Championship Cross Country & Distance Running Coaches Clinic Speakers

John McDonnell just recently learned that he is the 2009 recipient of Arkansas' highest honor, the Lifetime Achievement Award. Unfortunately, the ceremony for this prestigious award falls on August 8, the same day as our clinic.

Over the past several days, we've been calling coast to coast in search of the very best replacement for Coach McDonnell – A COACH THAT CAN BEST RELATE TO MIDWESTERN HIGH SCHOOL COACHES!

We believe we have found the perfect coach in the "dean of West Coast Cross Country Coaches," Portland University's Rob Conner.

Coach Conner is nationally known for developing young distance runners. With less than half the scholarships of his Division 1 rivals Connor's teams have won 28 consecutive conference titles, a record that is second only to John McDonnell's past Arkansas teams.

His program consistently competes with the very best "Big Time" programs at the NCAA Championship level and boasts numerous top ten finishes including 7th place at last year's NCAA Cross Country Championships!

Rob Conner
University of Portland Head Men's Track & Field and Cross Country Coach

Coach Conner is set to begin his 20th year as the head cross country and track & field coach at the University of Portland. During that time, the Pilots have earned national recognition as one of the most consistent distance running forces among NCAA Division I competition. In 2008, Conner led the Pilots to a seventh place finish at the NCAA Championships, which equalled the school's highest mark. In addition, it marked the fourth straight year Conner's squad finished in the top 20 at the NCAA Meet. Under Conner's tutelage, Senior David Kinsella placed fourth individually, bettering his own school record and becoming the first Pilot runner to earn multiple cross country All-America honors. Conner has helped guide the Pilots to 30 consecutive West Coast Conference cross country titles, the longest active conference winning streak in the nation. He has earned WCC Coach of the Year honors five times, including three of the last four seasons (1998, 2002, 2005-07). Conner also has been named the West Region Coach of the Year two times (1993, 2007). All but one year since 1991, Conner's team has been ranked in the national Top 25.

• Coach Conner's topics will be:
• Developing a Distance Running Culture of Excellence
• Training Formula for Success

Steve Johnson
Wartburg College Head Men's & Women's Cross Country Coach

Coach Johnson has turned the Knights cross country program into a dominant force in Iowa collegiate cross country. Since 1991, Wartburg has won 20 Iowa Conference team titles, about twice the number of any other conference school. Wartburg has also sent more teams to the national championships than any other Iowa college or university during that time span. In 1991, Wartburg became the first conference school to win both men's and women's team titles in the same year. Wartburg went on to duplicate that feat again in 1994, 1998, 2001, 2002 and 2005. Johnson has been honored as the Iowa Conference Coach of the Year 24 times, including sweeping both the men's and women's honor in 2005.

Coach Johnson's topic is:
• Reaping the Benefits of Team Building

Van Rose
Shawnee Mission Northwest (KS) High School Boy's and Girl's Cross Country and Distance Coach

Kansas coaching legend Van Rose has led his boys' cross country teams at Shawnee Mission Northwest to 19 Class 6A State Championships. His girls' cross country teams have been State Champions 12 times. On eight occasions Northwest Cross Country Teams have finished the year ranked in the top 25 in the United States as determined by The Harrier magazine. The boy's team has run in the Nike Cross Nationals on two occasions.

Coach Rose's topics are:
• Maximizing Your High School Workouts
• Running Healthy: Injury Prevention & Care

Kirk Schmaltz
Ames High School Girl's Cross Country and Track Coach

Currently the Vice President of the Iowa Track Coaches Association, Coach Schmaltz has built the Ames High Girl's program into a top contender year after year. Schmaltz's cross country teams have qualified for State 25 out of 27, finishing as runners-up twice. He has also coached one individual state champ. As an assistant on the girl's track team, Schmaltz was a part of five state championship squads. He has been honored as the Girl's Cross Country Coach of the Year, and is a 12-time Regional Cross Country Coach of the Year.

Coach Schmaltz's topic is:
• Recruitment and Retention for High School Success

Steve Bobenhouse
Fitness Sports Owner

Steve Bobenhouse has been the owner and operator of Fitness Sports in Des Moines for more than 35 years. He is an adjunct professor for the Des Moines University Podiatry School, and has been the race director for the Living History Farms Race for 25 years. Bobenhouse is a shoe consultant for six major shoe companies, and has done design work for Saucony Shoes.

Steve Bobenhouse will be part of the roundtable discussion. The topic will be:
• Running Healthy: Injury Prevention & Care

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