Track coaches talk challenges of coaching in the inner city

First-year Lynn Classical girls track coach Steve Martin has faced a challenge finding spaces for his team to practice this season.”It’s super difficult for us to get consistent workouts in,” Martin said. “We do not have a home track.”English is in the same position. We are only able to use the Lynn Tech gym basically two days a week. One is 7:30 a.m. Saturday. It’s tough to get the girls to go to (that).”Finding practice locations is one of several challenges that inner-city track coaches face, based on phone interviews with several local coaches. Other difficulties are having team members who must balance jobs with schoolwork and athletics; and rosters that are smaller than those of competing schools.”Peabody has 200 kids in their program,” said Martin. “They have more kids throwing the shot put than I had on my whole team. Their program’s huge. They have a track at their school. Swampscott, Marblehead (do too). The kids, once they’re done with classes, it’s easy and convenient to go to the gym, go in and get out of there.”Martin said that his team members must get rides to Tech. However, he added, “Some kids can’t get rides. Some can.”You do the best you can. If it’s a good winter, you go outside a handful of times. The girls have to bundle up in cold weather.”Even when a school has its own track, as is the case with Revere, jobs can make it difficult for team members to get to practices or meets.”At the relays at the Reggie Lewis Center Saturday, we had one boy who was (working) at Macy’s from 12 midnight to 6 a.m.,” Revere boys track coach Jack Mosko said. “He went home, had something to eat and was on the bus at 7:30.”Mosko added, “Some days, he says, ‘Coach, I’ve got to go to work.’ I give him a workout on the side.””Inner-city kids have a lot of difficult obstacles that you don’t face when out in the suburbs, the Gloucesters, the Marbleheads, the Swampscotts,” Mosko said, adding that he works with students and families to achieve their goals.Despite these difficulties, coaches and players in Lynn and Revere have shown a tenacity to compete.Martin’s Rams are 2-3, just one game below .500, after a 73.67-12.33 loss to Peabody on Thursday. While the score was lopsided, Classical had several winners: Anna Wargo in the 300 and Carla Altema in the hurdles.Mosko’s Patriots are 5-0 and face Peabody Monday for the league championship.”It would be amazing,” Mosko said of the possibility of a Revere win.Rich Tenorio can be reached at [email protected].