Push that extra mile with Walden Grove鈥檚 Marcos Blanco
SAHUARITA, Ariz. — A Q&A with Mr. Marcos Blanco who is the head cross country and track & field coach at Walden Grove High School.
What is your position with the team/club:
Marcos Blanco: I am the head cross country and track coach at Walden Grove High School.
How long have you been coaching?
Blanco: I have been coaching for 17 years, 11 of them at Walden Grove.
What is your background in this sport?
Blanco: I was a runner in high school. I coached under a former Olympian.
What are one or two things that the team does in training that are keys to their success?
Blanco: The student athletes understand the meaning and purpose of training constantly throughout the off season and during the season. They understand that attending practice consistently will help them with their success. Not only by “showing up” to practice but working hard while they are there. I have a quote that I tell the student athletes every season when practice gets difficult, “the easiest thing to do is quit or give up, the hardest thing to do is keep going.” I hope their hard work and determination carries over into their lives whether that be at school or after they graduate high school.
The other key to their success is they believe in the system. The system involves hours of training and preparation for their competition. One of the hardest things to do is have the student athletes believe in you as a coach and what they are doing on a daily basis will help them be successful. This doesn’t come easy as I have new runners every year, but the ones that have been there will guide them along the way.
Please describe the most memorable games/tournaments/championships your team has won.
Blanco: Every time a student athlete runs/jumps/throws their personal best or sets a school record. This will happen every year and may happen multiple times throughout the season. To see the smiles on their faces when they accomplish their goals is amazing! I tell them that all the hard work and crazy workouts I put them through, they won’t remember them when they are on that podium winning medals and races!
Another memorable moment a few years ago was when the girls track team finished runners up at the state meet. We had multiple state champions that year and it was great to put Walden Grove on the map as one of the teams that will compete for medals every year at the state meet.
How do you encourage the team after a disappointing loss?
Blanco: “A winner is a loser that never gave up” There will be a time that they lose a race but it’s what they do after the loss that will make them better. I tell the student athletes that we can’t turn back time and wish we could have done this or that. But we can focus on the now and the future that will impact their success. Again, the students believe in the “system” and believe in themselves that they will overcome the loss and get better. Also, a lot of encouragement! As a coach you build a strong bond with the student athletes, and it resembles a family. Our team is a family, and we break huddles saying just that, family! We will help each other, be there for one another, pick each other up when we feel down, hold each other accountable and encourage one another to work hard to get better.
We also reflect back and discuss what we can improve on for the next race/season. The student athletes know there will always be a “but” after every post-race discussion. I will be the first one to tell them they did a great job after they cross the finish line, followed by a “but.” The “but” is constructive criticism for each runner. There will always be something we can work on to get a little better for the next race. Let’s face it most runners won’t have the success of winning every race, but yet they strive to improve, achieve their goals and work hard to become a better runner.
Describe your proudest coaching moment.
Blanco: Proudest coaching moments, there are a few. When the student athletes have success on the track/course. The other proudest moment is seeing them graduate high school. Yes, I love when they have success while running but life is much bigger than running. If we are able to develop a state champion then great, but knowing they will walk across that stage with their diploma and become great men and women with the tools learned from running is a blessing.
What is the biggest life lesson you’ve learned from being a coach?
Blanco: The biggest life lesson I have learned from coaching is that the mind is a powerful tool. Running has many ups and downs as life. Things will be rough but it will get better. As Steve Prefontaine once said, “To give anything less than your best, is to sacrifice the gift.” Work hard and push that extra mile. Believe in yourself and you will be glad you did!
What legacy do you hope to leave as a coach?
Blanco: I hope every student athlete that I have coached will remember that hard work truly pays off. In any aspect of life whether it be in college, their job or their family. It’s going to be hard but it’s how they handle the difficult times in their lives that will make them successful. I hope they remember the times they wanted to quit or stop a workout and they dug down deep within themselves to keep going and not give up.
This is an unedited user writing submission. The views, information, or opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Best Version Media or its employees.