CROSS COUNTRY: Three new coaches are hired for Poly’s cross country team.
By Andrew Carlson, Staff Writer
For the first time, the cross country team has more than just one girls’ and boys’ coach. With the addition of Mario Umana, Michelle Umana and Raizah Singh, there are now a total of six coaches for both teams.
When asked why he hired the new coaches, Coach Alfonso Ibarra was direct. “My goal has always been to keep the program growing,” Ibarra said. The new coaches, who first joined the team in track season last year, gladly embraced their role as first-time cross country coaches and hope to be a part of something special. “I wanted to be part of something that was a positive influence on students[…]I’ve experienced being a student athlete [and] wanted to give back,” Singh said. “I love running and always have[…]and [I] just really wanted to be part of this program here at Poly,” Michelle said.
Having three new coaches allows the team to have more dynamic, effective practices. Before, the entire team was required to stay in one general location, but now, a hypothetical practice could include varsity participating in a track workout, while junior varsity goes on a long run down Victoria.
Many athletes on the team believe that the new coaches have had a positive impact on the team’s morale and success. “If I ever need anything or anyone, I know I can trust and go to them for help […] it [having new coaches] does help by allowing me to receive the motivation from different sources,” LeRenzo Gipson (11) said. “I see that a lot of the kids feed off each other’s energy […] which helps give them confidence to race well,” Singh said.
These new additions also benefit the team on race-day. Over the course of each race, the coaches spread out throughout the three-mile course, instead of just at the start or the finish. They offer support and advice through the entirety of every race. “There’s a lot more encouragement when you have more coaches, instead of one, because each coach can give you different advice throughout the race and that’s really helpful,” Parker Moore (11) said.
This new method of continuous encouragement proves great results, as the team has greatly improved from the past season. The varsity boys team went from fourth place in the Inland Valley League (IVL) to contending for second place this year, while the junior varsity boys improved from fifth to second place. Both girls teams continued their dominance in the league, on their way to claiming first place for the third straight year.