Katz: On the road to recovery with Dave Rose
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Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Saturday, September 12, 2009
8 years
Technically, it is now September the 12th, but it was a busy day today and I didn't get a chance to make this post till now. Anyway, here goes.
8 years ago today, our Nation was suddenly and deliberately attacked by Al-Quaida. For this generation, it was the most devastating, and most significant, day that any of us have ever seen.
8 years later, we are still at war with Al-Quaida, much to the dismay of the majority of our citizens. It has obviously been a tough 8 years, from rebuilding from ground zero to fighting one of the worst stock-market crashes since that fateful October day in 1929. It was hard for me to see so many people bash on Bush and his administration because of the calls he made; he was one of my favorite Presidents because of the way he handled 9/11 and the events that took place after.
Now with Obama in office, I was worried he would pull our troops out as soon as he could, but to my great surprise, I read an article on MSNBC.com last night stating that Obama is still very much in the business of finishing this war, and wants to not only keep fighting in Afghanistan and end Bin Laden's reign over Al-Quaida, but to also find better ways to keep our Nation protected so this type of tragedy never happens again. Yes, never is a really, really long time, but I am actually impressed with how Obama is handling this situation - so far.
(Here is the link to that article on MSNBC)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32783395/ns/us_news-911_eight_years_later/
The thing that caught me off-guard was the fact that he has had disagreements with his administration on the direction this war needs to go. It seems to me that his administration thinks it's unwise to stay in the Middle East because of what the general public has to say. Kudos to Obama for sticking to his guns on what I believe is the right decision.
Time heals all wounds, and evidently also makes people forget. Although, sometimes it's hard to forget the terror of such a day as 9/11. It's hard to forget the panic. It's hard to forget the pain. It's hard to forget the selflessness. It's hard to forget the goodness. It's hard to forget the patriotism. It's hard to forget the tears shed by grown men and women. It's hard to forget the heroes that gave up their lives to save another. It's hard to forget how the United States of America pulled together to defend their Nation. Our Nation. It's hard to forget the soldiers fighting to ensure our freedom. Above all, it's hard to forget the people waving the flag across the US, waving a flag that I love, a flag that I trust.
These acts of mass murder were intended to frighten our Nation into chaos and retreat, but they have failed. Our country is strong. A great people have been moved to defend a great Nation. Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve. None of us will ever forget this day, yet we go forward to defend freedom and all that is good and just in our World.
-President George W. Bush
8 years ago today, our Nation was suddenly and deliberately attacked by Al-Quaida. For this generation, it was the most devastating, and most significant, day that any of us have ever seen.
8 years later, we are still at war with Al-Quaida, much to the dismay of the majority of our citizens. It has obviously been a tough 8 years, from rebuilding from ground zero to fighting one of the worst stock-market crashes since that fateful October day in 1929. It was hard for me to see so many people bash on Bush and his administration because of the calls he made; he was one of my favorite Presidents because of the way he handled 9/11 and the events that took place after.
Now with Obama in office, I was worried he would pull our troops out as soon as he could, but to my great surprise, I read an article on MSNBC.com last night stating that Obama is still very much in the business of finishing this war, and wants to not only keep fighting in Afghanistan and end Bin Laden's reign over Al-Quaida, but to also find better ways to keep our Nation protected so this type of tragedy never happens again. Yes, never is a really, really long time, but I am actually impressed with how Obama is handling this situation - so far.
(Here is the link to that article on MSNBC)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32783395/ns/us_news-911_eight_years_later/
The thing that caught me off-guard was the fact that he has had disagreements with his administration on the direction this war needs to go. It seems to me that his administration thinks it's unwise to stay in the Middle East because of what the general public has to say. Kudos to Obama for sticking to his guns on what I believe is the right decision.
Time heals all wounds, and evidently also makes people forget. Although, sometimes it's hard to forget the terror of such a day as 9/11. It's hard to forget the panic. It's hard to forget the pain. It's hard to forget the selflessness. It's hard to forget the goodness. It's hard to forget the patriotism. It's hard to forget the tears shed by grown men and women. It's hard to forget the heroes that gave up their lives to save another. It's hard to forget how the United States of America pulled together to defend their Nation. Our Nation. It's hard to forget the soldiers fighting to ensure our freedom. Above all, it's hard to forget the people waving the flag across the US, waving a flag that I love, a flag that I trust.
