Meet Unity Christian T&F coach Rob Bosma
HUDSONVILLE, Mich. — Rob Bosma has been coaching track and field for 30 years along with cross country for 21 years. He is an avid runner that is grateful to be able to participate in the sports that he coaches. He has ran many marathons, Riverbank runs, 5ks, and 10ks. He also maintains a daily routine with his morning running group where they run 8-9 miles every day starting at 4:45 AM.
Bosma believes that one key to success is off-season training. High school athletic seasons last for a short amount of time, leaving little time for sustained training and race preparation. 鈥淲e often talk with our athletes about a concept called 鈥榯raining age鈥�,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f you don鈥檛 do any offseason work, you begin every sport with a training age of zero. Your achievements will be limited to your natural ability in that sport or event.鈥� His goal is to build on each athlete鈥檚 knowledge and skills in order to improve their performance from freshman to senior year.
When it comes to Bosma鈥檚 coaching style, the things that happen in the background are often more important than what is shown on the forefront. 鈥淎nyone can look at the trophy case and see evidence of those events but only those who shared the journey will remember the bus rides, the long practices in the heat and rain, the funny 海角社区, the devotions, or the countless miles run on area roads and trails.鈥� He stated. 鈥淪port is about the journey and the 海角社区 of the journey.鈥�
Bosma approaches losses as a powerful opportunity for growth. He believes that victories can shine a light on talent or effort but losses reveal character. How athletes handle loss and adversity in the sport can foreshadow how they handle life鈥檚 challenges outside of the sport.
Bosma hopes to showcase his faith right off the bat in coaching. Before treating them like an athlete, he makes sure to treat them as a child of God first. He also hopes that they felt valued regardless of how they perform on the track or trail. Lastly, he hopes that each athlete he has had the pleasure of coaching had a great time! He has learned throughout his career that sports are all about relationships. The memories and lessons shared between coaches and athletes are what count the most at the end of the day.
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