The head coach is in rough shape. I'm not sure what his medical problems are now, but he's had a couple competing issues in the past. He intends to coach and said he would only need me part time, but his boss overruled him and hired me full time, well aware that the main cross coach is probably going to miss a substantial part of the season, and they need another experienced coach to carry the program.
We have 14 athletes between ages 10 and 14. Zach is one of the 10 year olds. Claire will mostly coach the youngsters. The head coach will take the older athletes when he's there. I'll float as needed so I know them all.
The sport is still pretty new at the grassroots level. There are so few coaches for it. I'm only here because my daughter coaches it because she's weird (she's more intimidated by a regular race course than she is racing shoulder-to-shoulder with 3 other girls over jumps). I've been around the sport, so I know some things about it.
With my son on the team, it makes coordination pretty simple. Everyone gets in truck and goes to training or race. Simple.
I'm just gonna miss "real" racing. That's my sport. That's what I came back to coach because I have a passion for it. There is a skill overlap, but the races are completely different. In ski racing, you're done in a couple of hours. Cross events are over 3 days (Thurs through Sat). Training, time trials and heats are all on their own days. A training day is essential because you can't be expected to hit those jumps at full speed on day one. For me, it's three days of freezing at the top of an Ontario escarpment being a ski tech, coach and hype man.
That said, the energy is incredible. The tunes are playing and the atmosphere is more laid back and friendly than ski racing. My daughter loves that about it. When she goes to races, she's at the bottom. Once the athletes are ready to discuss, she relays feedback to the top, celebrates wins and is the perfect person to see after a disappointing run. She exudes genuine empathy and the athletes all love her.
Let's see what they think of me.