I have 800 meters to go – the hardest part of the 2.6 mile race. I feel like my lungs are collapsing, and I have no motivation to finish. The parents and the opponents’ coaches are on the sidelines yelling “Run faster! You’re almost done!” Ha, yeah right. I wish I had enough air to yell back at them. I would tell them that they should try running out here in the blistering heat, barley able to breathe, and unable to force your legs to move any faster.
I am about to give up when I hear my coach from the sidelines, “Katelyn, you’re doing great! Pick it up a little and you can reach your goal of under 17 minutes!”
I somehow found the will to move my legs faster and race to the finish…
Although I did not reach my goal of under 17 minutes, Coach Kuczor was ecstatic. After the race, he told me by the end of the season, I could definitely reach my goal. He talked to me about how a healthy diet, a lot of sleep, and determination in practices will make my time improve.
Coach Kuczor really cares about every individual on the cross country team – all 76 of us. After every race, he gives us each a sheet to fill out explaining how we felt during the last race, comments on what we wrote, and gives us suggestions on how to improve. He isn’t a coach who only cares about the varsity team and winning state; he cares about every team member and he is always there to help us reach our individual goals.
I have never met someone so passionate about running. Coach Kuczor makes practices not only beneficial, but exciting as well. He is always jumping around, making jokes, and smiling. His enthusiasm makes everyone else enthusiastic about running – he is the reason why our cross country team is so successful.
It’s the final race of the season, my last chance to reach my goal of under 17 minutes. The conversation I had with Coach Kuczor right before the race was my motivation. Sixteen minutes into the race and I have less than a 400 to go. Coach Kuczor is standing at the 200. “You’re at 16:30! You can do it!” After the race, I ran up to Coach to tell him that I finally reached my goal. I ran a 16:45 minute 2.6 mile race – all thanks to Coach Kuczor.
I firmly believe I wouldn’t have been able to reach my goal if Coach Kuczor wasn’t my coach. He truly wants each individual to succeed, and if each individual succeeds, that’s what makes a cross country team succeed. Coach Kuczor is understanding, motivational, and animated; this makes him an amazing cross country coach, educator and role model.