Senior Kyle Gilmer’s feet pound on the track. As his energy wanes, Indoor Track Head Coach Lanny Doan’s words race through the athlete’s mind as he finds the inner motivation for the final burst of speed that pushes him through the finish line.

Head Coaches Doan and Eliot Weinstein have coached indoor track for two seasons together. Although this will be Doan’s fourth season at the school, he does have 22 years coaching experience at Bayside High School under his belt. Weinstein is in his second season of coaching at the school.

Unlike most high school sports, the male and female indoor track teams are combined during practice.  Each athlete is coached in their events by one of the two coaches.  Coach Weinstein works with the sprinters and Coach Doan assists the long distance runners.

“I think it’s the only way to run practices. It seems silly to run guys and girls practices separately when they are racing against themselves. The benefits outweigh the detriments of coaching male and female athletes together,” Weinstein said.

Doan and Weinstein must also assist the athletes in the transition from running outdoor track to indoor track. While the two sports consist of many of the same events, the atmosphere differs slightly. Competitors must adjust their strategies and shift their focus from the open air to the housed-in track.

According to Doan, the indoor track is shorter, at 200 meters long, than the outdoor track which is 400 meters long. Bigger athletes have a harder time on the curves of the track than smaller athletes. But, weather is not a factor during the season like in the outdoor track season.

Coaching two years together has enabled Doan and Weinstein to adopt a similar coaching philosophy in that winning is more than the outcome of the meet and they encourage each individual athlete to race faster than their fastest times.

Furthermore, their combined coaching style allows athletes to achieve the highest level possible. Training is difficult and an upbeat attitude is required. Coaches must motivate all performers, whether they are state champion athletes or a first-timer out on the track.

“For me, I worry more about my athletes improving and their final outcomes rather than winning and losing meets,” Doan said, “I provide you with the training, the mental toughness and how to race. It is up to you to perform to the best of your abilities.”