Kee boys track team returns State Meet experience for 2016 season

The Kee boys track team continues its recent growth, with 17 young men reporting to duty for fourth-year head coach Nick Mooney this spring, a small handful more than a year ago. Of even greater impact, however, is the growth experienced by this season’s club in the number of experienced returnees, up considerably from last season’s lone returnee.
While last season’s lone returning veteran has since graduated, an increase in quality also comes along with this season’s increase in quantity of returning experience. Junior Danny Brennan leads that newfound veteran charge, not only bringing back varsity experience but State Meet familiarity as a double qualifier last season in both the 400 meter dash and 800 meter run.
“I have to have leaders on my team that are willing to hold themselves and their group members accountable for their tasks,” Coach Mooney said. “In a small school having student leaders is an even more crucial component to a team. Being the only coach for 17 guys that are sprinters, middle distance runners, long distance runners, throwers and jumpers is a tough job. I have to split guys up into groups and try to go around and coach all of them at once, and some days I just can’t get around to everybody. I have to have guys that I can count on to make sure everything is done at a high level.”
The make-up of this year’s squad is proving to be one of this season’s greatest strengths, according to Coach Mooney. “I think that our biggest strength is how coachable the athletes are,” he said. “They have been showing up with great attitudes, an eagerness to learn, and have been working hard to improve themselves. We also have a lot of experience this year, so we have been able to focus more on advanced skills.”
One of the biggest challenges facing Mooney and his Hawks this season will be having enough participants to make that group effective as a team. “Our biggest weakness is our lack of depth,” Coach Mooney said. “There are only a few freshmen and sophomores that decided to participate this year, so it will be a challenge to put out participants in every event.”
But Coach Mooney says this year’s team will benefit more from the quality of its members than the quantity. “Staying healthy and maintaining the intrinsic motivation that many of the guys have will lead to a successful season,” he explained. “Every one of these guys does their own personal ‘Extra Effort’ task at the end of practice.  Some of the guys practice their starts, do extra lifts, or an extra run at the end of practice. With that type of dedication we will be successful.”
In addition to this season’s more experienced personnel, Coach Mooney is bringing a new approach to Kee track and field to help overcome the graduation loss from last season that took one of the Hawks’ top point scorers in Marquise Phillips. “We lost our main sprinter last year, who earned the second most points on the team, so that will be a tough spot to replace,” he said. “This year I have made quite a few changes in how we train and prepare for competitions. I am confident that in the long run we will have significant improvements, but I am sure that there will be some setbacks that come with change.”
Despite what challenges are faced or changes are made, Coach Mooney has some overall targets in mind for this season. “My two biggest goals are for these guys to become more athletic and to be as competitive as possible,” he said. “I routinely preach to any kid that I coach (I am also the defensive coordinator for the De Soto High School football team) that overcoming competition or obstacles is the most rewarding experience you can have.  Having fun is the most important part of anything, but I have never had a fun time losing and a competitor never will.”
Among those challenges will be some of the strongest competition the Hawks will face this season right in their own Upper Iowa Conference. “It is always difficult to say how the conference will be shaping up,” Coach Mooney said. “The conference has so many great programs that it is difficult to pick out who will end up at the top. Turkey Valley, South Winn and Central Elkader are impressive every year and are always battling for that top spot. However, MFL/MarMac had some good underclassmen last year and Coach Lowell in Postville will have his squad performing at its top.”
The Hawks were scheduled to get their 2016 season underway with the Upper Iowa Conference Indoor Meet at Luther College in Decorah Monday, March 21. They will then prepare to compete in their first outdoor meet of the season, March 31 at the Waukon Early Bird Invitational.