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Meet the West Contributor: Doug Soles

In order to get some representation from all corners of the US, I invited a few outstanding coaches to volunteer as regional contributors for Coaching Distance.


Meet Coach Doug Soles from the West. Doug coaches at Great Oak High School in California. Coach Soles was recently named the Girls Cross Country Coach of the Decade by MaxPreps. You can follow Coach Soles on Coaching Distance here.


Get to Know Coach Soles

The three most memorable performances your athletes/teams have produced?

  • 2010 Girls win first State Cross Country Championship (now have 8)

  • 2015 Boys win Nike Cross Nationals

  • 2016 Boys break National 4x1600 Record running 16:52

What would you do differently as a first-year coach?

Listen to the athletes more, give directions less.

Best advice you’ve ever received, read, heard, etc.

It is your program, ignore everyone else and follow your gut!

Miles or minutes?

Miles.


A memorable track or cross country photo.

In 2014, these 3 girls (Destiny Collins (10), Haley Dorris (12), and Ashley Helbig (12) went on to go 1, 2, 4 at the Master's Meet and run 4:44 (Dorris), 4:45 (Collins), and 4:48 (Helbig) becoming the first school ever to have 3 girls under 4:50 in the same race!

A quote.

If you want to take the island, burn the ships.

A book.

Tim Grover - Relentless

A movie.

Moneyball


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