Sky Chapman is the new cross country coach, the fourth coach in four years at Southeast. Most athletes on the team would prefer to have some stability at coach.
“I felt a bit disappointed and upset that the coaches were always leaving every year. I do understand where they are coming from as they had different reasons for leaving, whether it regarded their work or personal life,” runner Yie-Jye Tran (11) said.
“The only weird part was not knowing who the next coach is and wondering ‘will I even have one for my senior season,’” runner Kristy Duong (12) said.
Every year, cross country athletes have had to go through new changes, different workouts and new traditions. Some say that this year is more challenging than last year.
“Last year was more endurance based while this year consisted of speed and distance. For meet days, they are relatively the same. Other than that, I say the biggest difference is the workouts during practice,” Tran said.
Before he came to Southeast, he coached at Maize high school. He ran cross country at the old Southeast building in 2008 and ran in college for two years at Hutchinson community college before he joined the military. Chapman decided to become a coach because he wants the students to experience what they accomplish when they challenge themselves.
“I think I have a lot of knowledge to give back to the younger generation,” Chapman said.
Chapman has already changed a few things this year, such as the students running on the dirt roads during practice and doing team dinners before every meet. Chapman biggest goal is for students to each set a personal record and have a few students go to the state meet.
Cross country has over 30 participants this year, but Chapman would like to have more. He’s hoping to push the program to new heights.
“I want us to be recognized at meets, for people to know that southeast is a contender. We are a really young team and are heading in the right direction. I am excited for the future,” Chapman said.
Chapman is hopeful to be able to bring some stability to the program after years of turnover at head coach.
