CROSS COUNTRY: GENDER HAS BEEN NO BARRIER TO SUCCESS FOR FLINTRIDGE'S HERSKIND.Byline: Kirby Lee Special to the Daily News Ingrid Herskind has grown accustomed to the response when she identifies herself as the Flintridge Prep cross country coach or while picking up race packets and numbers at invitationals. Flintridge Prep? Girls' coach? ``No, boys,'' Herskind has repeated countless times with a smile. It is a common misconception mis·con·cep·tion n. A mistaken thought, idea, or notion; a misunderstanding: had many misconceptions about the new tax program. but a stereotype stereotype (stĕr`ĕətīp'), plate from which printing is done, made by casting metal in a mold, usually of paper pulp. The process was patented in 1725 by the Scottish inventor William Ged. Herskind is helping to change. Herskind, in her third year as the Flintridge Prep boys' coach, is among a growing number of women coaching boys' cross country teams in California. Last season, Herskind, 32, became only the second woman to lead a boys' team to the state title when the Rebels won the Division V championship. Herskind can become the first to win two in a row in the state championships Saturday at Woodward Park Woodward Park (34 acres) is a public park, botanical garden, and arboretum located between 21st Street and 24th Street, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA. It is open to the public daily. in Fresno. Pam Thompson led Saugus to the boys' state Division II cross country title in 1997 to become the first woman to coach a boys' team to a state crown. ``It is hard for anyone to come into a new situation as coach,'' said Thompson, who has coached at Saugus for four years. ``There is a lot of flack. Being a female is another one to latch onto. Change is kind of hard for parents and kids with preconceived notions Noun 1. preconceived notion - an opinion formed beforehand without adequate evidence; "he did not even try to confirm his preconceptions" parti pris, preconceived idea, preconceived opinion, preconception, prepossession . It takes a lot of persistence and strength of character for either gender.'' Dawn Dziuban and Lisa Williams Lisa Williams (born in Birmingham, England) is a self-described medium and clairvoyant starring in a show on Lifetime called Lisa Williams: Life Among the Dead. The show follows Williams on a typical day, as she allegedly communicates with the dead, investigates haunted , who led the Lancaster boys to their third straight Golden League title, along with Jill Cameron of Chatsworth and Kennedy's Vicky Wagenbach, are other area women coaching boys' cross country teams. Kate Cerruti is the track coach at Crespi, an all-boys school. Herskind had a smooth transition at Flintridge Prep after serving as an assistant coach for a year. The Colorado native took over in 1997 and guided the Rebels to a runner-up finish Noun 1. runner-up finish - a finish in second place (as in a race) second-place finish finish - designated event that concludes a contest (especially a race); "excitement grew as the finish neared"; "my horse was several lengths behind at the finish"; "the in the state meet. This season, Flintridge Prep won its eighth consecutive Prep League title and the Southern Section Division V title despite losing three of its top six from last year's team. ``She is an amazing a·maze v. a·mazed, a·maz·ing, a·maz·es v.tr. 1. To affect with great wonder; astonish. See Synonyms at surprise. 2. Obsolete To bewilder; perplex. v.intr. person in the way she coaches,'' junior Ian Pocock said. ``She is confident of herself and her gender and doesn't worry about it. All of us have so much respect for her. I can't say our team has a lot of natural talent, but we've gone far with the training and team spirit she has given us.'' Coaching runs in the Herskind family. Ingrid's mother Suzanne Kuhl is the boys' and girls' coach at Lewis Palmer High in Monument, Colo., and coached Herskind in her senior year there in 1985. Herskind, a former distance swimmer who was a member of three Eastern Conference champion teams at Brown University, coached the boys' and girls' cross country, track and swimming teams at Randolph High in Huntsville, Ala ALA aminolevulinic acid. Ala alanine. ala (a´lah) pl. a´lae [L.] a winglike process. ., before coming to Flintridge Prep to serve as an assistant in 1996. ``Coaching is my favorite My Favorite is an independent synthpop band from Long Island, New York. They released two CDs: Love at Absolute Zero and Happiest Days of Our Lives. My Favorite broke up on September 14, 2005, when singer Andrea Vaughn left the band. part of the day,'' said Herskind, a history teacher at Flintridge Prep. ``I think given the opportunity a lot of women can do it. I was not really thinking about the idea of a woman coaching boys. I was just excited for the opportunity to coach.'' Herskind, who competes in triathlons, runs or rides a bike with the team daily in practice. She also coached the swimming team for three years. This fall, however, Herskind, decided to drop swimming, a sport she competed in for 15 years, to focus her efforts on cross country and coaching distance runners distance runner n. A runner who competes in distance races. in track. ``There are a lot of connections, mentally and in training, between swimming and cross country,'' Herskind said. ``I really love swimming and it seems strange to leave it because I have been around it for so long. I feel I can be more of an active coach in cross country than just shouting on the deck. I am really enjoying the idea of a team attitude.'' Flintridge Prep's performance in the Southern Section championships was a model in team grouping. The Rebels beat Downey Calvary Chapel Calvary Chapel is a non-denominational, Protestant fellowship of churches which began in 1965 in Southern California. The term "fellowship of churches" is used in contrast to a denomination. 65-100 without a runner among the top 10 to set a school record with a team time of 83 minutes, 14 seconds on the hilly hill·y adj. hill·i·er, hill·i·est 1. Having many hills. 2. Similar to a hill; steep. hill , 3-mile course at Mt. San Antonio College Mt. San Antonio College (commonly called Mt. SAC; pronounced as the word "sack") is a community college located in the Los Angeles suburb of Walnut, California, next to California State Polytechnic University, Pomona which is just over a hill. Mt. . Pocock and junior West Vane Vane , John Robert 1927-2004. British pharmacologist. He shared a 1982 Nobel Prize for research on prostaglandins. vane the membranous or main part of the contour feather in birds as distinct from the shaft. gave the Rebels a solid 1-2 punch in 11th and 13th. The Rebels' three other scorers, seniors Steve McQuaide and Imran Ahmad and junior Steve Pearson, all finished among the top 30 with a 43-second gap between the first and fifth runners. Pearson, Vane, senior Brian Twomey and junior Ken Kim are all first-year varsity runners. ``We have a solid group of guys, but working together is our main strength,'' McQuaide said. ``I attribute a lot of our success to her. She always keeps you going with an encouragement whether you are up front or not. She talks to you as a coach to an athlete but also on a personal level. She means a tremendous amount to us personally. She is just a great friend.'' MAKING A RUN Flintridge Prep coach Ingrid Herskind will attempt to become the first female coach to lead a boys' team to two consecutive state titles in the cross country championships Saturday at Woodward Park in Fresno. A look at the third-year coach's achievements: 1997 State Division V runner-up 1998 State Division V champions 1999 Southern Section Division V champions CAPTION(S): Photo, box Photo: Flintridge Prep coach Ingrid Herskind is attempting to be the first woman to coach a boys' team to consecutive state titles. Flintridge Prep won the Division V title last season and was runner-up in 1997. Kirby Lee/Special to the Daily News Box: MAKING A RUN (See text) |
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