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THE WRIGHT STUFF -
Kirby Lee
A look at the coaching accomplishments of 17-year Poly boys cross country
coach, who will retire after the state meet on Saturday.
State Division I championships 1997, 1998, 2000
Southern Section championships 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000
Southern Section runner-up 2001
Moore League championships 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002
George Wright's final trip to Woodward Park in Fresno for the state championships
as Poly High boys cross country will be no different on Saturday.
Once again, Wright has wagered his runners for a dinner at Bennigan's
restaurant on his tab for a victory in the Division I final. Wright has
come out on the losing end three times after the Jackrabbits won state
championships in 1997, 1998 and 2000.
Four, counting a visit in 1999 to the upscale eatery when Wright made
an exception after Poly finished seventh but felt the team had run to
its potential.
Whatever the outcome in Saturday's Division I final, it's likely that
the team will be making the familiar short drive from Woodward Park down
Highway 41 to Blackstone Ave for a stop at Bennigan's for dinner. This
time, Wright will be the guest of honor.
The state championships will be the last meet for 17th-year coach who
has transformed Poly from an also ran into the one of the state's program.
When he first took over as a last-minute hire in 1985, there were no uniforms
and the team had difficulty fielding a team of a minimum of five runners.
It took nearly a week to locate where the runners met for workouts.
``We weren't very good and it wasn't a whole lot of fun,'' said Wright,
who began teaching at Poly in 1981 after coaching swimming at Lakewood
High.
That changed in 1996 when Poly won its first Southern Section title since
1943 to begin a string of an unprecedented five large school titles. This
fall, Poly won a record seventh Moore League title with a sweep of the
first seven places. The Jackrabbits had not won a league title since 1973
before Wright.
``Cross country has become a better known sport on campus,'' Wright said.
``I think the athletes were there but always playing other sports. They
say success breeds success. Each year there are new seniors for younger
kids to use as good examples to follow.''
This year's senior class of Hugo Aguilar, Kevin Brulois, Ed Giles, Luis
Ruiz, Johnny Villarreal and Kevin Word has been particularly special to
Wright. He had planned to retire from coaching last year but and decided
to come back for a final season as an obligation to the seniors that had
contributed to the program's success since freshmen.
``It's a great group, just like family,'' Wright said. ``They are so dedicated
that I felt that I had to stick around and I am glad I did.''
Wright's contributions to Poly go beyond his knowledge of running as a
triathlete where the 59-year-old Los Alamitos resident's credentials include
five-time age-group titles in the Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii, world championships
and 13 national titles.
``He's one of the most generous people I know,'' Brulois said. ``He puts
in a lot of effort to make the team what it is. If there is anything wrong,
he is ready to put himself out there and help. It's really helpful when
the coach is an athlete and not just yelling at you with a bull horn.''
Aaron Durham , a 2000 Poly graduate who ran on all of the Jackrabbits'
state champion teams, has similar memories of Wright. Durham is among
four brothers to run under Wright, beginning with Chad, the 1997 individual
state champion, Bryan, a 2001 graduate, and Ethan, who completed his freshman
season this fall.
``He connects with everybody,'' Aaron Durham said. `You'll be hard pressed
to find anybody who doesn't admire him. He's kind of everything and practice
is something that you look forward to every day after school.''
And sometimes before. Wright regularly throws in 5:45 a.m. workouts into
the team's training regimen. He often runs with the team to keep a watchful
eye for those who might try catching a few winks after dashing around
a corner. In the end, Wright, though, makes it worthwhile for those that
make the workout.
``He always takes you out for breakfast and I love that,'' Word said.
``He never backs down on us but he always wants the best and to see us
succeed. He always pushes to achieve our goals and goes the extra mile
for us.''
That has included week-long cross country skiing trips in his cabin in
Mammoth as a reward to the 1998 and 2000 state champion teams. He also
opens up for his cabin for the Jackrabbits' summer training camp often
attended by alumni. In recent years, however, the Jackrabbits has had
to rent additional cabins with the growth of the team that has swelled
to 44 this fall.
There's also weekly team dinners. His wife Barbara, known as ``Mrs. Coach''
to the team, is often by his husband's side, taping ankles and passing
out race numbers at meets.
``It's an overall dedication to the program whether running early in the
morning and giving them breakfast or team dinners that has led to his
success,'' assistant coach Mike Fillipow said. ``It's kind of a total
package. It's not one thing. It's a lot of little things that add up to
the big picture.''
Fillipow, the school's swim coach, has been given the task of following
in Wright's legacy as cross country coach next fall. Fillipow served as
an assistant swim coach to Wright for seven years before taking over as
head coach in 1997. Fillipow, a longtime triathlon training partner of
Wright, doesn't foresee the transition to cross country much differently.
``We know each other thinks and works, there's not going to be a lot of
changes,'' Fillipow said. ``I've learned so much from him. George's style
and mine are very similar and complimentary. I am not going to change
something that works.''
Wright has been looking forward to traveling and his pastimes of skiing
and backpacking next year. But with the state meet rapidly approaching,
Wright has not had time to reflect on his future after coaching. He's
not sure what to expect when he steps to the awards stand for the final
time on Saturday.
``It's starting to hit me,'' Wright said. ``It is going to be kind of
weird. When I look back, the championships will be great but I'll remember
the great relationships that were special and the good times that we had.''
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