As an athlete, by yourself you can only go so far. But with a good coach’s advice and help, you can get the skills you need to go far.
Savannah Kruse is one of these influential coaches and is now a part of the cross country team. Even though this is her first year coaching cross country, her athletes admit she is going to leave her fingerprint on this team for a very long time.
Keira Donohue (9) loves how Kruse is always encouraging everyone on the team to be the best they can be and manages to always have perfect hair and a polite smile.
“She is always really positive,” Donohue said. “She yells but not like in a mean way, but with a positive tone that makes me feel like I can do it and that she believes in me.”
Kruse has been helping the team since the first day she showed up to summer runs. Even though she didn’t know a whole lot about the running part, she knew how to coach and how to help and that’s what she has been doing.
Kruse has been coaching basketball for five years so she knows how to coach, and she has a general idea of what to expect when it comes to cross country from running during her college career at Blackburn College in Illinois. So she is not lacking the skills to be a great coach and it shows.
Another runner who thinks Kruse is a great addition to the team is Zachary Reitzner (11).
“I feel like she understands the athletes more and how we think,” Reitzner said.
Kruse started her journey of coaching cross country this year for a few reasons.
“I wanted to meet a different group of students that I don’t normally see outside of my basketball players and the students at school” and because “I love the fall and being outside, and my aunt also coaches cross country.”
Kruse explains that some of the major differences between coaching the two sports are: “I think the major difference is that cross country is co-ed, so it’s boys and girls. I’m only used to coaching just girls in basketball.” She also said that another difference is “also the size of the team, it’s so much bigger. There are way more athletes on the team. I would also say that cross country does a really good job outside of cross country, like at your pasta dinners and on the weekends when we’re practicing.” She then explained how basketball practices on the weekends but they don’t have games like the cross country team has meets.
Kruse has enjoyed her experience this fall and has become more comfortable is already learning more of what to say and do opposed to the beginning of the season when she was kind of just feeling it out and reading the room.
“Since I’ve never coached this sport before, I don’t know all the mechanics or what to say yet, so I’ve just been trying to get to know the athletes, and create a positive environment,” Kruse said.
Her favorite part of the experience is getting to know the athletes.
“You guys are a super great team and very self motivated,” she said.
This is only Kruse’s second year of teaching and first of coaching cross country but she sees herself coaching and teaching here for many years to come.
