Head Clarke Central High School track and field coach Justin Jones poses for a photo near the gallery in the New Gym on Jan. 24. Jones believes that the benefits of track and field go far beyond what runners learn at practice. “I’ve rarely had a track and field athlete who’s good on the track but not good in the classroom,” Jones said. “The focus, it has to be there. It has to be there. That’s one of the things I want to build here.” Photo by Alexander Robinson
Sports staffer Alexander Robinson sits down to interview head CCHS track and field coach Justin Jones about the program’s record and performance.
Alexander Robinson: What brought you to be a track coach here at Clarke Central High School?
Justin Jones: You know, first, track and field to me is the original sport. I guess I began running track when I was about eight years old. I got into it just to get ready for football, but it taught me self-discipline. It also taught me to continue to work because track and field is a tough sport. You have to put in the work and you can’t cheat the sport by not doing the work. That’s the reason why I really like the sport. If we can get young people to stick with it over a period of time, they’ll be better people.
AR: What would you say has been the greatest challenge you’ve faced as a track and field coach here?
JJ: Just the buy-in. Getting kids to understand how it can benefit them in the long-run, in any other sport they compete in. In track and field, on a daily basis, we’re working on how to run and we’re running efficiently. I tell them every day, ‘If anything in life is gonna be worth having, it’s gonna be hard work.’ Track is hard work. But if you put the work in, it may take two years, it may take three years, but it will eventually pay off. You see the difference.
AR: Alternatively, have you seen that payoff yet?
JJ: I have seen that. I would say the most rewarding thing I have seen are the kids coming back, knowing it’s going to be tough. Expecting it and wanting to push themselves. I had a lot of young men come back. It’ll be my first season with the girls, but a lot of the guys came back and they knew it was going to be tough. They’re encouraging their teammates, they’re encouraging the young ladies because they know that if they put the work in, they’ll have some success on that track.
