Track

Track is a spring sport at Marian. Marian has been Class A State Runners Up three times: 1996, 2003 and 2007 and has had numerous individual and relay state champions. Greg Golka serves as Varsity Track Head Coach and can be reached at golkag@omahamarian.org.

2023 Team

Head Coach: Greg Golka
Assistant Coaches: Roger Wright, Scot Rainbolt, Patrick Cochran, Tia Jones
Student Managers: Zamera Issaka, Wosuk Ando, Poni Loala

Coaching and Team Philosophy

We believe that being a part of the Track team should be a positive experience for everyone. We believe that the key ingredients to make that happen are: being a part of the team, hard work, dedication to improvement and fun. We welcome anyone to the team who is willing to live into the expectations of the team.

Feeling like you are an important part of the team and having fun motivates individuals to work hard and to make a commitment to one’s teammates and to one’s self to improve. Hard work and a commitment to improve leads to individual success. Success on the individual level makes a team competitive on the state level. SO . . .

TEAM + COMMITMENT + FUN = INDIVIDUAL & TEAM SUCCESS

As coaches, we strive to challenge and train our athletes physically and we are committed to learning and implementing the most effective coaching techniques. We also believe that burnout is a real issue in track and field, so our goal is for our athletes to peak at the right time without overtraining them.

Team Expectations

• GIVE 100% EFFORT — you have to push yourself and your body to do things that it hasn’t done before in order to get better. Everyone, NO MATTER WHAT YOUR ABILITY LEVEL IS, can improve as the season goes along if you work at it.
• ATTEND ALL PRACTICES — we have practice everyday from 4:00 p.m. until approximately 5:30 p.m. If you have excessive unexcused absences, you will be asked to leave the team. This means that doctor’s or other appointments and travel plans must be made around practice time. Unexcused absences are absences that you yourself did not clear with a coach, or your reason for being absent was not ok’d by the coach(es). We are willing to work with things that pop up in your life, but we need to know that you are committed to the team and to getting better. If you need to miss a practice or meet, you need to give Mr. Golka a note from your parent stating the reason for the absence.
• PUT THE TEAM FIRST — Your teammates and coaches are counting on you. Always think about the needs of the team before you think about yourself. Cheer each other on—if you make others feel like they are a part of the team, you’ll never feel like you are going on to the track/runway/ring by yourself. When we all watch out for each other, each of us gets what we need (and that might be different from what we “want”).
• BE A LEADER AND TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR MAKING THE TEAM BETTER — When we all work hard to accomplish something, everyone wins. Peer pressure can persuade people to take the easy way out or it can make working hard something that is expected. Winning teams and true competitors thrive in an environment where hard work is encouraged and rewarded. You can make a difference and demand the best from your teammates and from yourself.
• COMPETE — You will be competing in several meets during the season. Which meets and how many will depend on your level of talent. The top three available performers in each event (four in the case of relays) will compete in varsity events. The “varsity” can and will change throughout the year, so a person who is not in the top three at the beginning of the year may work their way up, and a person who starts the year competing on the varsity level may drop out depending on their performance.
• BEHAVE LIKE MATURE, SUCCESSFUL ATHLETES — Your behavior can have a dramatic effect on the team, positively or negatively. True athletes listen to coaches’ instructions, treat their teammates with respect, and conduct themselves in a manner expected of a Marian student. Any behavior or attitude that is harmful to the team will not be tolerated.
• HAVE FUN! — Our goal is to make being a part of the Track team a positive experience. If you work hard, compete well, get better, enjoy and encourage your teammates, this season will be fun.