(Originally published September 27, 2011)
Father Jim Kirby has coached West Des Moines Dowling Catholic to four consecutive Iowa girls high school Class 4A state titles in cross country, and they are favorites to win a 5th this season. The Maroons have started making their mark nationally with a top-20 ranking having just captured the team title this past weekend at the prestigious Roy Griak meet in Minnesota. The team has been led by outstanding runners including Betsy and Katie Flood (now at the Universities of Iowa and Washington, respectively) and Ashlie Decker (now at the University of Minnesota). Some might say that Kirby has been lucky to have such outstanding talent to work with, and that's true. But it is also true that he puts in the work himself, seeking to learn and improve right along with his team and he has high expectations for his girls, and himself. Betsy Flood writes:
" Running is important to [Fr. Kirby] but I think whats even more important are things that really matter like faith and love and integrity. He knows when you are a good genuine person then running will go well also. And he is the first one to live this selfless example for all those he coaches."
Minnesota sophomore Decker says of Fr. Kirby:
"[He] is an inspiring, dedicated, and passionate coach. He continues to encourage me today and is a major support system in my life. Fr. Kirby helped me grow in my running, but also in life and my faith. He helped me to balance my life through service trips to an orphanage and always made it clear that while running may be a large part of my life, there are more important things than how I perform on the track. He has always been there for me even after I graduated. I ran one my worst races last spring and he was there to remind me that no one race can define a person. He has always put others before himself, whether it is going out and buying bagels for after early morning practices or driving hours away just to be at a race that will last for twenty minutes. Fr. Kirby will always be a life long coach, mentor and friend!"
And now for the interview...
What's your running background? Are you still running?
I ran track in high school and played football. Looking back at my football career, I wish I had run cross country. In college I took a fitness class and got into running and took a hard look at running marathons. Since then I have run 24 marathons including four Boston’s and the Berlin Marathon and my PR is 2:44. Currently I have not been able to sustain much of a running routine due to back issues and responsibilities.
How long have you been coaching? How did you get into it? Why?
I have been coaching since 1995 beginning with grade school track and then in 1999 I started as an assistant coach at Dowling. In 2007 I took over as head girls coach.
I love being around young people who want to better themselves and have the courage to try the sport of running. Helping young people excel in running has been one of my greatest joys and passions in life
Your teams have obviously had tremendous success and I'm sure many people would give you much of the credit. What do you attribute your success to? What do you and your runners do that make Dowling more successful than other high schools in the state?
I would give the credit for our program to having two great catalysts, Katie and Betsy Flood, who established the level of expectations for all those to follow, including myself.
As Katie was about to become a freshman in high school I know I had to learn more as a coach in order to provide her with a quality experience in high school. It was clear that she would be outstanding and I didn’t want to fail her. At the same time her sister Betsy was a sophomore and was getting more and more excited about running and began to improve. I met people like Dan Fitzsimmons, then head girl’s coach at Yankton (SD) and Will Freeman, head men’s coach at Grinnell College. Learning more and more I soon became acquainted with Tim Ives [now the Dowling boys’ CC coach] who helped me formulate our first program for a season.
Having Katie and Betsy buy into what we were trying to do influenced our team and inspired a generation of younger runners. Because of those two and the likes of athletes like Ashlie Decker, Heather Tobias and Tanelle Berard the expectations and commitment to our program helped create an environment of hard work and accountability on our team. Now, others who have come through the program have embraced and passed on that same “buy in” and cultural expectations.
Can you describe your team's training? What sort of mileage are your runners putting in? Do you have any special workouts that you and/or your kids really love to do? Do you feel like you emphasize quality or quantity training or have a mix of both? Are there little things you do - core work, weight training, stretching, massage, visualization, etc. - that you feel really benefit your runners?
