Coaches Spotlight- Ryan McClay

                                        Coaches Spotlight-  Ryan McClay

                                

1- Congrats on having a great regular season. When did you first become interested in Track and Field?
 
I've been running since junior year of high school. I wouldn't say I dove right in and fell in love with the sport as initially it was simply the "other" sport you did if you ran xc. But the more and more I've been around it the more and more I've come to love watching, coaching, and even participating in all aspects of track and field.
  
 
2- Did you compete in HS or College as an athlete? or another Sport?   
 
Yes I ran track  for two years at Dacula and then four years at Berry College.
 
 
3- Describe your journey from novice Coach to your Head Coaching position now
 
Um, it was really fast. I was actually only hired as an xc coach initially in the fall of 2009 since they had enough track and field coaches. Then later that school year Coach Garrison let me be an assistant and I had the smallest group of like 10 total 800 runners. Less than two years later, in the summer of 2011, I was being told I was the head track coach. Haha, they didn't really give me a chance to say no as I think I was their only option. Anybody interested in the job? lol
 
 
4- How important is it to have the full support of the AD and resources available to succeed?
    
I don't know what equipment we have that’s any different from what any other school has. We mostly just have the basics. We also only have 6 lanes and 180 kids so you do the math. Plus we're in Atlanta so there's not a lot of extra room and we're pretty crowded most of the time with Lacrosse balls flying left and right. Our best resource is our very dedicated track coaching staff. Also, our AD is awesome and really shows a constant interest in our sport. He's a great guy in terms of support and positive energy and that goes a long way
 
 
5- What are some of the challenges in building a successful program?
 
I don't know if I have an answer to that, but I'll try. The biggest challenge is getting the kids to buy in completely. Our kids are good, but not perfect. And spring break is always a challenge so close to region. But like I said we have amazing coaches at Pius. I'm very fortunate that I can focus on just my area during practices and I can let my coaches do their own thing and trust the kids will get better.
 
 
6- Do you have a supportive Track Booster Club?
 
 It's better some years than others, but the parents are very supportive with how much they volunteer for stuff so that's nice.
 
 
7- Has Middle Track the past few years in your feeder schools helped contribute to the HS program's success?
 
 Well it's nice to get a kid that did middle school track, but almost all our kids are brand new to the sport. I think we hit a record number of experienced freshman this year with like 3 sprinters and one distance kid.
 
 
8- What are your program's Goals every season? County/Region title, State Championship?
 
We always want to be in the mix for a state championship if we can. But really, as a coach, my main goal is to get as many kids to the state meet as possible. That experience is awesome and my coaches and I do everything we can to maximize how many kids get that experience and that chance to get on the podium. If they can get a trophy too that's even better. But I'm still too new to even know our goals going into every season. I also really enjoy those days where we get perfect weather and good competition and almost every pr’s. Those happen once or twice a season and are one of the best parts of being a coach because everybody is so happy and excited.
 
 
9- Assess your team's Region meet and the challenges faced at Sectionals to advance. 
 
The region meet was a mixed bag of emotions. Our boys did very well of course getting the region win and look like they are in good position to perform well at sectionals and state. We're very fortunate to have the star athletes we have this year, but they're also very good leaders too and have taught our young kids quite a bit this year. For the girls things didn't quite go the way we wanted. We had a lot of 5th place finishes in what we believe is one of the toughest regions in the state in any classification. So we had some disappointed girls simply because they got 5th. But at the same time they performed very well so we weren't mad as coaches, just frustrated that they did so well and came up just short in that many events. But finishing the regular season with plenty of pr's is never a bad thing.  
 
 
10- What advancements should the GHSA make to bring our Sport on par with the 'other' 47 states ?
 
HAHA, advancements? When we've literally been doing the same thing for the sake of tradition since what, the 60's? In all seriousness the sectionals were a huge step in the right direction. But we all know there are better ways to get the best kids to state and truly see who has the best team and not just 3-5 superstar athletes. The easiest way to do this is to add the 4x800 and 4x200 so that the deeper teams get to score in more events. The better way to do this is to improve the qualification system using time standards. Why not take the top 16 FAT non-wind aided times of the year?
 
 
Bonus- What has been among your favorite accomplishments for the school you now coach at?
 
I think the coolest thing was this year when both our boys and girls got a team trophy at the Nike Panther relays. That was a cool moment for a lot of kids and I think they really enjoyed it, especially considering how stiff the competition was at that meet!