Coaches Corner for March 31st: Maggie Lloyd, Ogden Track

Joining us on Coach's Corner here in KWBG, going to talk some Ogden Track today. Maggie Lloyd joining us as the Bulldogs. Boys, some real solid numbers and they're really hoping that weather is nice to us on Thursday. We're crossing fingers.

Maggie, maybe we need to talk and get all of our mayors together and see if we can get a dome put up on Boone County on Thursday. We'll talk more about that here in just a few. But track season, I know you're super excited that they've been going now.

Indoor season looks like it was pretty successful for you guys. Yeah, we had our indoor season. We went to UNI. We took the boys and girls on two different days there.

And then Iowa State, that same week, they changed things up and we got to take the boys and girls to the same meet. It was just an all two way boys and girls, which was different this year. And I really liked that.

I don't like not being able to go and watch, you know, our athletes compete. We have to split and that sort of thing. So, yeah, the indoor meet ended well. We got to bring probably the most numbers we have to the Iowa State indoor meet. That is one you have to qualify for.

And with some of our events last year, we get to use those times. So we got to bring the large numbers and got to kind of set that starting point for our season and start seeing where our kids were at. All right. So I know you and I obviously is different than Iowa State.

I'm going to get just an opinion from you real quick. Are you OK with having to qualify for Iowa State? Or should that be maybe a little bit closer to what you and I is like? I like that it's a qualifying. I think it becomes more competitive.

I wish it was later in the season and not that first week of indoor season because it doesn't allow us to really see what our kids are at this year. So and it kind of, you know, if you get to use time from last year, often you're not using the same athletes.

So some kids that are in a fast or maybe in a really fast heat. And they're not ready for that yet. So there's mixed feelings. I like that we have to qualify. I just wish it was towards the end of the indoor season, end of March type of time.

Don't disagree with you on that one for sure. All right. Let's start on the girls side of things. Obviously, we lost some really nice talent last year with that senior class.

And we've got some girls, though, that have been on the track, have been through, like I always like to say, the wars of a track meet with you, coach, and it sounds like we're right around 30 girls, which tells me I know we're going to have some inexperience.

I know we're going to have some youth, but we've got some nice veterans that are back, too. Yeah, we do. Yeah, we're right around 30 for the girls side. And we're young overall. We have three seniors that are out still this year and probably brought in about 11 freshmen.

So between the freshmen and sophomores, they're making up a little over 50 percent of our girls side. So, yes, very young.

But we've got some juniors and seniors that have been around for the last two or three years that are great leaders and really encouraging those young kids and kind of teaching them along the way. I think the one thing, too, is Maggie, when I hear 30 girls, that's a good number.

I feel great about just being able to mix and match. And that sounds like something you guys really want to do.

You talked about, you know, with Ogden being in class two way, that that can be a little difficult when it comes down to relays and individuals when it comes to trying to get to state.

I think you've got opportunities, though, to really figure out, OK, here's where we feel the best on this relay, this individual, this and this. I mean, that's going to be really big for, I think, the girls side this year. Yeah, absolutely.

You know, we're one of the smaller two way schools. So we're competing against some of those larger schools that we don't see all the time. And the opportunity is there for us. You know, we've got kids that we can mix and match and put our best relays together.

Our hurdle teams are always really talented. Graydon does a great job with them. And we've got a lot of girls coming back to run that. So I'm excited to see where that relay goes. You know, we've got some good mid distance and.

You know, our four by eight team did well in the indoor meet, so they are going to be competitive. And yeah, putting those, you know, our team, that sprint that we can mix and match all those types of relays and see where we go. Boys side of things.

And I thought Maggie was messing with me. I'm like, wait, she's a day early from April Fool's, but she said they're pretty much the same as the girls numbers. Coach, we're sitting right about 30 boys out as well. We are. I think usually we have way more boys than girls.

But this year we are pretty even. I think maybe one extra boy over the girls. But yeah, we're right around 30 on both. And so we're excited for that as well. And we've got a few more seniors on that side.

But again, you know, freshmen and sophomores are making up just maybe under 50 percent of the team. Kind of felt like to Maggie with this with this boys group. And you talked about, you know, maybe having just a little bit more when it comes to upperclassmen.

But it feels like we've got maybe some kids that I don't know. We change in the water over there a little bit. We might have some sprinters here this spring, huh? Yeah, we might have some sprinters. You know, last year, our sprinters were so young.

And so now they are, you know, juniors. We did bring in a freshman, some freshman sprinters as well this year. But, you know, as a sprinter, typically the older you get, the stronger you get, the faster you get on the boys side.

So our sprinters are getting older and now we're getting faster. And I'm hoping to put together some sprint relays this year. 30 kids. Obviously, it's not tremendously, you know, tremendous depth, but still pretty good depth. Do you feel pretty good about where you're looking at?

You know, if we if we need to move somebody out of a four by two, I could maybe move them to an open two. I can get somebody that can kind of pop into that spot. Yeah, I do feel that way. And so I'm excited to mix and match some kids and see what records we can break this year.

That's always fun. All right. So I know we kind of joked about it when we got started about maybe needing a dome on Thursday. That's the first chance to get outdoors here this year, Maggie.

I know really crossing fingers, maybe Mother Nature will be nice to us as always, though she's undefeated. What do you want to see Thursday if we get a chance to get this meet in? You know, I just I want a starting point for some things.

You know, when we go to the indoor meets, we can't run all of our events. We're in an indoor, a smaller track. So I'm excited to see some opens that we haven't gotten to do and some different relays work on our handoff.

You know, discus for field events haven't actually had a chance to throw. So having that opportunity. But, you know, we put together we did some run off and put together a good boys four by one. I want to see if we have a chance to get them to the Drake relays.

So we're limited on opportunities to qualify. I'm not sure I asked when the last time boys we've been taking girls to the Drake relays for the four by one, but we weren't sure the last time that the boys have had a four by one qualify. So that is a goal of ours this year.

The boys are super dedicated to making that work. Oh, it's good. Drake relays is never a bad goal to have is all. I'm going to tell you there. Never bet. No, never, never. Maggie, as always, thank you so much for some time. Best of luck getting this thing in on Thursday.

And we'll talk to you again here in a couple of weeks. Thanks so much. You bet. Maggie Lloyd again joining us. Ogden Girls and Boys track here on Coaches Corner.