Bradley Sowder is the Head Boys XC Coach at Eastern High School in Louisville. He has also coached at Lexington Christian Academy and the University of Louisville. His full biography is below along with his blog post about Trust between coaches and athletes.
Education
2000 Shelby County Grad, Ran XC/Track at Cumberland College, Bachelor's in Kinesiology and Health Promotions from the University of Kentucky
7 years Coaching Experience
Four years at Lexington Christian Academy (3 years as head coach) for both cross country and track – which in previous years, had never fielded a cross country team with more than 8 athletes. During my tenure we won the first regional track and field championships for both male and female programs, we had the first state champion (3 state champions) in school history for track and field, and we had the first ladies team in school history to reach the state meet. Both programs’ highest finishes at state were achieved during this tenure as well.
3Kentucky Individual State Track and Field Champions
3Kentucky Individual State Track and Field Runner-up
1Kentucky Individual MS State Track and Field Runner-up
4Kentucky Team Regional Champions (2 track, 2 cross country)
5Kentucky Team Regional Runner-up (3 track, 2 cross country)
23Kentucky Individual Region Champions (track and cross country)
26Kentucky Individual Region Runner-up (track and cross country)
19Kentucky All-Region Cross Country
-One year as a Volunteer Assistant Coach at the University of Louisville under the mentorship of Coach Ron Mann. While there, I assisted coaching staff that helped Matt Hughes win his second NCAA 3,000 meter steeplechase title, the men’s cross country team make a trip to NCAA Championships, and both the Ladies Indoor and Outdoor team’s win conference titles.
-Going on two years at Eastern High School, this year as the boys head cross country coach. Last year assisted Coach Mike Horan to the first ever cross country regional boy’s title in school history and to the best team finish at state(3rd), as well as individual finish (3rd). Assisted in track where I mostly worked with middle distance (800/1600, and 4x800 relay events). Witnessed 4 athletes and 2 relays qualify for the state meet, and the boys 4x800 breaking the school record
Have assisted Coach Mike Horan with the following while at Eastern High School
1Kentucky Cross Country Class AAA Region 4 Team Champions (first in school history)
1Kentucky Cross Country Class AAA Region 4 Individual Champion (first in school history)
1Kentucky Track and Field Class AAA Region 4 Team Champions
1Kentucky Track and Field Class AAA Region 4 Team Runner-up
2Kentucky Track and Field Class AAA Region 4 Individual Runner-ups
1JCPS Team Champions (first in school history)
1JCPS Individual Champion (first in school history)
4Class AAA Region 4 All Region Team
In 6 years of high school Cross Country coaching, my teams have only finished out of the top 6th once, on the boys side at the state meet.
BLOG #1: TRUST
Trust. A word used so many times throughout one’s life that we may actually start to lose trust in the very meaning of the word. As coaches we ask athletes to trust. Trust their training, trust themselves, trust their teammates, trust their readiness and trust their coaches. Ah, wait…. trust your coach. But what does this mean exactly, to trust your coach? Does this mean to trust his or her every single word, idea, action, and vibe? Does this trust remain when your coach isn’t right beside you, saying words of encouragement into your ear? Will that trust hold steady throughout the summer, over the dead period when you have no contact? Will it be there once you return from Christmas break? Will that trust endure when he or she tells you to make a strong move even though your body is telling you something else?
Trust is a two way street in the coach-athlete relationship. In order to succeed to their full potential, athletes have to trust their coaches. They have to trust that the coach has nothing but the very best intentions for them, at that very moment and for years to come. On the other side of the street, coaches must know and see that the athlete is placing trust in them as well, by doing any and everything being asked and expected of them. All this is done for the simple purpose of improving¾being faster than one was the day before.
In the professional word of running, on the domestic side of things, there is an abundance of articles, message boards, and even blogs that discuss the relationship between Alberto Salazar (Coach) and Galen Rupp (Athlete). Whether you like these guys are not, they are both very skilled and successful at what they do. From speaking to both, you cannot walk away without understanding that all their success centers in large part to their mutual trust in one another. Rupp trusts Salazar 100%, and Salazar trusts that Rupp will do everything he asks of him, 100% of the time.
When I first started coaching, I’ll never forget my AD at the time told me to go out and crush the team on the first run and that by doing so, I would earn their respect. I did that, but I wanted more I needed more. I wanted their trust, and I quickly found out that they wanted my trust in return. At LCA I never really had super talented athletes, yet I had young men and young ladies who trusted me 100%, and I trusted them 100%. I knew that despite what Mother Nature had in store for them, they were going to get outside and run. I knew if I asked for 12 repeats, hills, tempos or long runs on their own, they would do them.
In return, they knew I was staying up late researching, studying, and analyzing them as “projects” to fine tune and make each one of them more successful to make them faster than they were the day before. They trusted that when I said kick, or make a move that I knew they wouldn’t fail.
As you can see from the stats up above, we had tons of success with very small teams. At no time did we ever have a Cross Country team with more than 8 runners on the team. I think half the team probably couldn’t walk and chew gum at the same time, but boy did they trust! It wasn’t my coaching ability or a large amount of talent, it was, as one parent often put it: “Coach, these guys will pick up sticks and jump in place if you tell them to. They believe in you that much.” They trusted me, and I trusted them.
I coached a young lady once who was basically just a number on the roster. She came into the next season with a PR of 2:48 from the year before in the 800meters. When her season was over she had a new PR of 2:25, was regional runner-up, and actually ended up beating the young lady who beat her at region in the state meet. This was a huge turn around; to go from barely making the JV team, to being a factor at the state meet the following year. Several athletes, parents, and peers asked what was the difference. “Simple,” I said, “she started trusting me, and I started trusting her.” For me, this is the secret of coaching. To gain the trust of an athlete so that they will do anything and everything I ask of them, and for them to know that I’m doing anything and everything I can to help them reach their utmost potential.
Holden Wells, a very talented junior I’m blessed to be working with while at Eastern, was running with me the other day. Anyone who knows Holden knows it will be a lengthy conversation no matter the topic but all topics with Holden are about running. The conversation came around to Holden asking me if I thought coaching was in his future. I was quick to state that he would for sure be a coach one day but coaching wasn’t just creating workouts and cheering on at meets.“Holden, coaching isn’t simply creating workouts and executing them. Buddy, you know what to do and probably know when to do certain workouts. Coaching is figuring out the needs of each individual athlete and getting them to trust you, 100%. Once you can do that, great things will happen for both the athlete and the coach.” I went on to talk about Wesley Korir and Coach Mann and the relationship these two men have with each other. Wesley knows what to do, but he trusts Coach Mann and follows his instructions. He knows that when Coach Mann says:“Wesley, you’re ready to race.” or “You can and will run a certain time…” that it will come to be, because he trusts!
So why blog about trust? Why make this the first of what I hope are several write-ups within this season? To me, trust is the foundation of the season and of the success for both coach and athlete. Without complete mutual trust between both parties, full success will not be achieved. Coaches, are you coaching in such a way that your athletes can trust you 100%? Athletes, are you doing all you can to take what your coach(es) are saying to you and asking of you and applying it to your running? Are you offering enough to the coach so that he or she can trust you 100%.
If you are maybe thinking, “I need to give more, try harder, believe more…” when it comes to training, racing and learning about life, then perhaps full trust hasn’t yet been established and that is what you should focus on. Once that is cemented between athlete and coach, complete success will be achieved.
What is stopping you?
Trust.