Mike Wicker

@RunCoachTripp I have a 1st alternate for my relays. That person has the hardest job, they have to know the steps for each of the 4 spots. And yes, we do practice that scenario.

Relay alternates are the track equivalent of "the bench" or "6th man" in team sports. Having alternates assigned is a practical necessity in training and could be the difference between All-State and DNS. Shout out to all the alternates. You are appreciated!

We’ve gone all in with FTC 3-4 years ago. Today our girls team won state KY Class AA. 100 meters 2nd & 8th 200 5th 4x1 - 1st 4x2 - 2nd 4x4 - 3rd Long Jump - 2nd Triple - 1st Some days I questioned if we were doing enough. Fresh legs and healthy won the day. @pntrack

@THS_trackfield Good luck Coach!!

💥The Final MVC Championship Meet 📍THS ⏰ 4:00 PM Field Events ⏰ 5:15 PM Track Events 📊 Live Results: live.athletic.net/meets/73501?_g….

@CoachThompson08 Ky does the top 2 teams from 7 different regionals and the next 10 best marks. 24 in each event at state. The downside a bobble (illness) at regionals and you potentially lose a top state contender.

Now that regional track meets are over, here comes my yearly rant. We have to find a way to get the fastest times or farthest marks to the state track meet. My thought is make the state meet prelims and finals. Top 2 from regional meet and next 10 best marks go. Thoughts?

@AltamontXCTF @MikeCunningham @TrackCoachJones I took them when I first started coaching. Didn’t take long to figure out they were useless for me. If someone wants to get them and has a purpose for them, good for that person!

Sprint relay splits, what do you think?! We taking them? Are they unicorns? Is there a purpose? Weigh in coaches! @MikeCunningham @TrackCoachJones

@ahmandoe @CoachRDukes I never said anything about playing time. I meant equal practice reps. If you have kids on the field/court getting game situation reps and other kids sitting on the sidelines watching, are they getting the same attention?

@CoachRDukes @WickerMike That dude just equated being attentive to your athletes with playing time 🫠

If you’re not showing the “slowest” person on your team, the same amount of attention as your fastest, then you’re coaching for the wrong reasons and not actually developing your athletes

@Siemers_XC_TF I knew what you meant, just reiterating a little. Too many coaches think a taper means to slow down. Reduce volume, increase intensity and recovery time.

@WickerMike I know that. That was the point.

Your athlete walks up to you in warm-ups at the Regional meet. Says their legs feel bouncy. Says they've never felt better. You feel great about it. Then they run 12 seconds slower than their April PR. Most coaches call it nerves. It's almost never nerves. You dropped volume and intensity during the taper. The neuromuscular system forgot what race pace feels like. Race pace isn't cardio. It's a motor pattern. Specific fibers firing in sequence. Tendons storing and releasing energy at a specific rhythm. Ground contact, hip extension, arm drive — all wired to that speed through repetition. It's a skill. Like shooting a free throw. Stop practicing it, and it fades. Research shows measurable drops in running economy after just 5–7 days without race pace exposure. The fitness is still there. The coordination isn't. The athlete tells you: I feel fine, I just can't find my gear. You wanted them rested. They showed up rusted.

@PhilipBate95300 @JCHawks_BBN Anyone remember Antonio Reeves? He was a mid major guy.

@JCHawks_BBN I mean, a NBA prospect stretch 4 would be nice. Mid James Madison transfers won’t hang banners.

Kentucky fans begged and begged for a stretch 4 and we got one and this is the reception lol

@mccantsvt The platform we use doesn’t give us that option. I don’t want my “B” team running in the fast heat!!

Track teams need to stop giving their A and B relay the same seed times and meets need to at least give the team the options to use different seed times for said relays

@JBoudouris I’ve used SH for the last time. I sold tickets that were beside the tickets I used. The buyers actually sat in the seats I sold them. Was told I didn’t deliver the tickets and was charged a replacement fee on top of losing the sale from the ticket. Not a one time thing.

For anyone who uses StubHub to buy/sell tickets, a cautionary post... I purchased four tickets to all three sessions of March Madness in St Louis on March 20 and 22 for $2000 total. When Illinois did not end up in the STL bracket, I sold the tickets on Stubhub on March 15...

