BOYS’ TRACK AND FIELD

Kelly Christensen

Palmer Ridge

If Palmer Ridge coach Kelly Christensen being named Coach of the Year sounds familiar, it’s because this is the second time in eight months that he’s won the award.

Christensen coached the Palmer Ridge boys’ cross country team to its first state championship in the fall, and then guided the boys’ track and field squad to its second straight 4A state title this spring.

“This is definitely an honor, but it’s not what motivates me as a coach,” Christensen said of personal accolades. “But if it’s part of the process, and it means our programs are doing well, then I happily accept. There are so many great coaches in the city, so this feels great.”

Christensen took over the track and field job before the season when former coach Josh Trahan took a job as an assistant principal/athletic director at Alamosa.

Christensen was an assistant on the staff under Trahan, but found out that being the head coach is a different ballgame.

“Trying to coach 172 kids is much more challenging than coaching a smaller cross country team, and I didn’t spend a lot of time at home for about three months,” Christensen said. “In track, you have a lot of different types of personalities, and it’s hard to try to fuel seven different kinds of personalities.”

After committing so much time and effort to two different programs, and winning state titles in both, Christensen found himself a little misty-eyed when it was all said and done.

“I’ve always made fun of other coaches and mentors in my life for getting emotional after wins,” he said. “But this year I think I lost it six or seven times watching our kids accomplish their goals and dreams at the state meet. Saying goodbye to the seniors does something different to you. I’m in it for the long haul. I don’t know if it’ll get easier, but I learned a lot this year, and the second time around should be better.”

JUSTIN SHAW, THE GAZETTE