We follow the general principles and philosophy that Scott Simmons and Will Freeman put forth in their book “Taking the Lead.” It is an “athlete centered” philosophy, which emphasizes specificity, and what some would call a higher mileage approach. Our kids don’t necessarily “love” to do any workouts, but they know they are a necessary part of the plan. I found our girls are “addicted” to times and splits. While I use times as guidelines for certain workouts they get a little crazy when they are not hitting pace exactly. They love to know how they stand and they love to quantify their running and so I try to give them as much hard information regarding their running. We try to do things safely especially for the younger kids, but we are constantly challenging the girls to do more, to be good today but better tomorrow. Kelly Parriott is our assistant coach and she has taken over the weight training and strengthening program. We also try to fit yoga in especially after our long runs on Saturday. I think the thing our kids really embrace is the idea that there is no Easter Sunday without Good Friday meaning you can’t expect to be rewarded from anything, including running, without some sacrifice and hard work. Also, they begin to understand that an athlete can learn an awful lot about themselves in 4000 meters -strengths, weaknesses, what is inspiring, what gives them hope, what makes them quit etc.
It seems that distance running in the U.S. is definitely on the rise, with many great young runners coming up through the ranks. We're seeing more success on the world stage as well, with people like Chris Solinsky, Galen Rupp, Morgan Uceny and Jennifer Simpson being competitive against the best in the world. What do you think is behind that success?
For girls I think they have discovered that you can be beautiful and feminine in running. They have found a great deal of accomplishment and what a great impact running, teammates and the positive expectations the running culture can provide. They have been able to find integrity and a great life-long activity that is beneficial in so many ways. Running, they find, has so much symbolic value and they are committed to the life lessons they have learned and are to be learned in the classroom of running. Running cross-country is an outlet for many girls who would never have ever experienced athletics. For example, cross-country is that odd quirky sport which for various reasons attracts girls who are driven and disciplined in other areas. These athletes find running a great complement to their other passions such as academics and service. Recently one of our top runners who is also academically the number one student in her class told her mother, “Mom, what would I have ever done if I had not gone out for cross country? I would never have met all my friends on the team and I would have simply been that nerdy smart kid in school.”
Betsy Flood talks about how instrumental you were in helping her develop a love for the sport. Who were your mentors?
I think I owe much of my love of running and passion for coaching to my running group. When I was struggling to run and complete a first marathon I got connected with a running group of friends. We did our long 20 milers together and did outrageous workouts and weekly mileage totals. We had a raw and no-frills approach to running without a lot of patience for fads or talking too much about it. We just worked hard together. The fun and camaraderie was the thing I loved so much about our group. I loved the pride, the jokes and our own ability to hold each other accountable and never let each other off the hook. I think the thing I wanted most to accomplish for our team was creating that same fun loving, weird culture that didn’t worry too much about what it all looked like but worked hard and had high expectations for each other. I wanted to help our girls enjoy that same closeness, fun and support that I felt during within my running group.
I went to NXN in 2006 just as a fan to see what it was all about. I wanted to watch this Yankton team and to watch runners like Betsy Bies (their number one runner) to see what it looked like to be with a team at that level. I loved every second of it. I got to know the Iowa City High coach, Tom Mittman, and was able to learn from him and his team. I sat in on one of the coaches forums after the race and heard the coach from Yankton talk about how much he loved his kids and how they prayed and expressed their love for each other before the race. His name was Dan Fitzsimmons and he was speaking my language! I decided I needed to meet him. We spoke afterwards and it turned out that he had an Iowa connection. I drove to Yankton later that spring and I simply asked him all sorts of questions about workouts and team culture. Today, he is one of my biggest supporters, best friends and mentor.
I went to a seminar at Grinnell College on a whim and heard a coach talk about a new way of looking at distance running training and coaching. His name was Will Freeman. Again, I ate it up. It all made sense and so I took a chance and went to visit him for lunch one day. Since then I am proud to say that Will Freeman is a friend and also a great supporter and mentor. I call him sometimes for questions and concerns and he always offers advice. My only regret is that I haven’t been able to steer more athletes toward his superb program after all he has done for me. Will has introduced me to other great coaches like USA Olympic coach Joe Vigil and National Champion coach Scott Simmons. I owe so much to all of these people and so many more.
Dowling is currently ranked 1st for the boys and the girls. What do you predict for Fort Dodge in late October?
I predict there will be many coaches who will have their runners and their teams at their best at the state meet. The team that stays healthy and stays the course will prevail. I hope we are that team. I just hope that our kids stay humble and hungry and do the very best they can. When we do our best, good things happen.
Thanks to Father Kirby for taking the time to be interviewed. Best of luck to the Maroons this fall as they prepare for the state meet in Fort Dodge and what lies beyond!
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