Lack of Direction Hurts Track and Field Athletes

In 26 years of coaching high school track and field, Foothill High School’s Jerry Whitaker has had many talented teams, but his 1991 boys’ squad could be one of the finest.

Could be, that is, if the Knights clear one major hurdle:

Lack of coaching.

Whitaker, the dean of county track coaches, has only himself and one assistant, shot put and discus coach Terry Munhall, to coach approximately 120 athletes in the boys’ and girls’ programs.

Whitaker says they’ve had thin years before, but never as bad as the current situation.

“We’re in dire straits this year,” said Whitaker, who is also the girls’ athletic director.

“We have seven paid positions for boys’ and girls’ track combined, but as of right now, there’s only the two of us. We can’t get anyone to coach. It’s slim pickings out there, and it’s such a shame. We have so much talent . . . “

Whitaker’s lament echoes that of many county coaches. Most say fewer people have the expertise to adequately coach highly technical events such as the pole vault, high jump and hurdles. And even fewer have the desire to put in the many hours needed to coach the events correctly and safely.

“It’s an annual dilemma for us,” Capistrano Valley Coach Tom White said. “(Track and field) has more specialization than any sport. You have to have someone who can coach the sprints, the middle and long distances, the hurdles, shot put and discus, the pole vault, the horizontal jumps, the high jump . . .

“You get a lot of different demands. And I don’t know anyone who wants to make that type of commitment anymore. The old coach who would coach it all doesn’t exist anymore and the young coaches only want to coach one event.”

Because of this, high school track and field--a multifaceted sport that includes 16 events for boys, 15 for girls--has suffered in the past few years. Some coaches worry that the sport’s future is in jeopardy because of it.

Without adequate coaching, many athletes lose interest and turn toward other sports. In addition, many current coaches are being stretched too thin, having to coach more events than they can handle. Suddenly, coaches have to split their time between events, and athletes end up coaching themselves.

When that happens, liability becomes a major concern, especially in the technical events.

Especially in the pole vault.

Like several other county coaches, El Dorado Coach Charles Titus dropped the pole vault five years ago because he could not find a qualified coach. El Dorado, once the county’s premier program for vaulters, will resurrect the event this season with the arrival of assistant coach John Roman, a former vaulter from Cal State Northridge, who came knocking at El Dorado’s door.

“It was pure luck that he came,” Titus said. “My thing is if we don’t have a coach, we just don’t do it. It’s too dangerous.”

Newport Harbor Coach Eric Tweit compared the pole vault to gymnastics, another highly technical sport. Girls’ gymnastics was once offered at many Southern Section schools, but with increased concern about liability--the lack of qualified coaches made it all the more dangerous--the sport became virtually extinct. Only five Orange County schools still offer gymnastics.

“Everything is based off of liability, liability, liability,” said Tweit, also the Sailors’ athletic director. “If you don’t have someone there watching the kids, you’re asking for problems. (The pole vault is) like gymnastics. Gymnastics became such a liability problem, schools dropped it.”

At Foothill, Whitaker says he’s planning to go to several coaching clinics this month in hopes of finding coaches. But for now, he plans to coach all the sprints, distances and relays, plus the high jump, long jump and triple jump. Munhall will take the weight events.

Those competing in the pole vault will basically coach themselves.

“Right now, the vault’s unsupervised just like it was last year,” he said. “Fortunately, the vault kids are a real responsible group. The seniors are very serious about it; they keep the group going in the direction we want them to be going. Still, it’s certainly an undesirable situation.”