Laura Rude, Staff Reporter
Originally published December 10, 2015

This year Bob Mirenzi won coach of the year. Since 1999, Mirenzi has been coaching boys track and cross country for Ballard. Six years ago he also began coaching girls cross country.

As a coach, Mirenzi has strong feelings as to why he likes coaching and continues to. Mirenzi likes the idea that because of cross country being a no-cut sport, everyone that shows up is equal. “I kind of like the idea that I am offering a varsity level high school sports experience for anybody who wants to do it . . . If you show up every day and you are at every meet, that’s my big requirement.” This year members of the cross country team went to state and then off to even higher competition.

Mirenzi ran on an undefeated high school team for four years and got back involved with the sport when his daughter started participating in 1999.

As an athlete there are many pressures and obstacles, and having a good coach really changes the game. Mirenzi has strong beliefs and ideas about running and that really affects the way he coaches. “The thing about running is if you show up and do the work you get better. There is always somebody that is going to beat you so it’s not like you’re trying to be the best, you’re just trying to get better,” Mirenzi said.

“A lot of this has to do with timing,” Mirenzi said on cross country’s success. “There is a lot of factors to make this happen. All the years of coaching go into it, having the right athletics here at the right time,” Mirenzi said. ,” Mirenzi said.
“The first four years of coaching we were Metro League and the city schools weren’t really held in too high regard, and the kids on our team had the attitude that they would never beat the Catholic schools and why bother,” Mirenzi said. He went on to tell them that if they worked hard everyday they could beat those schools. And sure enough their fourth year right before they went to 4A they had beat every school except for Blanchet and Prep. Then 10 years later they came back and finished the job by beating all of them.