Between the cross country and track seasons, there is a winter “off-season” from November to February. During these months, Neal Blackburn, the head cross country and track coach, tries to keep student athletes invested in fine tuning their capabilities before the next season approaches.
“I provide a specific plan for our track and field athletes to follow to best prepare them for their respective seasons,” Blackburn said. “The distance runners have extremely specific workout plans to follow to best prepare them for the type of training and racing they will experience in season. The sprinters do workouts that are full body in nature to help them adapt for the types of workouts they will have.”
Long and short distance runners are not the only athletes participating in offseason activities. Pole vaulters such as junior Max Gortmaker travel two hours away to Kansas City every Monday to visit experienced pole vault coach Todd Cooper.
“We vault for about an hour and a half and work on our technique in Kansas City,” Gortmaker said. “I have been going there for four off-seasons now, and I really love the chance it gives me to better myself at pole vault.”
Traveling almost two hours to Kansas City every week can be a challenging time constraint, but the dedicated pole vaulters make it happen. Despite the explosive training and strengthening workouts, Gortmaker acknowledges the more laid back nature that comes with out-of-season track.
“Off-season is a lot more forgiving than regular season,” Gortmaker said. “Blackburn is willing to adjust the workouts based on our responses.”

Some of the adjustments made to the athletes’ schedules are more out of necessity than anything else. For example, pre-season conditioning was canceled Jan. 14 due to the excessive amount of snowfall. Blizzards and sheets of ice plagued Columbia with more than 16 inches of snow in just one January weekend, making both short and long distance runners feel the numbing, blistering conditions. During the week, runners dress according to the weather by wearing coats, gloves, headbands and even scarves. Runners also practice awareness of the terrain they run on, as the ground can be icy or wet from melted snow. Long distance runners such as freshman Tate Fletcher experience the consequences of cold weather the most.
“The cold weather and snow has made it to where we have to watch where we run since it can block trails that we would usually go on, and what we have to wear since it’s cold,” Fletcher said.
Running in cold conditions can greatly affect a runner’s speed and coordination. Despite the freezing Columbia climate, athletes are still putting forward their best effort in order to stay in shape for track season, something that Blackburn is very appreciative of.
“My favorite aspect of off-season is seeing the athletes doing work together with the intention of spending time together as well as making themselves better,” Blackburn said.