For the record this picture has nothing to with the title, quite the opposite actuallySome viewers of the blog may already know this, but at this point I am thinking that most do not.
The Sad Announcement: I will not be returning to Chaparral High School to teach or coach next year.
The Happy Reason: I will be the librarian at Castle View High School and very sadly say goodbye to the place that I have considered my second home for 5 years.
The Sad Explanation: I am making this move out of no ill-feelings; it is strictly a professional decision--one that unfortunately is fairly common in the realm of education.
I am saying my professional (teaching) goodbyes through other means, but I want to restate how much I will miss the people I have worked with at Chaparral. This move to the CVHS library gives me the ability to do a job that I have been interested in for many years. I think it all began when I saw this skit as a little one.
For the record, I will allow cookies in my library.
Some goodbyes ...(though not as personal as I wish they could be. This is the easiest, and rarely do I think that the easiest way is the best way, but in this case...)
To all the past and present athletes I have personally worked with over multiple years: Though I saw varying levels amongst the entire population of athletes, I on the whole want to thank everyone for their dedication, effort, and emotion. Track and field is a sport that you can breeze through and not build strong connections with, but it is also one where deeps roots of passion and genuine caring can be planted. I feel that Chaparral is a place where many athletes choose to take the second route, and it has made all the difference for me as a coach being able to expand my skills, as well as to make me truly love coaching. The efforts of the athletes kept me going at times when my personal motivation was lacking, pushing me past what I previously thought I was willing to offer. These instances always paid off with rewarding results.
The coaches I have worked with are a large part of what makes our athletes so successful, and this team so much fun to be a part of...
Hawk: I think when I talked to you years ago about becoming a coach you were more than hesitant, so I thank you for the initial opportunity...I hope I fulfilled my end of the bargain :). You're guidance, and ALL of the behind the scenes work you do is what makes all the success of this track team possible. The thanks that you get could never be enough, but, in futility, thank you.
Sepp: You are really a coach that trains the whole athlete, and your athlete's performances show it. I did not always agree with your means, methods, or semantics, but you are the best coach I've ever worked with. I walk away knowing a lot more about track and training which I learned from you, and am admittedly a little upset that I won't get such a consistent flow of Seppala-isms in the future.
Ingersoll, Maroney, Neale and Bowman: Great, great coaches all of you. Thank you for everything on and off the track. I have great ad-libs about all of you individually, with many very flattering things to say, but I'm trying to keep the sappiness to a minimum. I have enjoyed getting to know you all on the varying levels that I do, and will miss these relationships (and building them more) as I move on
To all of the coaches: I would love to work with any and all of you again.
To all the Wolverine track athletes: Chaparral has a track program that I will miss (more than anyone could imagine), and I hope that I can be involved with it's equivalent sometime in the future, wherever that may be. The athletes, coaches, and parents involved with this program are at such a level that I cannot imagine meeting many of those same expectations in any other environment.
The Future
I am hoping to be a track coach at CVHS next year, and if so, my new and former homes will be competing against one another, as the school is moving up to the 5A classification. At meets that we share, I imagine seeing the typically strong girls team with Alexis Grimm, Katrina Bacovcin, Carly Hartman, and Karlie Larsen leading the charge. I also imagine the boys absolutely dominating in many respects if everything goes according to plan. There is great talent amongst this short list of names: Brenden Austin, Nate Purdue, Keegan Vargo, Gavin McHenry, JD Henry, Ty Whipple, Justin Bills, and many more. I worry about competing in the same league as a team with that talent plus many of the other athletes roaming the halls of CHS.
I look forward to meeting up with you all again in various capacities. I will have a different logo on my clothes next year, but that does not mean that I won't be a fan of Wolverine athletes any longer. I look forward to any chances we get together, and to watch the the team compete (even if it be against CVHS).
Feel free to leave a comment below, or contact me by any other means. I'd love to hear from you.
Thanks for all the great memories,
Sincerely,
Coach Nack
PS Previously, I talked to some athletes about summer training. At this point I am only considering working with graduated athletes. Please understand that I would love to work with any of you, but it is a bit more complicated now. I am beyond flattered by the fact that some athletes enjoyed the programs I offered in the past, and would like to do more. For athletes that are graduated, I will be in touch with you to discuss this possibility. For athletes still at Chaparral, I do have some suggestions for training plans; please call if you are interested in hearing them.
