Staff and Philosophy

STAFF

Coach Ebers – Head Boys/Distance

Coach Schneider - Head Girls/Long Jump/Triple Jump

Coach Gaston – High Jump

Coach Paben - Pole Vault

Coach Zach - Sprints

Coach Specht – Shot Put

Coach Conroy - Discus

Coach Sortino - Hurdles 

MISSION STATEMENT

The Elkhorn South Track and Field program is committed to developing champions, both on and off the field.  We believe a Champion is one who lives by high ideals, knows how to set realistic goals, and dedicates themselves to achieving them.

We celebrate the fact that it takes many athletes with many different types of skills to build a track TEAM.  Being willing to work for the good of the team through each athlete’s individual event is a privilege.  A strong work ethic, courage, humility, and perseverance are all important character qualities that can be developed through participating in Elkhorn South High Track and Field.  

TRACK AND FIELD TEACHING PRINCIPLES

The purpose of athletics is to provide an enjoyable and challenging educational and recreational environment, which contributes positively to an individual’s personal growth and development.  The benefits of which are the learning of principles and integration of attitudes, habits and skills necessary for demonstrating personal responsibility, performance and achievement, while also contributing to the success of others.  Athletics is one of the few places that principles such as self-discipline, goal setting and respect for rules are still taught.  Perhaps because of the nature of the sport, they are most evident in the sport of track and field.  All these principles can also be applied later in life to contribute to one’s success.  This may be the main benefit of a sport such as track, but philosophy alone won’t develop success.  It is said that success breeds success and in order to be successful in track there are several things necessary.

The qualities necessary to be a great high school track athlete can be compared to running the 400 meter dash.  The first 200 meters usually goes to the runner with the most natural ability including speed, quickness, and strength.  The qualities that it takes to be a good athlete.  The next 100 meters goes to the runner who has developed skills, technique and conditioning through hard work.  Finally, the last 100 meters goes to the runner with the most heart. When the strength and ability have all equalized from fatigue, that athlete can reach down and still go pick himself up and continue on.  Heart, to us, is the greatest quality an athlete can possess.  You can’t control your natural ability, but you can determine how hard you work and how much heart you have.  

The harder a person works, the more heart a person develops and yet, even with this heart, one must still know and possess the skills of the sport.