A lot can happen in a year and new Track Coach Scott Weiser is finding that out.

After joining the Millersville track team as the assistant coach in January, Weiser worked under Coach Andy Young and helped to create a name for Millersville track on a national level. After he joined the program the Marauders  sent the largest group of outdoor track athletes to the PSAC championships in the teams recent history.

Young is not leaving the program; he instead will be focusing his attention on the cross country aspect verses the whole program.

“Millersville had never had a ‘complete’ staff of coaches in every event area and we have now filled every position with an experienced coach,” Weiser said.

The re-organizing of the coaching staff will bring a fresh start to the university’s
track program.

Having coaches for each specialized area of track and field provides the athletes and the program stability.

“There is some excitement because we are basically a ‘new’ team,” said Weiser. “We have seen similar schools such as Shippensburg and Kutztown achieve big things and one of the differences is the coaching staff. We have to establish a good system, which I think we are doing, and stay at it long enough to see results.”

The start of the indoor track season on Dec. 6, will be the programs first experience with the new coaching system. The athletes will be focusing on working on attitude.

“We need to walk into meets and whether we feel prepared or not we need to compete like it is the last meet on the schedule,” Weiser said.

The primary focus of indoor track is to prepare the athletes for the outdoor season.
The season is designed to build strength, practice competition and teach technique.

“Most programs, even the best ones, are still feeling things out during the indoor season. The lack of indoor facilities for our sprinters and field event athletes slow that down a bit but we are implementing some things that can help this year,” Weiser said.

Athletes are expected to show up for the season with a competitive attitude.

The coaching staff is trying to teach the athletes the importance of having a professional mind set during the whole season and not just the days of meets.

There are several things track athletes can do not only in practice but off the field to build preparation for performances.

Making good decisions about eating, sleeping, social life as well as the small things like packing your meet bag the night before and bringing extra shoe-laces are all on Weiser’s list for good preparation.

“If you race better being awake five hours before start time and your race goes off at 10 a.m. then getting up at 5 a.m. is just something you have to do, period. Professionalism, responsibility, dedication,” Weiser said.

Aside from learning strategies for good preparation and competitive attitudes the team is hoping to win also, after all it is athletics.

“Track and field is very simple, it is all offense. There is not any complicated strategy—if you can win something, go and win it,” Weiser said.