New coach builds program

Chad Perry is not afraid of a challenge. That is why he was more than willing to accept the head coaching position here at CSU-Pueblo.

The former assistant track and field coach from Portland State University was hired by CSU-Pueblo to bring a new track program on campus. Not only will he be building a new women’s track and field team, but he will also take over the women’s cross country team.

Perry began his career in various high schools and middle schools in Texas. He began teaching history to middle school children, and he began his coaching career in various sports including basketball, track and field and football.

Perry eventually moved on to bigger teams when he started as assistant coach at a junior college in Odessa, Texas. At Odessa College Perry coached the sprints and jumps. He coached ten National Junior All Americans.

Following Odessa, Perry began an assistant coaching job at Portland State. The team was not very good when he first started, Perry said. By the end of his three-year coaching career in Portland, the team moved from last place in the conference to second-place.

In Portland Perry coached the decathlon, a series of ten events, the throwers and the pole vaulters. Throughout his time at Portland State, he helped his athletes to break numerous school records. Six of his athletes also went on to win all-Big-Sky Conference honors.
Two athletes Perry coached went on to be named USA Track and Field all-Americans, and six athletes became NCAA Western Regional qualifiers.

After 10-years of being assistant coach Perry said it was time to finally take a head-coaching position. That is why he has made his way here to Pueblo, Colo.

It is exciting to be able to build a team from scratch Perry said.

“I see a lot of potential to be good,” Perry said. “We have new facilities and a new start. We are building from bottom-up. The only thing we can do is get better.”

The new track and field team will be good for the community Perry said. He went on to say that distance running has made its impact in the community, but there has been little room for track and field.

“There are a lot of coaches with distances experience, but few have experience on the field,” Perry said. “I’m excited to be able to bring that to the table.”

Perry hopes to involve the community by eventually hosting youth camps for children interested in track and field events. He also hopes to bring life on campus through the sport.

“Sports give students choices, identity and options,” Perry said. “Maybe with a new sport some students will decide they want to stay on campus for the weekend to enjoy watching the sport instead of always going home for the weekends.”

The first goal for the season is to recruit a team of 30-35 women from all over Perry said. He needs athletes who are good in a variety of events, and who compete well. He will be recruiting heavily from Colorado, Texas and through the Western Exchange Program.
Perry’s current greatest concern is that he needs to get athletes on campus.

Perry will be recruiting athletes by evaluating their times and distances. He will look at and compare the results of different athletes.
He has been calling high school coaches and track clubs to find eligible athletes willing to run on the collegiate level.

Online forms that Perry created can be filled out by runners if they are interested in competing on the team. The forms include eligibility requirements, personal best times and requests to include any awards or honors the runner has received, either academically or athletically.

Networking is Perry’s biggest recruitment strategy.
“We need to get out there and let people know we have a program and we want people to be a part of it,” Perry said.

The team’s second goal set by Perry is to start building a team of individuals with the goal to compete and go after the conference championship. Perry knows it is not all about winning.

It is more important to help the runners improve individually rather than focus on winning all the time Perry said.
“Coaching to me is mentoring and teaching young people to do their best everyday and to strive for excellence,” Perry said. “We are not perfect, but we need to try to improve everyday.”

Perry wants to make sure his athletes improve on and off the track.
Perry said that if the athletes are not excelling academically as well as athletically then they are not fully succeeding. His athletes need to have a passion for their academics because when they graduate and go beyond running they need to be just as passionate and hard-working towards their career as they are towards their sport.

Perry showed his enthusiasm and excitement for his new team and said he was optimistic towards the future.

“We are going to fake it like we’re going to win it, and in time people will start to believe it,” Perry said. “Before you know it we are going to have a good team, just wait.”

Posted in Sports