Strength over weakness. Bob Jones University Cross Country Track and Field Coach Ken Roach used this phrase to describe the team’s mentality. According to Coach Roach, this mentality carries over to all the team’s work, both on and off the track. Strength over weakness includes both physical strength and a focus on academics, he said. This focus is the core of the program: developing high impact athletes.
Coach Roach said he prefers not to use the term “student athlete.” He feels it’s not adequate to describe the team. He does not seek to develop students that do athletics, but instead to cultivate students who develop their whole person. Students who have impact across campus and build their character.
“I try my best to invest in them as a whole, more holistically,” Coach Roach said. “We have our college athletics and have to go and try to compete. But I try to give space and room for them to express their talents across the campus.”
BJU’s Cross Country Track and Field Team is a great way to develop character. The team has three segments of their season: fall, winter and spring. In the fall, the Bruins compete in cross-country endurance running. In the winter, they compete in indoor track, and outdoor track in the spring. The team also operates differently from the typical BJU teams. Most Bruins teams are in a specific division. This team is not. Since they compete on an invitational basis, they compete against a wide variety of universities. These Bruins compete against athletes from large universities that are on television (such as Clemson University), according to Coach Roach.
The setup for the season pushes the students to excel, but it also is spread out enough to allow the athletes to have a life outside the team. However, that isn’t to say that they don’t work hard. The Bruins didn’t get nine national championships in a row by slacking off.
Especially because they compete against bigger schools, the Bruins face some unique challenges. For instance, bigger schools have a larger staff who can focus more on training athletes in specific events, such as sprints or jumps. The Bruins have limited staff and resources, which means training is given a more all-around focus.
“It gives us opportunities,” Coach Roach said. “It helps us to stay really grounded and hyper focused on making sure we get all of the basics right.”
The team is currently in its outdoor track and field portion of the season. This past fall, they won the national championship in the cross-country portion. While the highlights obviously include the championships, they also include representing BJU.
Coach Roach is optimistic about the season. Many of the athletes now have more experience. Roach encouraged students to support the team and do so while recognizing the goals of the team and that they help to represent and further the BJU mission.
