Coach Jon Poag || I opened an email that spring day only to find a devastating message. It read that our assistant coach for the previous cross country season would not be joining us again. I grabbed my phone with a sense of slightly dramatic panic. I wanted to text the others to see if they knew yet. They did. The news saddened us all but for me; I had felt I had lost most of my hope. Things had not been going well on the team, but Coach Poag always seemed to bring a sense of calm to the storm that was that season. He was poised, kind, and organized, plus, he knew so much about running.
Fast forward weeks later and, in a whirlwind situation, everything about the team was turned upside-down and Coach Poag was now the head coach. Since that day, I have never ceased to be incredibly thankful for his presence on the team.
Coach himself would never accept such kind words or accolades, but I feel they must be said anyway. Coach Poag is a great coach for so many different reasons. First, he is well versed in running. He truly does know his stuff. Whenever he gave us a workout, we never doubted that he knew exactly what he was doing and he never failed to give us answers for our questions. He could explain exactly why we were doing something and why it mattered for down the road. Second, Coach Poag is compassionate. Our ability to run never overshadowed our humanity. If there was ever something going on, we knew that we could talk to Poag about it. One semester I was struggling severely with anxiety. My running took a big hit. At first, I lied to Poag by telling him that I was just sick. But later that day, I knew that I should tell him the truth, no matter his response. Instead of being confused and condescending, Poag was kind, compassionate, and understanding. He provided me some options for help and proved to me that he was someone worth talking to.
Third, Coach is calm. Despite how angry we as a team can get, in the presence of us, coach was always even keel. He never got too riled up in front of us. Fourth and finally, Coach Poag is humble. No matter how much we try to brag on him, Coach will never take any glory for any accomplishment. Rest assured, we all know that he deserves more recognition than the team could ever give.
So, before I go, in my own personal life, Poag I hope you know you that your encouragement and ability to listen helped keep me at this school and helped me not give up. Things did not always go according to plan, but you never wrote me off. You made me feel I belonged on the team, even when I wasn’t sure that I did. You made me feel as though I could never be a disappointment in your eyes, even when my races went poorly. I am, and always will be, thankful for that Spring day you took over as head coach.
Fast forward weeks later and, in a whirlwind situation, everything about the team was turned upside-down and Coach Poag was now the head coach. Since that day, I have never ceased to be incredibly thankful for his presence on the team.
Coach himself would never accept such kind words or accolades, but I feel they must be said anyway. Coach Poag is a great coach for so many different reasons. First, he is well versed in running. He truly does know his stuff. Whenever he gave us a workout, we never doubted that he knew exactly what he was doing and he never failed to give us answers for our questions. He could explain exactly why we were doing something and why it mattered for down the road. Second, Coach Poag is compassionate. Our ability to run never overshadowed our humanity. If there was ever something going on, we knew that we could talk to Poag about it. One semester I was struggling severely with anxiety. My running took a big hit. At first, I lied to Poag by telling him that I was just sick. But later that day, I knew that I should tell him the truth, no matter his response. Instead of being confused and condescending, Poag was kind, compassionate, and understanding. He provided me some options for help and proved to me that he was someone worth talking to.
Third, Coach is calm. Despite how angry we as a team can get, in the presence of us, coach was always even keel. He never got too riled up in front of us. Fourth and finally, Coach Poag is humble. No matter how much we try to brag on him, Coach will never take any glory for any accomplishment. Rest assured, we all know that he deserves more recognition than the team could ever give.
So, before I go, in my own personal life, Poag I hope you know you that your encouragement and ability to listen helped keep me at this school and helped me not give up. Things did not always go according to plan, but you never wrote me off. You made me feel I belonged on the team, even when I wasn’t sure that I did. You made me feel as though I could never be a disappointment in your eyes, even when my races went poorly. I am, and always will be, thankful for that Spring day you took over as head coach.
