Coaches Corner with Track’s, John Barthels
The ReSporter: What are your overall thoughts after District Meet?
GO HAWKS!!
Coach Barthels: “My overall thoughts on the district track meet are that we participated at a much higher level than we have all year. Other schools did as well, resulting in us placing 4th place instead of first, but we had about 90% of the girls run a better time than they have run all year and that is what is asked of them. “
The ReSporter: Why was our district meet a week earlier than most other districts?
Coach Barthels: “We meet and agree a year in advance as to when we will have district meets. There is a set date that you must have district finished and if you have bad weather it gets crazy, doing things this way allows more time to get ready for the area and then regional meets as opposed to running district and then the next week have area and then the next week regionals. It is going to help me as we have a couple of girls banged up right now and this will give us more time to heal and be at our best.”
The ReSporter: When you have two weeks before the next meet what do you do different with the qualifiers?
Coach Barthels: “We will focus on just the races that they will be running and less on the group as a whole.”
Hawk Proud
The ReSporter: How do you decide who will stay out and practice for the alternates in the relays?
Coach Barthels: “It is all based on times and who made it to area and in what events.”
The ReSporter: Is the Area Meet spread out enough to give the athletes enough time to be rested for all the events they might have for that day?
Coach Barthels: “Just like district, everything is on a schedule. There will be enough time for everyone to recover and run their best.”
The ReSporter: What do you know about 25-4A schools and does that alter anyway you prepare the students?
Coach Barthels: “They have some good athletes with good times in all of the events that we have someone participating in. We will need to run good times, maybe even our best times of the year in order to make it to the regional track meet.”
The ReSporter: Thanks Coach, look forward to seeing the Hawks in Liberty Hill.
