We met up with Lincoln of Portland at their track for a workout in August. Coach Eric Dettman and his assistants broke up their athletes in groups for mile repeats with 300 meter finishes at the end of the work out.
Lincoln High School compete in Oregon's 6A division with the boys returning most of their top runners from last fall and the girls hoping to return to NXN. The Cardinals of Lincoln were preparing for a 2-mile time trial in a few days and the official start of the season next week. Coach Dettman shared information about his program:
During the summer season, how often does the team practice?
We practice three times per week, Monday and Thursday for a workout, and Saturday for a long run. The kids typically meet up with each other on the days that we don't officially meet and the upper classmen have done a good job of setting up those runs outside of practice.
What are some special summer activities?
I'd say the big summer activity for us is our team camp out at the Hydrangea Ranch which is the same location as the Ultimook Camp. We've been going for years now and were joined by Ida B. Wells, Clackamas, and Cleveland. This really feels like the official start to our season. We brought 45 kids and we really try to bring as many kids as we can although its dependent on a couple of summer expectations for them to be invited.
Camp is great because it allows us to talk about our goals, team hopes and expectations, as well building those relationships with some of the newcomers or the people that we don't hang out with as often at practice or on meet day.
How do you build team culture?
I think we build team culture in a multitude of ways but we really try to let the kids lead that. We have a slogan, Love Your Teammates, that we talk about often but we really try to give the kids ownership as to what they want that to look like. If coaches need to intervene and help with that, we're happy to do so, but I am a big believer in allowing the kids to make mistakes and learn from those rather than holding their hands through the entire process.
One example of this is at camp this year we broke off into multiple pods and the kids did a really good job of getting to know people that they don't normally hang out with. Each of those pods are now planning a team activity for their teammates to participate in which we're really excited to see.
We also try to encourage everyone to be leaders. We don't assign captains as we don't want to handcuff certain kids or dissuade them from speaking up. At the end of the year my assistants will vote on the captains and the kids take that really seriously and are really proud to receive that award.
Other things we do are class dinners before the Night Meet (each class eats together and the hope is that during their senior year they realize they've been a part of something really special), a day at the pumpkin patch, tie dye day, class colors at the Night Meet, and a handful of other fun team activities.
What are some events that the team is looking forward to in the fall season?
I think one of the big events that we are looking forward to is our annual plane trip. Every year we hop on a plane and take our kids to a meet somewhere in the country. Every four years, my goal is to take my team to Chicago. Having grown up in the Chicagoland area, it's always had a special place in my heart and to see my kids racing where I once did is a forever moment for me, and I believe for them as well. We'll be competing at the Palatine Invitational this year and are really excited to test our mettle against some of the top schools in Illinois as well as the nation.
Another meet that we are super excited about and seems to be everyone's favorite meet is the Night Meet to kick off our season. David Barkley at Wilsonville has done an incredible job of creating a first class meet with a really fun, one of a kind environment, and our kids absolutely love it.
Outside of that we are really looking forward to districts. The PIL has been the best conference in the state for a handful of years now so it's really exciting for our JV and Varsity kids to compete against such high level competition.
Click HERE for photos from Lincoln's practice
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