@CoachKosecki It would definitely change my strategy!

I’m interested to know how many states award double points for relays like UIL and the Texas state meet and how much that plays a factor. We wouldn’t go 1:22 (most likely), but in Illinois you’ll routinely see teams not load their 4x200m in the championship season. We didn’t.

@THS_trackfield Really wish your girls could have made our meet. We are currently ranked 1st in Ky 2A girls. Would have been fun!! Obviously would have loved having your boys team as well!!

Triad girls ranked 2A #1 to begin the outdoor season!

@pdonahue13 @CoachWright333 @dustfink We have a PR chain we take our kids pictures with any time they pr.

@CoachWright333 @dustfink And every kid can have success by getting a PR.

Track & field is one of the last places in a school where the football captain, the valedictorian, the band kid, the wrestler, and the quiet kid who never thought he belonged can all wear the same jersey. Track does not care what a kid’s last name is, how much money he has, what side of town he lives on, or how popular he is. Out here, none of that matters. Somewhere between the workouts, the bus rides, and the meets, kids who might never have spoken to each other start to build real respect. It is hard not to respect somebody when you have seen what they are willing to push through and how much they are willing to give. That is a big reason track & field will always mean more to me than just times, marks, and points.

@CoachWright333 @THS_trackfield Your name or family money doesn’t get you a spot. The clock/tape doesn’t lie.

@brianmccormick You should actually let those kids do a spring sport and get a break from 12 month hoops.

Respectfully, nobody should host an AAU event in March, and especially before all high school state championships have been completed. Players should rest between HS & AAU. Nobody should be playing a 12-month competitive season between AAU & HS.

@BadCallOfficial Looked like a double dribble, then a travel then a foul on CC’s face?

This was not called a travel on Florida. This was called a foul on Kentucky. That’s a bad call.

@JeffBarnes52 Yes!! Started 11 years ago with the goal of regional runner up. We got that the first year. Fast forward to this year and our goal is a state championship. Yes, we have the athletes to make it happen.

As an AD, when I meet with coaches at the start of the year, I always ask “What’s your team goal?” Many say “State Championship” because they think that is the answer I want. My next question is “Do you have state championship talent?” Most say no. That is when I remind them the best programs build by setting attainable goals, hitting them, and growing from there. Championship programs are built step by step, not declared in a meeting.

@TStark202 @playgolfcollege I had a boy a few years ago that I left more than once. He didn’t come back for his senior season.

@WickerMike @playgolfcollege I’ve only had one issue in 4 years with anyone being late, and luckily her number only 3.

Early in my coaching career I had a talented player who was chronically five minutes late to everything. Not egregiously late. Just five minutes, every single time. I let it slide because he was good and I didn’t want the conflict. Within a month, half the team was showing up five minutes late. Nobody said a word. The standard just drifted. That’s when it hit me. You’re either actively maintaining your standards or you’re passively lowering them. There’s no neutral position. I’ve also learned that expectations and standards aren’t the same thing, and that distinction matters more than most people realize. Expectations are the vision. The why. In my programs they’ve always been simple. Have fun. Create great experiences and relationships. Learn and grow. That’s the emotional foundation everything else gets built on. Standards are the daily behaviors that actually get you there. Be on time. Be trustworthy. Have a growth mindset and work hard. Take responsibility for your actions. Encourage the people around you. Don’t make excuses. When those are clear and consistent something interesting happens. The standard becomes the authority, not the coach. I don’t have to lecture anyone. I just point to what we all agreed on. The conversation stays about the behavior, not the person. That’s where real accountability lives without anyone feeling attacked. What I’ve seen over 25 years is that the teams, families, and programs that define these things clearly and hold them consistently almost always outperform the ones with similar talent that don’t. It’s not magic. It’s just clarity. People do better when they know exactly where the lines are. Kids especially. They don’t struggle in high standard environments. They struggle in ambiguous ones. Whatever you walk past becomes your new standard. The good news is it works in both directions. Raise the bar and hold it, and the people around you will rise to meet it. Every time.