On March 20th, I was able to interview Ross Anderson, Sartell Sabre’s boys and girls track and field coach, about his experiences and feelings about coaching.

Anderson has been coaching for many years, but he has not just coached track. He has been coaching varsity track and field for twenty-nine years. He has also coached basketball and volleyball. Just out of college, Anderson coached JV basketball at Apollo for two years. He did such an amazing job that the athletic director asked him to coach volleyball as well. He continued coaching volleyball at Apollo for about two years. In total, Anderson has coached volleyball for twenty years.

When asked what his favorite part of coaching is, Anderson replied, “The growth of the athlete. Most kids who go out for a sport want to be there and want to get better. They are willing to put in the energy and enthusiasm into getting better. I have knowledge about the sport, especially jumping in track and field, that I am able to give them through different drills to make them stronger and more confident.”

Although there are many great parts of coaching, there are obvious challenges. Anderson says the most challenging part of coaching is the time it takes up to do a good job: “The behind-the-scenes stuff, such as paperwork, planning, and odds and ends that go into getting things organized, is not always as fun and is time consuming.” Even though there are difficulties, Anderson said if he was able to go back to when he accepted his coaching job, he would still say yes.

Ross Anderson does not have one single favorite season he’s coached, but rather he thinks there are certain moments in every season that are great. Anderson stated, “You can see success in a kid who is a state champ as well as a kid who is not as talented, but works hard and reaches their individual goals. Track is really a sport with you and the event.”

Anderson’s favorite memory from coaching is when Andria Whitney got first and Laura Nielson got third in the high jump at the state track meet.