Coaches Corner with Chris Beavert

11/29/2021 / Posted by Staff

1. Give us a background of how you got into coaching XC and/or Track & Field. I played a lot of sports growing up, I ran the hurdles and threw the discus in high school (not very well I might add), but it wasn't until late in my first year and into my second year of coaching that I fell in love with Track and Field. I was coaching at Magnolia and we were fortunate to have some good athletes and a very good coaching staff along with a great setup for track and field. The kids were set up for success and we won quite a bit so it got to be a lot of fun. I had a couple of years experience in XC prior to coming to Cabot, but it was at Cabot where I learned the most from Coach Leon White about XC. I had the honor and pleasure of coaching with and learning under Coach White for 8 years. 2. What inspires you to continue coaching the sport? I am constantly inspired by the athletes and their goals to become a better athlete. All athletes are unique in their physical and mental makeup and I really enjoy the challenges they each present. The sports of track and field and xc present many challenges and barriers that make it very rewarding to see kids push themselves to break down those walls, especially in a team setting when most think we coach and compete at an individual sport. 3. Give us a memory that has stuck with you through the years. The first time we won a state championship in track and field at Magnolia. It was very cool and a little overwhelming. I'll never forget the feeling of accomplishment for those kids and my fellow coaches when that happened. 4. What differences have you seen in the program since you've been HC? I have been a head coach at two different stops in my career. Both jobs were very different in many ways. At both places, I have implemented strategies and programs that have allowed us to be more successful than ever. At Cabot, we have started student led group training in the summer time for our XC teams, started an end of the year awards dinner for both track and xc, started summer weights with our track off season kids, we actually won the first ever Leon White Invitational Meet (our Sr High home meet at Cabot formerly known as the Walmart Invitational) in both the girls and boys divisions in the same year. This is something that hadn't been done in over 20 years. 5. What's your take on the direction of High School XC and/or Track & Field in Arkansas? Track and field is the most participated sport in our country as far as the number of schools and athletes are concerned. However, track in Arkansas has been fighting an uphill battle recently for various reasons. I do think we are in an upward trend as far as interest, success of our teams, and the higher level that our athletes are competing at. It shows when we have many senior track athletes who go on to college and continue to compete at a high level nationally. We just must continue to promote and encourage our schools and our athletes to keep setting the bar higher and higher. If you can also share with me any career highlights such as: Coaching- Crossett-1 year Magnolia-9 years Boys T and F State Champions 2006, 2007, 2008 Boys T and F State Runner Up 2005, 2009 Girls T and F State Runner Up 2003 Bismarck-2 years Cabot-9 years Girls T and F State Runner Up Outdoor 2015 Girls T and F State Runner Up Indoor 2015 Boys XC Conference Champs 2020 Coached Multiple Individual State Champions Coached 36 athletes who continued competing in college Coached 10 Top Ten athletes in the Decathlon/Heptathlon Coached 3 athletes that went on to win NCAA National Championships in the pole vault and the DMR Coached a Rio-2016 Summer Olympian

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