These acts of mass murder were intended to frighten our Nation into chaos and retreat, but they have failed. Our country is strong. A great people have been moved to defend a great Nation. Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve. None of us will ever forget this day, yet we go forward to defend freedom and all that is good and just in our World.
-President George W. Bush
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Mullen, Mullen!
In my last post, I mentioned that I am coaching cross-country at Mullen HS, but I haven't really talked about it - well, blogged about it, yet:). So, naturally, this post is dedicated to how I got the job, why I took it and what I think of it (so far).
Let's go way back. To February, to be a bit more specific. I decided then that I really wanted to go back to school, actually receive an education, be around people that have the same morals as me, and have a much-needed change of scenery. So I decided to move to Utah in August and attend Utah Valley University.
As July was fast approaching, I received a phone call from Dave Reese, the Head Coach at Mullen and a good running friend whom I would always talk to at every XC and track meet since my junior year. He had just recently became the head XC coach and was given full control of his coaching staff, so he cleaned out the old coaches and wanted to hire an entirely new, fresh staff. He thought I fit perfectly into that category.
It took me a good week or two to make a decision. I wanted - needed - to make sure that whichever choice I make, I need to be 100% committed to that choice. I decided that this was too big of an opportunity to pass, so I picked Mullen...for one semester, at least.
A month has now passed since I became a Mustang, and I am convinced I made the right decision. It took some time to get used to all of the kids/Mullen parents, but I feel comfortable running with everyone, working with the other new coaches, learning what I can from Reese, and teaching the kids everything I learned while running at Wheat Ridge. More importantly, the kids have gotten used to my presence and they seem to actually listen to me when I dish out advice. To gain the respect of the kids is a huge bonus!
My title is Assistant Head Coach, which is awesome, and Reese prefers me working with the Varsity guys and girls, which is also awesome. As much respect as I have for JV runners, I feel way more comfortable working with Varsity runners because, quite frankly, that's all I know from my experience.
The guys are a great bunch of kids. They're all laid back, easy to run with, and have a general passion for sports. They're not a State Championship team (might not even be a State Qualifying team), but they're all a blast to work with. Being able to play football and ultimate frisbee are also added bonuses!
The girls team is different. They are the most talented group of runners I have ever seen on one team. The problem is keeping all of them motivated every race for the whole season. Last year, they were considered the favorites to win 4A State heading into the race. Because of faulty training and lack of focus during the race, they dropped to 5th. I'm really hoping I find a way to keep them going through State, because I would love to see these girls win State, which is a very strong possibility this season.
Best of all, I'm feeling like a XC runner again! I'm still not exactly in shape, considering I stopped running for a full year before I took the job, but I am definitely getting there, and since I'm running the workouts with the Varsity guys, I'll be in racing shape soon! These workouts have once again lit the fire that was there for so long in high school. It makes me want to race again. My first test will be in a couple weeks: the Farmer 5000!
I am very grateful that I took this job because of everything I mentioned above. Before I made the decision, I prayed for direction, hoping I would receive my answer soon. I remember thinking that the best scenario would be to accept the job, see how it goes and then make a decision after the season. I'm realizing this is my answer to my prayer because if I had gone to Utah two weeks ago, I would have kept thinking what could have been, being a coach at Mullen. Now I know. Although it's been great, I don't see myself working with Reese after this season, and the desire to go to school is even stronger, mainly because I feel I'll be ready to run in college next August. So, come January, I'll be in Utah, traning to run for Coach Houle in 2010.
Let's go way back. To February, to be a bit more specific. I decided then that I really wanted to go back to school, actually receive an education, be around people that have the same morals as me, and have a much-needed change of scenery. So I decided to move to Utah in August and attend Utah Valley University.
As July was fast approaching, I received a phone call from Dave Reese, the Head Coach at Mullen and a good running friend whom I would always talk to at every XC and track meet since my junior year. He had just recently became the head XC coach and was given full control of his coaching staff, so he cleaned out the old coaches and wanted to hire an entirely new, fresh staff. He thought I fit perfectly into that category.
It took me a good week or two to make a decision. I wanted - needed - to make sure that whichever choice I make, I need to be 100% committed to that choice. I decided that this was too big of an opportunity to pass, so I picked Mullen...for one semester, at least.
