In the two years Elvis Forde has been the head track and field coach at Illinois State, his main goal has been to build momentum throughout the program in hopes of it leading to a championship.
As Forde begins his second outdoor season with the Redbirds, he feels the momentum from the indoor season will carry over to the teams outdoor opener Saturday at the Southern Illinois Spring Classic in Carbondale.
The coaches are very excited, Forde said. The kids are really working hard and they want to compete. The weather has cooperated, allowing us to have a great week of practice. Its all a matter of seeing how everyone is going to adjust to competition again, after being off for three weeks.
The Redbirds have not competed as a team since the Missouri Valley Conference Indoor Championships in February. The mens team placed second at that event , and Forde feels it has had a domino effect on the entire program, including the womens team.
When you are doing well, it gives people an emotional surge, Forde said. Thats been the case with the men, as well as the women, because they saw the guys have so much success. Its been a contagious effect.
The men will begin their quest for a Valley outdoor title this weekend without their top point scorer JaRod Tobler who has been nursing injuries. However, Tobler will be relied upon heavily in the sprints, jumps and relay events during the outdoor season. He was honored as the Most Valuable Male Athlete at the indoor championships. Indoor shot put champion Brian Krantz will also sit out this week with injuries.
On the womens side, Forde has been pleased with how the team has responded to the loss of Lauren Maul to a knee injury during the indoor season. The Redbirds will be without Maul for the remainder of 2004, but will add one of their top point scorers for the outdoor season. Jen Klostermann redshirted in 2003 and is expected to see time in the 800 and 1,500-meter runs.
Even with the injuries, the Redbirds biggest challenge will be dealing with the outside elements that this new season brings.
Part of my coaching strategy is to get the kids to realize that they have to deal with whatever elements are there, Forde said. Were going to run into rain, wind and cold weather, but we try to instill into the athletes that everyone else has to face the same challenges. I think the people that realize they cant change those elements are the ones that usually come out on top.
