It’s a top priority for Steve Lane, head coach of the CCHS girls and boys track and field teams, along with the six other coaches, to learn all 160 names of the student-athletes. Monday’s preseason practice just let out and all those kids are weaving through the gymnasium doors.
“(That’s) a lot for two teams, a lot for us,” said Lane, adding that CCHS has a total student population of around 1,200. “It’s really hard to reach everybody and keep track of everybody and what they’re doing. Between the seven of us (coaches) I think we do pretty well, but I would like to be able to say, ‘Hey, how you doing?’ to every kid on the team every day, but I just don’t get there. There’s just too many.”
Lane said there are a ton of freshmen, roughly 50 in the entire group. But the coaches are handling the teams and in the two-and-a-half-hour practices every day after school the athletes are learning from their teachers.
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“We try to build their capacity throughout the season,” said Lane. “So right now there’s a lot of teaching and learning. But once the season progresses they should be able to train harder and faster. It will take about a month.”
In 2010, the girls finished 5-3, while the boys ended 6-2. Lane said he’s looking to help the kids improve, and that may take a lot of sweat.
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“They need to work really hard,” he said. “The difference in talent level between what we have and, say what L-S or Newton-South has, they’re really the same kids basically, different schools. So hopefully we’ll work really hard and be a little bit better.
“Our first race is in nine days so we’re trying to get race-fit as quickly as we can,” Lane said.
Concord-Carlisle’s first meet of the season is at Wayland High School on April 6 at 4 p.m
GIRLS’ AND BOYS’ OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD SEASON PREVIEW CAPSULE
Coach: Steve Lane, 12th year
League: Dual County League
Last Year: Girls: 5-3; Boys: 6-2
Returning Players: Numerous.
Key to Success: “Trust and work ethic are the values of the whole season,” Lane said.
Meet to Watch: “In terms of regular season dual meets, A-B is really good so that’ll be a pretty good meet.
Outside the league, Lane said Weston will be a good meet. “(Weston) hosts an invitational in the beginning of May that’s always (competitive), it’s almost like a state meet preview. So we kind of target that for our high-end kids to see how they compare to some of the best kids in the state.
“Before we get into championship season, those are the two that we can really tell something from.”
Coach’s Take: “(During preseason), honestly, a lot of (success) has nothing to do with track and field. It’s more about getting everybody to trust their teammates, trust one another and be able to work together and just trying to fit that into the practice schedule where they can get to know each other a little bit and do some different things and then trying to get everybody up to par in terms of work ethic. I think those two go hand in hand.”
