Posted 7:35 p.m. Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Andrew Rock’s passion will always surround a track. But now that the 2004 alum is no longer a UW-L track athlete or Olympian, he’s passing the torch to the next generation.
[caption id="attachment_3818" align="alignleft" width="196"]
UW-L Alum Andrew Rock was a gold medalist at the 2004 Olympic Games, 2006 USA Track and Field National Championships, and 2005 World Championships.[/caption]
Andrew Rock is now a track and field coach at Bethel University.[/caption]
Rock even questioned joining the track team. But, once he did, Guthrie and track and field teammates mentored Rock and helped him develop and improve every year. Without that push, Rock says he wouldn’t have known he would have a chance at the Olympics. As a coach, he hopes to inspire athletes that way.
“I talk about being the best you can be and that you don’t know where that is going to lead you,” says Rock. “I achieved a goal I never thought was possible.”
Rock captured nine NCAA III individual titles and participated in eight UW-L national championships. He broke NCAA and UW-L records. He was a gold medalist at the 2004 Olympic Games, 2006 USA Track and Field National Championships, and 2005 World Championships.
But Rock says track is about more than winning the race.
“If it’s always about the end result, that’s tough. You have to appreciate the journey to get there,” he explains. “The significance of my experience at UW-L is not just that I got to go to the Olympics, but the learning that carried over into my life now in my job and in other areas.”
Rock learned about the confidence that comes with strong preparation and how to handle stress and accept results because you did everything you could to succeed. As a track athlete, he would remind himself of these things at the starting line. Today it’s what he reminds his athletes of at national meets.
“Track coaches have an important spot in peoples’ lives and it’s not just about getting them to run fast,” he says.
UW-L Men’s Head Track Coach Josh Buchholtz at this year’s WIAA state track meet. Buchholtz competed in the WIAA track meet for three years during high school. He won the state title in pole vault his senior year.[/caption]
Another UW-L alum who competed in UW-L track and field and continued on to coach is UW-L Men’s Head Track Coach Josh Buchholtz. Buchholtz, ’01, was a five-time All-American in the pole vault.
Buchholtz started helping with the WIAA State Track and Field meet his freshman year at UW-L. He worked all four years of college and became a liaison for field events. That initial move led to being named on-site coordinator of the state meet, beginning in 2011.
“It’s been a great ride to go from a general laborer at the track meet to seeing all the functions and behind the scenes work as this track meet has evolved,” says Buchholtz.
Prior to becoming UW-L head coach, Buchholtz coached track and cross country at UW-Stout from 2002-08. Buchholtz said seeing UW-L from the perspective of another school solidified his desires to return. Buchholtz begins his sixth season as UW-L’s head coach in 2014. NCAA Division III Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Championship win was his third national championship as head coach. The other two were indoor championships.
UW-L held both the NCAA Division III men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championship and the WIAA State Track and Field meet in late May and early June. NCAA brought about 800 athletes and nearly 1,000 fans while the WIAA brought 2,800 athletes and about 19,000 fans.
With all the people funneling into the La Crosse area, the meets have a large, local economic impact. The state meet alone typically brings more than $3 million to the area, says Dave Clements, executive director of the La Crosse Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. The NCAA meet likely generated $1 million.
"For the last three years, La Crosse County has ranked 12th out of 72 Wisconsin counties with the economic impact of tourism. Events like these two track meets are important components of helping us sustain this ranking,” says Clements. “In the last eight years we have climbed from 17th place to 12th place, with our next goal being to break the top 10. Tourism is a fun business, but it is also a serious business in the jobs it creates and the money it brings to our community.”
This is the third time UW-L has held the NCAA III Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Previous years were 1986 and 1997.