A month has now passed since I became a Mustang, and I am convinced I made the right decision. It took some time to get used to all of the kids/Mullen parents, but I feel comfortable running with everyone, working with the other new coaches, learning what I can from Reese, and teaching the kids everything I learned while running at Wheat Ridge. More importantly, the kids have gotten used to my presence and they seem to actually listen to me when I dish out advice. To gain the respect of the kids is a huge bonus!
My title is Assistant Head Coach, which is awesome, and Reese prefers me working with the Varsity guys and girls, which is also awesome. As much respect as I have for JV runners, I feel way more comfortable working with Varsity runners because, quite frankly, that's all I know from my experience.
The guys are a great bunch of kids. They're all laid back, easy to run with, and have a general passion for sports. They're not a State Championship team (might not even be a State Qualifying team), but they're all a blast to work with. Being able to play football and ultimate frisbee are also added bonuses!
The girls team is different. They are the most talented group of runners I have ever seen on one team. The problem is keeping all of them motivated every race for the whole season. Last year, they were considered the favorites to win 4A State heading into the race. Because of faulty training and lack of focus during the race, they dropped to 5th. I'm really hoping I find a way to keep them going through State, because I would love to see these girls win State, which is a very strong possibility this season.
Best of all, I'm feeling like a XC runner again! I'm still not exactly in shape, considering I stopped running for a full year before I took the job, but I am definitely getting there, and since I'm running the workouts with the Varsity guys, I'll be in racing shape soon! These workouts have once again lit the fire that was there for so long in high school. It makes me want to race again. My first test will be in a couple weeks: the Farmer 5000!
I am very grateful that I took this job because of everything I mentioned above. Before I made the decision, I prayed for direction, hoping I would receive my answer soon. I remember thinking that the best scenario would be to accept the job, see how it goes and then make a decision after the season. I'm realizing this is my answer to my prayer because if I had gone to Utah two weeks ago, I would have kept thinking what could have been, being a coach at Mullen. Now I know. Although it's been great, I don't see myself working with Reese after this season, and the desire to go to school is even stronger, mainly because I feel I'll be ready to run in college next August. So, come January, I'll be in Utah, traning to run for Coach Houle in 2010.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Stupid Pigs
As most of you know, I am coaching cross country at Mullen HS this season. The first two weeks of practice went smoothly and our preseason meet at D'Evelyn did exactly what I needed it to do; it showed me how incredible our girls team can be and how much work our guys team needs.
In the midst of the third week, however, kids left and right were dropping out of workouts, claiming that they were getting "pretty sick." Of the kids who are suffering from illnesses this week, a few are important Varsity runners, including our #2 guy runner and our #4 girl runner.
I learned at practice today that "pretty sick" would be considered an understatement. Weston, the #2 VBoys runner, told me that his doctor confirmed him of a coach's worst nightmare: Swine Flu.
And now it's reportedly spreading throughout the team. I'm a bit concerned, not only because I've been feeling under the weather since Friday, but also because this could be a potentially devastating blow to the girls' chances at winning State. We need to get healthy fast, because although it is only the beginning of the season, we need this time to keep our workouts and our mileage at the same rigorous pace that we had the last two weeks. If we lose this time, our aerobic capacity will be too weak to support our anaerobic capacity, which is usually what runners work on in the middle-to-end of the season.
I never thought I'd have to deal with an epidemic as a cross country coach. Crazy
In the midst of the third week, however, kids left and right were dropping out of workouts, claiming that they were getting "pretty sick." Of the kids who are suffering from illnesses this week, a few are important Varsity runners, including our #2 guy runner and our #4 girl runner.
I learned at practice today that "pretty sick" would be considered an understatement. Weston, the #2 VBoys runner, told me that his doctor confirmed him of a coach's worst nightmare: Swine Flu.
And now it's reportedly spreading throughout the team. I'm a bit concerned, not only because I've been feeling under the weather since Friday, but also because this could be a potentially devastating blow to the girls' chances at winning State. We need to get healthy fast, because although it is only the beginning of the season, we need this time to keep our workouts and our mileage at the same rigorous pace that we had the last two weeks. If we lose this time, our aerobic capacity will be too weak to support our anaerobic capacity, which is usually what runners work on in the middle-to-end of the season.
I never thought I'd have to deal with an epidemic as a cross country coach. Crazy
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