Coach Wood’s Team Philosophy:

Winning is great but what you do to get to the win is more important.  Working as hard, as smart and as consistently as you can to be competitive first is always our objective.  Make no mistake about it, SJB is building and maintaining a championship level team.  The way this will be done is by building championship level people who believe in their teammates and are willing to work hard for everything they receive.

Being a member of this team is about more than just competing in the sport itself, it is a lifestyle.  You will be expected to work and behave, both in and out of school, in a way that represents St. John the Baptist and yourself in a positive manner.  You will also be expected to maintain a nutritious and healthy diet that will help your body perform at its highest level. 

The following are the core values of the St. John the Baptist Boys Cross Country and Track & Field programs:

1. You will learn to have a hard consistent work ethic.  The coaching staff will work with you to develop good habits that will help you to excel, both in our sport and in your life.  The goal is that no one will ever out-work you.

2. You are expected to be honest with yourself and those around you.  Setting and achieving your goals becomes easier when you are realistic about who you are and where you are in your training and in your life.

3. You will have to make sacrifices to honor your commitment to yourself and your team.  Eating properly, getting more sleep and saying “no” to the party scene are just a few examples. 

4. You will learn that everything you do in life is a choice that you have made, and each choice has consequences…both good and bad.  This program’s goal is to help you to understand that you are the one who is in control of your choices.

5. It’s OK to fail, as long as you learn from failing and make the needed adjustments.  You cannot improve without taking chances and trying new things.  This will put you in a position to fail; however, it also gives you an opportunity to find out what works and what does not.

6. You will work to be competitive first.  To be a champion you must first be competitive in all that you do.  Working to be consistently competitive puts you in a position to win.

7. You must be willing to “sacrifice for your team” when racing.  There is no room on this team for anyone who cares about themselves more than they care about their team.  If you never want to let your teammates down, you will be able to summon up the strength (for them) to overcome the pain of racing. 

8. You will become a student of the sport.  Understanding why you are doing the prescribed workout will help you get the workout done in a correct fashion, rather than just going through the motions.

9. NEVER give up…always keep moving forward.  Life does not always work out the way you plan; bad things happen! It’s how you handle them that matters.  When life knocks you down, take some time to feel bad…then, get up, dust yourself off and start over…KEEP MOVING FORWARD.