Clay Calkins, head coach of the Ohio men's and women's track and field and cross country programs is half way through his first year on the job. As the team heads into the All-Ohio Championship indoor meet, Calkins sat down with The Post's Joe Rominiecki to discuss his experience so far this year.
The Post: Now that you're half way through your first year as head coach, what has your experience been like?
Calkins: The athletes I have had made a really easy transition. They've been a pleasure to work with and they haven't been any trouble at all. I hope that trend keeps going for as many years as I'm here.
The Post: You followed Elmore Banton, who had been here for quite a long time. Are there any things that you changed when you became head coach of the track program?
Calkins: We changed up just a few things. Elmore did a great job of running things. He demanded respect out of his athletes. I like that. He didn't put up with problem athletes. I don't either. So there's a lot of similarities. He did a great job, so whenever someone's doing a great job, you don't want to change too much. We've changed some finite things around. We changed the way stretching happens. Coaching responsibilities have moved around a little bit. We have more numbers on the coaching staff, with Mitch Bentley coming in and helping coach the distance side of things. That's definitely changed because the cross country and distance guys were used to having the same coach all year. Now, I'm there for cross country but then once track starts I'm with my athletes, and I don't see those guys as much. Overall, there's not too much that can change in track. You're not changing an offense or defense. It's not like you're changing a team sport.
The Post: What's been the most difficult thing you've run into as a head coach?
Calkins: Managing time, making sure that you're giving enough time to your team. It's not hard. It's just an issue. Managing your time is the biggest issue.
The Post: What's your favorite part?
Calkins: The coaching is my favorite part. The actual, on-the-track coaching is probably my favorite part - that and the competition.
The Post: After you went to Malone and then came here for graduate school, you ran a construction company in Florida. How did that come about?
Calkins: I was in construction my entire life. I worked all through college, and even before that it was a family business when I was younger. My dad's brother owned a business and still does. Once I
graduated college, I tried to find jobs coaching and they just were not there. Realistically, I got my undergrad in physical education, so I needed to go back and get my master's to get any kind of coaching job at the collegiate level. So that's what I did. I came back (to Ohio University) and got my master's.
The Post: Is there anything you got out of running the construction business that you can apply now?
Calkins: Oh yeah. Work ethic, self motivation - there's a lot of things. Organization skills, budgeting, just anything you can think of. You've got to be responsible for a budget. You have to budget your time as well. You have to be responsible for other people, payroll, that kind of thing, so there's a lot of things that carry over.
The Post: Ohio does not have an indoor track facility. Of all the indoor facilities you've been to, what's the nicest one you've seen?
Calkins: I really like Bowling Green's. It's a multi-use facility. They have a separate turf building, which is connected. There's a wall between them but the doorways open right through. They use both facilities when they host a track meet. It's spacious. You have plenty of room for warm-up with the adjoining turf facility. It's great. Kent has a nice facility as well. They've got the largest track in the MAC right now, indoor-wise. It's a 300-meter track. It's spacious and beautiful, but for utilitarian purposes. If OU is looking at something to model theirs after, Bowling Green would be a good one. It's just the most feasible one to build I would think.
The Post: What do you think of bubbles, like the one Rutgers has, for example?
Calkins: Any indoor facility would be a positive thing here, whether it's going to be a bubble or whether it's going to be a permanent structure. My personal opinion is if you're going to invest time, effort and money, you're not just investing in the bubble. You're going to have to invest in a facility to store the bubble. You're going to invest in crews to tear the bubble down and re-erect it each year. They're talking about putting a bubble up over the track. I think the idea is out there. But I think if you're going to invest that much time and energy and money, me personally - I can't believe I'm saying this - I'd rather wait a few more years and have a permanent structure that would be usable and at our disposal any time of year. Whenever you have a bubble that's removable, you're going to have to have it down in March, and what if you have a bad April? That's going to affect all sports. They're not going to want it up if they're in season. I just think the feasibility of it is too rough, unless they're talking about putting it up somewhere else, instead of over the track. If they're going to have a turf field and put a bubble on it, that would be fine. We'll take anything they're going to give us.
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Joe Rominiecki
