Central High School counselor and head cross country coach addresses teh Westosha-Salem Kiwanis Club meeting Thursday.
Keith Olsen, counselor and cross country coach at Central High School in Paddock Lake, was the guest speaker for the Jan. 16 meeting of the Westosha-Salem Kiwanis Club at Bristol Oaks Country Club in Bristol.
Olsen, nominated last year by a runner he coached in early 1990s for one of the 35 top most inspirational coaches in the US, addressed a variety of topics, including his coaching techniques, leadership and today’s teens. He is a graduate of Central High School and currently is the head of the guidance department. He has been a coach at Central for 29 years. He has twice had both the boys and girls cross country teams qualify for state in the same year.
Following are a few quotes from Olsen’s remarks.
On how to be successful in distance running, he said:
“Catch the person in front of you, and don’t get passed by the person behind you.”
On motivating teens to achieve:
“If you tap into the right energy with teen aged kids and they will do anything for you … If they buy into it, they will really work hard.”
On teens today:
“We have a lot of terrific kids out there I see kids do amazing things.”
What he tells students he counsels about their parents:
“While it’s not easy to be a teenager, it not easy to be a parent of a teenager.”
On coaching:
“I don’t think winning is my be all end all, but trying is my end all, be all.”
Thanks so much for coming and being a part of the evening. Keith did a masterful presentation. Great evening for all.
Tom