2023 All-Area boys' cross-country Coach of the Year: Tuscola's Neal Garrison

Dec. 3—Boys' cross-country: Neil Garrison

Why he's Coach of the Year

One of Illinois' flattest counties has produced the state's fastest Class 1A boys' cross-country runners in the last two seasons. Neal Garrison's Tuscola squad earned its first-ever state title in November, one season after making its debut appearance in the state final meet at Peoria's Detweiller Park. Seeing four Warriors in the top four was a common occurrence throughout the season, with Jackson Barrett, Will Foltz and Josiah Hortin all placing within the top 10 at the state meet and Blake McLeese placing 74th. Garrison — formerly a state-title winning coach at Mahomet-Seymour — dropped by our newsroom to chat about what has sparked Tuscola's success:

What has the transition from

Mahomet-Seymour to Tuscola been like during the last two seasons?

"I started working at Eastern Illinois University, then went to Fisher, which is tiny, and then went to Catlin, which is tiny. And I really like the small schools because you get to know the people well (and) I feel like you can make a difference if you get to know them well.

"And then Mahomet just had more job security. I figured that Catlin eventually had to consolidate and it did, so I figured if I worked for a big school, that would be a solid one. But it kept growing and growing and there's nothing wrong with that because they've got a lot to offer because of their size, but getting to know people as a counselor is difficult. So now it's back to 280-some students versus 1,000-some, so that's been great."

How much fun has this group of Tuscola runners been to coach?

"Generally, cross-country people are super-disciplined and generally, it carries over to their academics.. And this group, I'm not saying they're not that, but they're more charismatic and they've got a lot of spirit. They definitely make it fun, and I run with them. That's because I want to get to know them as people and a part of it is I can literally coach versus just saying, 'Here's a workout, go do it.' It gives me a chance to get to know them, gives me a chance to coach them, but a lot of it is, they're so fun.

"I love the sport and I love people. So it's a nice little match because my wife and I both were runners for Eastern Illinois and loved it there. My wife actually did cross-country and track. I hated distance, so I was a sprinter. I was really never going to coach and it happened just because it's just a great way to connect with people. If I've got some knowledge and experience, I hope to be able to use it and pass it along."

How do you balance coaching

with family responsibilities?

"The plan (was to) never coach, even though I've done it for about 30 years. So it's always a year-by-year basis. But when I had my kid, my wife teaches, too, so she's just as busy, and I was doing track and cross-country and she's like, 'You have to give up one,' just because it almost makes her like a single parent.

"And my poor kid, the first year, it was not a big deal, but when he was a year and a few months, if I'd go take out the trash, he'd break down in tears because he's like, 'I'm not going to see him',' and it literally was because if I went to a meet, I got home at 10 and he was in bed. It would literally seem like days to him when he didn't see me.

"But cross-country is a shorter season and I've learned to love the sport more, probably because everybody's got one event. We all kind of suffer equally and appreciate each other in that regard. It's nice for me. I don't show up at all in the summers. I know that's probably against the grain, but I don't show up at all in the summers and just spend time with my family and then during the season, I do the least amount of meets possible. Legally you have to do six meets before the state series or you can't run in the state series. So I do six meets, no more, and then that gives more time for my family."

You mentioned you enjoy running with your family. What is that like?

"When we travel, we always take a picture of whatever country we run in. So this summer we went to six (countries), and I have pictures of my son Grant and I running in some weird countries, like Bosnia and Montenegro. ... We love the sport, but more so we like it that you meet people. Like after a 5K, everybody is happy for everybody. It doesn't matter if it's somebody old or young, you're happy for them. And I think it's not that people aren't competitive, but they're more competitive with themselves than against their competition.

"My wife and I, the first day we met, I said, 'Hey let's go for a run.' I saw she had a state track meet shirt on. We ran together and I think that's why she kind of went out for the team. Eventually, we got married."

What moment from this season stands out as the most rewarding?

"Their willingness to run in packs at meets and give up personal glory for each other. That's what I value the most, is that they've got that figured out. We usually run as a pack and the times that we get to grow with each other as human beings are the priceless moments.

"Whether we win or lose, I hate to say, it doesn't matter to me. I know it sounds like I don't mean it, but that's how it happens. If we're not focused on winning, you're just focused on being around each other and helping build each other, helping each other make a better person and the (winning) stuff happens secondary, I guess."

JOEY WRIGHT