In this series we take a look at state championship and runner-up coaches, their outlook on the team, the season, and 2014. Pine Crest coach Paul Baur has been coaching boys and girls cross country for ten years. He spent his first seven at Westminster Academy and the last three at Pine Crest. In that time he has guided the girls cross country team to back to back podium finishes in 2012 and 2013.
What kind of training did your team get in over the summer months leading into the season?
Over the summer we focused on getting in quality mileage, but not overdoing it. We wanted to do a variety of workouts and even chose a different location every Thursday where we ended at an athlete’s house for pizza and swimming. We would also run hills, do pool workouts and even run on the beach. To close out our summer we had our team camp in Asheville, North Carolina at Camp Highlander. It is one of our main highlights of the year where we all come together as a team and get prepared the season.
How did you train the team in the final weeks leading up to the state meet?
In the final weeks leading up to state we do a variety of VO2max workouts and Anaerobic Capacity workouts, but we really stress to our kids the importance of rest. We really want our athletes rested and sharp for state.
What chances or belief did you have in your team's chance and ability to finish in the top two at state?
While there are some great teams in 2A, all season long it was Bolles and Pine Crest. We felt very confident that at worse we would be second; therefore we really focused on what we needed to do to finish first.
What advice or points of emphasis did you give your team prior to the race or the week leading into the state meet? What was the race plan for the state meet and how did you feel it was executed?
As a team our race plan to win was to have three in the top 10 and then our #4 and #5 runners in the top 20. We knew if we could accomplish that we would have a very good chance to win. Our girls gave all they had and we were very proud of their accomplishments.
Who do you feel really stepped up individually the most for the team at the state meet?
I was very excited for Julia Montgomery as she was not favored by many people to win and she ran a very aggressive race to win for the 2nd year in a row. Tsion Yared finished 6th overall in her first state Meet and only being a 6th grader, it was a huge accomplishment. Katherine Jovanovic also fought hard to finish 13th. Also, both in their first year of cross country and running PRs, Katarina Stevanovich was 18th while 6th grader Amanda Schwartz came a long way this season to contribute as our #5 runner. Mahlet Yared also did an incredible job bringing our girls together after only returning three from last year's top seven.
What were your feelings and emotions when you realized your team had made the podium?
I was very excited! With 24 teams competing for two spots, anytime you finish in the top two is a huge accomplishment. Also, to share the podium for the 2nd year in a row with Tony Ryan and a program as storied as Bolles was a great feeling and is a huge testimony to our girl’s hard work.
What were the biggest challenges for this year's team?
Our biggest challenge was getting four girls who did not run at state before ready for all the pressure they would have on them as they went after the state title. Our schedule really helped with that as we were able to travel and compete in some very significant meets (Katie Caples, FL Runners and Pre-State).
What do you think were the keys for your teams to peak and perform their best at season's end?
The key for our teams to peak really comes down to the knowledge and experience of my coaching staff and how we planned the practice schedule. With so many factors to take into consideration, I felt we did a great job putting together the right training plan to have them ready. It was definitely a team effort with all my assistant coaches. Next would be all the challenges we would place before our athletes during the season. They embraced all the challenges and it made a huge difference in their preparation.
Was there a particular race, workout, or moment that you knew that your team was ready or had the potential to become state champions?
This team really came together well at Camp Highlander and was very focused based on last year’s performance. Even though many of the girls didn’t run last year or were not on the state team, our veterans (Julia Montgomery, Katherine Jovanovic and Mahlet Yared) really set the tone from day one and the others followed their lead.
How would you best describe the group of kids that you coach?
Our athletes are very driven. We graduated Ella Wurth (U Penn) and Savanna Gornisiewicz (Amherst) last year and both are running in college. They really inspired everyone with all their accomplishments and showed that you can be an incredible runner and student at the same time. These girls are quickly following behind Ella and Savanna’s footsteps as they push themselves to the limit athletically and academically. In addition to that, they really are a joy to be around and have formed great friendships that go beyond just running.
What role do your assistant coaches play with the program?
My assistant coaches are amazing! They bring such a wealth of knowledge and experience to our program. Their commitment to our athletes goes beyond what happens at practice. We work very well together to come up with the best possible plan for each athlete’s success.
What role do your parents have with the program?
We have an incredible group of parents that love each and every athlete on our team. They understand to be successful you need to support every athlete and that the team comes first. They do so much for our team and even chartered their own bus to travel up to the State meet to cheer us on!
What would be the best way to describe your coaching style?
I have had the opportunity to train under some of the best coaches around and also the opportunity to coach with some of the best coaches. That has a lot to do with how I structure things. Also, a lot of it comes from my personality. I am very driven and persistent. But I also want all of our athletes to have the type of experience that they will take with them the rest of their lives. They will develop a passion for running and competing! When you compete on my team, you will work incredibly hard, have everyone there to encourage you and support you, but in the end, you will really appreciate what you went through to accomplish your goals. This in turn is designed to help set up our athletes for the many challenge they will face in the future.
Who was the biggest individual surprise or runner that most impressed you with their improvements this year?
I really can’t say one is bigger than the other as they each overcame so much and had a different path to achieve their success which contributed to the team success. Everyone’s challenges were different, but they all persevered!
How would this team rank against some of the past teams that you coached?
Each team is very special to me. We share so many experiences and adversity over the course of a year it’s really hard to rank them other than by team average. So if you go just by team average, this is the best one.
Every podium team seems to have a special or unique makeup that makes them top tier. What were some of those characteristics of this year's team?
The talent on this team was very special. From day one everyone knew talent alone was not going to be good enough and a lot of work was going to be required. They put in the work, but more importantly they formed an incredible bond that was absolutely required to be a top team. They were united and that proved to be the difference in all their accomplishments.
What are your expectations for next year's team?
We return everyone, so this team will continue to build upon what was accomplished this year. They are very motivated!
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