UW-L Alum Andrew Rock was a gold medalist at the 2004 Olympic Games, 2006 USA Track and Field National Championships, and 2005 World Championships.[/caption]
UW-L alum transitions from Olympian to college coach
Andrew Rock’s passion will always surround a track. But now that the 2004 alum is no longer a UW-L track athlete or Olympian, he’s passing the torch to the next generation. Rock started as head track coach at Bethel University in July 2012. His first-time head coaching at a national meet was at his alma mater — the NCAA Division III Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Championships May 23-25. The UW-L men's team won the national championship — the 12th time the Eagles outdoor team has won. Rock saw former track teammates at the meet, who like him, are now sharing their knowledge and experience through coaching. “I try hard to inspire these athletes to reach a level they don’t think is possible,” says Rock. That’s what former UW-L track coach Mark Guthrie did for Rock as a freshman and track athlete back in 2000. “I know there a lot of stories out there of kids who dream of going to the Olympics — that wasn’t me,” says Rock. [caption id="attachment_3829" align="alignright" width="183"] Andrew Rock is now a track and field coach at Bethel University.[/caption]
Rock even questioned joining the track team. But, once he did, Guthrie and track and field teammates mentored Rock and helped him develop and improve every year. Without that push, Rock says he wouldn’t have known he would have a chance at the Olympics. As a coach, he hopes to inspire athletes that way.
“I talk about being the best you can be and that you don’t know where that is going to lead you,” says Rock. “I achieved a goal I never thought was possible.”
Rock captured nine NCAA III individual titles and participated in eight UW-L national championships. He broke NCAA and UW-L records. He was a gold medalist at the 2004 Olympic Games, 2006 USA Track and Field National Championships, and 2005 World Championships.
But Rock says track is about more than winning the race.
“If it’s always about the end result, that’s tough. You have to appreciate the journey to get there,” he explains. “The significance of my experience at UW-L is not just that I got to go to the Olympics, but the learning that carried over into my life now in my job and in other areas.”
Rock learned about the confidence that comes with strong preparation and how to handle stress and accept results because you did everything you could to succeed. As a track athlete, he would remind himself of these things at the starting line. Today it’s what he reminds his athletes of at national meets.
“Track coaches have an important spot in peoples’ lives and it’s not just about getting them to run fast,” he says.
Alum Buchholtz takes UW-L Men’s team to victory at NCAA
[caption id="attachment_3835" align="alignright" width="365"] UW-L Men’s Head Track Coach Josh Buchholtz at this year’s WIAA state track meet. Buchholtz competed in the WIAA track meet for three years during high school. He won the state title in pole vault his senior year.[/caption]
Another UW-L alum who competed in UW-L track and field and continued on to coach is UW-L Men’s Head Track Coach Josh Buchholtz. Buchholtz, ’01, was a five-time All-American in the pole vault.
Buchholtz started helping with the WIAA State Track and Field meet his freshman year at UW-L. He worked all four years of college and became a liaison for field events. That initial move led to being named on-site coordinator of the state meet, beginning in 2011.
“It’s been a great ride to go from a general laborer at the track meet to seeing all the functions and behind the scenes work as this track meet has evolved,” says Buchholtz.
Prior to becoming UW-L head coach, Buchholtz coached track and cross country at UW-Stout from 2002-08. Buchholtz said seeing UW-L from the perspective of another school solidified his desires to return. Buchholtz begins his sixth season as UW-L’s head coach in 2014. NCAA Division III Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Championship win was his third national championship as head coach. The other two were indoor championships.
Big crowd, big economic boost
UW-L held both the NCAA Division III men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championship and the WIAA State Track and Field meet in late May and early June. NCAA brought about 800 athletes and nearly 1,000 fans while the WIAA brought 2,800 athletes and about 19,000 fans.
With all the people funneling into the La Crosse area, the meets have a large, local economic impact. The state meet alone typically brings more than $3 million to the area, says Dave Clements, executive director of the La Crosse Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. The NCAA meet likely generated $1 million.
"For the last three years, La Crosse County has ranked 12th out of 72 Wisconsin counties with the economic impact of tourism. Events like these two track meets are important components of helping us sustain this ranking,” says Clements. “In the last eight years we have climbed from 17th place to 12th place, with our next goal being to break the top 10. Tourism is a fun business, but it is also a serious business in the jobs it creates and the money it brings to our community.”
This is the third time UW-L has held the NCAA III Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Previous years were 1986 and 1997.