Coaches clinic draws record turnout

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Former Olympian Tim Broe, now a coach at East Peoria, demonstrates a conditioning drill during Saturday’s coaches clinic at Bureau Valley High School. (BCR photo/Kevin Hieronymus)

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MANLIUS — Bureau Valley track and cross country coach Dale Donner had a dream weekend — his coaches clinic at Bureau Valley was another big success Saturday, and his New Orleans Saints won the Super Bowl.

The Storm coach said he didn’t get much sleep Friday night in anticipation of the clinic, but he probably slept well satisfied Sunday after the Super Bowl.

Saturday’s Bureau County Track and Cross Country Clinic drew a record of about 180 coaches, many from the immediate area and others coming the suburbs and as far away as Triad High School near St. Louis.

“The clinic went well. We had some great speakers and had very positive feedback from all the coaches in attendance,” Donner said. “We started doing this to help the local coaches, but it has just grown.” 

Among the speakers were former Olympian Tim Broe, now track and cross country coach at his hometown East Peoria. He discussed the many conditioning drills he uses with his athletes. Broe was a 12-time All-American for the University of Alabama and placed 11th in the 2004 Olympics in the 5000 meters.

The husband and wife team of Joe and Janet Erb from Winnebago, who have led their girls' teams to five state championships and boys' teams to two state titles in their six-year tenure, spoke on motivating track and cross country runners.

Tony Holler, son of former Princeton basketball coach Don Holler, and a highly successful track coach at downstate Harrisburg (three state team titles), now at Plainfield North, spoke on developing sprinters.

Donner provides each clinician an athlete to use if needed to demonstrate skills. BV senior Aubrey Franklin, who anticipates a trip to state in the hurdles this spring, worked with Wheaton North coach Don Helberg. She found there’s more to hurdles than meets the eye.

“Hurdles is just not running and jumping over things; it’s technique and repetition,” she said.

Franklin said Helberg gave her some stretching exercises and walking drills over hurdles “to get that muscle memory, so I won’t think about it during the race.”

Donner said he is already working on next year’s lineup for speakers and has another Olympian in mind.

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