"… coaching is more about
teaching rather than the results,"
explains Tegen. "It's more about
young students trying to grow up
and using athletics as a venue to try
out things – a venue where you are
allowed to make mistakes."
has explained how it works. Going through that
process intellectually with an athlete is incredibly
important.
"I explained to them that you are going to get to a
point where you think you can't run anymore. It's
going to hurt. You have to understand that, this
physical pain, we're trying to get your body used to
it so that you can cope with it, so you know what to
expect. If you keep training through that pain, your
body is adjusting to these kinds of things.
"When you explain something, it creates a more
motivated and more participating student because
they know why. That understanding is what it's really all about."
Every one of Tegen's athletes remembers the
50 » VARSITY
JULY 11, 2013
loud whistle he used at the end of a race
when he wanted his runners to kick.
"It's a very classic example of Pavlov's
reflex," explains Tegen. "I kept doing it
because even if they knew what it was,
it happened so often that it would override any type of mental block.
"There is nothing I can prove about that other
than that, when I whistled, they kicked!"
Tegen was also a master tactician, setting up the
perfect situation for his athletes to win.
"Tactics have to be unusual, they have to be filled
with surprise," he said.
Tegen gave the example of Cathy Branta at the
1985 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Branta, a five-time national champion, had qualified for the national meet in both the 1500 meters
and 3000 meters.
After defending her title in the 3000, Branta had
also qualified for the 1500-meter final on the last
day of the meet. Tegen told Branta, "Now that you
