Wednesday at Vassar Farm, we started what hopefully will be a weekly tradition in the new-look Running Red Foxes. It was the return of Coach Phil Kelly to practice!
Phil just retired at the end of spring track 2008, but he wants to stay connected with the program. We have found the perfect solution: Wednesday practice.
Since Coach Chuck took over the women's team during the summer, we made the decision that the men's and women's teams would practice off-campus together most of the time, as training schedules permit. But on Wednesdays, Chuck cannot make the midday practice because of his full-time teaching position in Wappingers. That would have left me with the task of overseeing two practices at once. While it's doable, it's also very challenging.
Plan A was for Coach Horton to help out on Wednesdays. But starting next week, he'll be working with the track and field athletes on Monday/Wednesday/Friday for preseason practice, and the Wednesday 11 a.m. slot makes the most sense for meeting with those men and women. That's where Phil (Plan B) comes in! Terry and Phil talked about it at the Bowdoin meet, and a match was made: Phil would be our (pardon the pun) fill-in van driver/coach/sidekick for Wednesday practice.
Just like old times.
And so there we were at The Farm, acting like the two immature goofballs we are when we are around each other.
Phil and I coached together for 17 years and more than 50 seasons of competition. While our training philosophies varied a bit through the years, our friendship never wavered. He was in my wedding party. He's one of my best friends. And so this weekly date with Phil takes the edge off not being able to hang out with him on a regular basis at meets and at McCann.
Wednesdays With Phil. Yeah. Pretty cool.
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