BHS Algebra teacher, Thomas Broxterman, is taking over the head track coach position.
Q: What are your thoughts on the season so far?
A: “I am extremely happy with how the athletes have handled the coaching change and their ability to show up every day and work hard. Our theme for the year is ‘pound the stone,’ which means trusting in the process and doing the work necessary to be successful and improve. Every meet we have had a few surprises or impressive performances that have been fun to watch. It is a really fun group to coach with a lot of potential.”
Q: What does an everyday practice look like for you and your team?
A: “We begin with a short (most of the time) team meeting where we discuss medals, meet information, and something inspirational like a quote or short story. Then we warm up as a team and head to our individual events.”
Q: How do you prepare your athletes for a meet.
A: “We use pre-meet days to practice handoffs and starting blocks. We talk about the importance of sleep, hydration, and nutrition and we plan our practices and how hard they are around our competitions so we are fresh when we need to perform.”
Q: What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a track coach?
A: “I think the most rewarding aspect of coaching track and field is getting to see athletes perform in so many different events and track and field is a great sport to track progress because you always know how you are doing based on the measurement or times in your events. There are lots of opportunities for little “wins” in track and field and it’s so fun to see athletes get new personal bests!”
Q: How do you motivate your players
A: “I try to give inspirational words every day in practice and then try to find the positive in every situation, like if the weather isn’t great or an athlete begins to get frustrated for some reason. I also like to instill a vision or a goal in athletes that I think they can achieve. We have to constantly move our goals as we get better and I want to make sure that athletes continue to focus on reaching their full potential and to trust the process and let their hard work be shown in their performance.”
Q: Describe your coaching style.
A: “My coaching style is motivational and inspirational with a focus on the process and doing things the right way all the time. There is no such thing as small things, as all small things added up over time make big impacts. I hope to provide positive learning experiences with the goal of helping guide athletes along the way of reaching their best self, not only as an athlete but as a human being.”