A new face appeared on campus the first day of school. Rolando Roman, now known to many as Coach Ro; he is the new Cross Country Coach, and abruptly received the call about coming and coaching the same day the previous coach left. Coach Ro is loving coaching the team. He started wrestling at 6 years old and continued until college. “Sports have been instrumental for me,” Roman said. “Sports give an opportunity for people to get to know a little bit about themselves.” Coach Ro conveys this message into his role of coaching the cross country team. His background is in Physiology of Exercise and this helps him understand what is happening in the body. “My entire life has been around sports,” Roman said, “around understanding the whys and wondering why things happen and trying to make physical activity part of life rather than making it a burden, making it a chore, making it something we feel that it’s just hard, when it should be a way of clearing your mind.”
He started with helping the Middle Schoolers on the Cross Country team, but when he got the call to come coach Varsity and Junior Varsity, he did not second guess it. “Yes,” Roman said, “I’ll do whatever it takes to get the kids focusing on their goals of the year.” He loves learning about the athletes he coaches by asking them questions about their goals, why they are running, and what they want to pursue. Coach Ro is a big numbers guy, so when he makes workouts for the team he takes in all the data he knows about the runner. “You line up at the race knowing that you can do a time rather than saying I wish,” Roman said. “Because wishes are just fairy tales.”
The shock of switching coaches on the first day of school was a surprise to everyone. The Seniors assumed this year would be a bow; with their previous coach who had coached them for 8 years. “It was honestly really shocking and saddening,” Senior Olivia Kent said. “I really appreciate Coach Ro for stepping up to lead us at the last minute. The work and dedication he has put in is inspiring and his positivity is something we need in a time like this.”
