THE ELMHURST INDEPENDENT
Coach Newton talks motivation, expectation on eve of 2009 York XC season |
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“I love this; this is my life,” he says, beginning 54th year coaching
By Bob Smith
Correspondent
At
80 years old in his 54th coaching season, Joe Newton is not a man who
likes to finish second. The coach made that point abundantly clear when
he talked with The Independent in an exclusive interview about the
upcoming cross-country season and his 2009 team.
“I didn’t like to
finish second when I was 40 either,” the coach huffed. “And I told my
guys that. Losing the state championship last year by one point is
something I haven’t forgotten; that feeling stays with you until you
wipe it out. I told my guys that. They felt it too, Smitty, [Andrew
Smith], [Jack] Driggs, [Adam] Cecil, it’s our motivation.
"Hell, if we finish second again that would be three times in a row. Uh uh!”
The coach made it clear he wasn’t predicting a state championship.
“You
don’t predict because you never know what will happen. You just make
people understand that it takes total dedication and commitment to
achieve your goals. Nothing less. I won’t accept anything less and I
have a group here that is capable of winning if they give me those two
things.”
It was a good opportunity to get the coach to expound on
his 2009 squad, recently ranked second in the nation by Dyestat USA and
The Harrier. Newton hesitated a moment, measuring his words.
“This
team is special,” he began. “It reminds me of a championship team we
had in the mid-80s; I can’t remember exactly, but Bob Schultz, the
coach of Loras College was on that team. There were no superstars, just
a great group of guys who were great runners. They all ran together and
won state without a single All-Stater. A couple of times we had a
15-second 1-7 split. That’s what this team is like, but I think we’ll
have All-Staters.
"They’re bonded; the camaraderie is special. I love this team.”
But who are the guys who make this team special?
“We
have great seniors with experience and leadership qualities like Andrew
Smith, Adam Cecil and Matt Schacht. Jack Driggs is a junior but he’s
coming off an amazing track season. We’re talking about guys who could
be top 5 in state. These guys could all finish together.”
But
Newton always wants you to know that his program is not special just
because of three or four runners. It’s a philosophy, honed over more
than half a century. There were more names he felt needed recognition,
and when you interview Newton, you do it on his terms.
“A lot of
guys could make this top seven,” he said. “The senior, Kush [Khushpal]
Sangha has been hurt a little but he’s almost back all the way and I
expect him to be in there. The Hedman brothers have made real progress
over the summer, worked hard, and they’ll be right there fighting for a
spot. Our other junior, Nick Gornick, had some damn ankle sprain or
something, but he’s already back with group one.”
If you follow the
history of Newton’s teams, you know there is almost always a dark horse
senior who takes that final step up to the big time when nobody
expected it, somebody with more heart than talent whose pain and sweat
earns the unqualified respect of his peers. Last year it was Brian
Pollastrini. The coach seemed to revel in the question and was ready
with his answer.
“Hell, yes, there could be a dark horse, maybe a
damn herd of them. We got guys who have worked their &*#%-es off
for two, three years who are ready: Tim Cooney, Matt Doherty, Tom
Falkenburg, Eric Reisenbuckler, Cody Sharko, Matt Helm, Matt Simo,
Eddie Sack, Dan Milling, Peter Dever. “
But there is more to a team
than its athletes. For this team there is a hall-of-fame coach, a
former Olympic coach, who was with his athletes when word of President
John F. Kennedy’s assassination was broadcast in 1963, a coach who sent
“his guys” to fight in South Vietnam during the long and turbulent 60s,
a coach who has welcomed back, doctors, scientists, pilots, war heroes
and an endless long green line of grateful alumni who, like us, want to
know, “Joe, how long will you go?” (The abbreviated first name fits,
only because it rhymes. Very few use it when addressing him.)
But the coach consistently answers that question with a meaningful deflection.
“I
love this; this is my life,” he explains. “I have as much passion now
as when I started. The most important thing in life is to make sure
that when you die, there are people who love you. I think I’ve taken
care of that and now I’m ready to see these guys win another
championship.”
Just one more question for the coach...what does he see as his biggest challenge this year?
Newton smiled.
“That’s
easy,” he said. “It’s always the same. Coaching is really just having
your athletes ready to run their best race on the day it means the
most. That’s my job.”
The smart money says these Dukes will be ready. Joe Newton will see to it.