Salisbury could and would get "wood" to finish off their season winning another state trophy. This team had its own unique flare and as expected the girls saw lots of points from the distance races, throws, and jumps. Congrats to these young ladies and their new coach who I am certain will remember these moments for a lifetime.
Mo.milesplit: Coach, congrats on your great season. How does it feel to be finished and accomplish such a great end to your season?
Coach Wales: It feels great to have a successful season. It makes all the hard work that you do during the early part of March worth it for kids and for us as coaches. At the beginning of the year it's always the goal to take kids to state and see how they'll finish. A team trophy makes it even sweeter.
Are there any unique things you do as a team to get ready or celebrate before/after state?
We had a few team dinners I just to kind of get the girls together and get all on the same page. This is a busy time of year with graduation and different end-of-the-year events going on so it makes it hard to get together a lot.
What are you most proud of when it comes to your team this season?
With this being my first season as head coach I'm proud of the fact the girls were willing to follow my direction. I'm also really proud that they worked very hard to improve.
How do you think really stepped up at state to give you such a solid finish?
We had a few relay teams that stepped up to help us finish strong. Our senior Erinn Fitzgerald really had great performances in the 800 m and 1600 m run and was a key part of the 4 x 4 and 4 x 8 relays.
Are there any crazy moments you are willing to share from state?
We thought we were going to finished tied for second so I ran over to our 4 x 4 relay team and told them if they finish ahead of Mound City we will finish ahead of them as a team. I forgot in my haste mound city had a pole vault her and we didn't and that ended up The difference between second and third.
What do you feel are your chances next year and is there one thing you might have done differently as you reflect.
We graduate a lot of seniors. There's always the chance we can repeat this performance, but we're going to need our younger athletes to step up and fill key roles.
Where does this team rank in your school's history and is this the first state trophy for your program?
We have been blessed here at Salisbury with great teams and this is the fourth team trophy that Salisbury girls have earned.
Do you have any advice for other coaches who wish to eventually get to your level at the state championships?
I don't know if I'm the one to give great advice with this being my first year. I think what I learned this year was with good athletes sometimes as a coach all that I needed to do was get out of their way and let them perform.