at Boulder High?

It’s been fantastic, it’s been a lot of fun. Especially now, we’ve got a really incredible team, that’s just full of fun people. 

Can you tell me about a time you were really proud of your team?

This year, the whole team went to state. For cross-country, you can qualify as an individual, but our goal is to always qualify as a team. Both teams had high goals this year, and I think that both the boys’ and girls’ teams qualifying this year was made possible because of how they care about each other. The boys, especially, dealt with some injury and adversity and I know that they were there for each other and encouraging each other when they weren’t at one hundred percent, and that is something that is really difficult to train through– when you’re not at a hundred percent. So I really believe that it was through their encouragement for each other and their care for each other that they were able to overcome that adversity and end up tenth out of twenty at state.