Retz Returns
Thursday, August 29 2013|
Jason Retz didn’t always like to run.
In fact, he only used cross country as a way to train for basketball season in high school and avoided sports where he would have to do a lot of running.
“I didn’t want to do soccer unless I was a goalie,” he said. “I only wanted to play first base in baseball. I just wanted to catch the ball. I didn’t like to run around.”
That all changed when Retz was told he needed to step up and lead the cross country team.
Now he is leading the cross country team again— this time as the St. Joseph-Ogden boys cross country head coach.
During high school
Retz said during his sophomore year he competed in the 4x800 for SJO.
Retz was the slowest athlete.
Then his coach asked him to step up and be a leader.
“He simply asked me to do it,” Retz said. “He was that big of an influence in my life that I did it.”
Retz said he trained hard that summer and went from “God awful to OK.”
Retz said he is not going to be introducing any new coaching techniques. He said that SJO has a history of success with its running programs and he hopes to maintain that.
Retz said he hopes to lead the team by example, something his coach Jim Acklin did.
“Acklin led by example every day,” he said. “Until I graduated high school I had only beat him two times in my entire life.”
At SJO Retz was a distance runner on the track team. He competed in the 800 meter, mile and two mile races.
During the 2000 season Retz had a goal sheet. For example, he wanted to place in the top five at the Oakwood meet and win the Cowchip Invitational.
Retz said the sheet held him accountable.
Something he hopes to pass on to his athletes.
How he coaches
Retz, who is going into his ninth season of coaching, said he doesn’t ask his team to do anything he will not do himself. This includes logging miles. This summer the entire team logged miles onwww.sjorunning.com.
“This makes them accountable,” he said. “It’s a great way to see what their teammates are doing.”
This summer, the team participated in a Run This Town initiative, which was the idea of women’s coach Kristin Allen.
“We wanted them to run every road in this town,” Retz said. “We give them the freedom to do it how they want and give them a set time to do it in.”
Retz said it was a good way for the team to train this summer and it is imperative that the athletes train during the summer months in order to have a successful season.
Retz said he thinks having multiple coaches for the team will only help the athletes succeed.
“One person cannot solve all the issues on a team,” he said.
He said his goal as a coach at SJO is not only to make it to the state meet, but also to develop students into good citizens.
“Our number one goal is to develop better people,” he said. “To help them develop the discipline to be successful at their job, in the classroom and in the community. Becoming a better person makes better athletes.”
Retz started a culture of discipline at Arcola, where he coached for six years.
At the first practice he coached it was snowing.
Retz made the athletes run 4 miles in the snow.
Retz said the culture of discipline and excellence is already in place at SJO.
“There hasn’t been a lull in success,” he said. “I just have to push it forward.”
Upcoming season
Retz said that while he hopes the team is successful at every meet they compete in, his ultimate goal is to get his runners to state.
“I think it’s a cliche to say you never want to lose but at the same time my goal is for the kids not to lose,” he said. “I have high standards for the kids and myself.”
Retz said the meets the team participates in are to prepare them to qualify for the state meet.
“I never want to lose,” he said. “I’d rather poke my eye out than lose.”
The future
Retz said he understands the program has undergone numerous coaching changes in the past few years.
However, he thinks those have come to an end.
“This is my dream job,” he said. “I graduated from here and ran for Coach Acklin. This place made me who I am.”
Retz said any teacher dreams about going back to their hometown and teaching and coaching.
“It’s the program that built me,” he said. “My goal is to die here, this is the end of the road for me. They know I am from here and this is my passion.”