Chris Suppes was many things as a head coach but never uninvested. Contributed photos.
Nothing here stays the same forever. Just ask a few kids at Fort Collins High School.
The Fort Collins Coloradoan ran an article today announcing that Chris Suppes was resigning his position as head cross country coach at Fort Collins High School. Although the planning for that decision had been some time in the works, word of it did not become public until today. That is 11 years of history as the head coach at Fort Collins, almost more NXN appearances than you can keep track of, and several state titles riding off into the sunset.
In announcing his decision, Coach Suppes reported what a lot of coaches before him have discovered, "Coaching two sports for 22 years can start to drain your energy after a while. I am still passionate about coaching, but the management piece creates a lot of stress that has taken its toll on my health."
That realization for Suppes had been in the works for some time, but only recently did he feel he could make the break from head coaching responsibilities on the terms he wanted to step down on, "I felt like I have the staff in place on my team right now that allows me to transition out of the head coaching position without negatively affecting the team. The kids have always been the first priority, and I would never step down if I thought they would be negatively affected."
Suppes took over as the head coach at Fort Collins in 2003 following three years as an assistant coach at his high school alma mater and leaves in his wake a legacy of nine NXN appearances, seven state titles, and more conference titles than you can shake a starting pistol at.
But Suppes didn't come into the role without adjustments to make. Even after nine years of coaching at Thompson Valley prior to coming to Fort Collins, there were bumps on the road that had to be leveled out.
"In 2004 we had a boys’ team that was picked to win the state title. As a coach I had never won a title so I was very nervous before the race. For those who know me, I tend to talk a lot and when I’m nervous it can get extreme. We were at the starting line and I wouldn’t shut up. Finally Michael Hass, a senior runner headed to the Coast Guard Academy, told me to stop talking and get prepared to see something really special. As I looked at the rest of the team they were all silently nodding... They went on to score 58 points and win the state title. I just sat down on top of the hill and watched. This was a very special moment for me because it truly represented a turning point in my coaching career. I finally understood that it was about the kids."
There is no short list of young people who will tell you that Chris Suppes learned that lesson very well. And, from everything that I've seen, Suppes has been the paradigm of a coach who is in it for the kids ever since.
The plan moving forward is for Suppes to continue as an assistant coach under a head coach as yet to be named. If that situation seems a hair beyond the pale of normal, it is nothing out of the ordinary at Fort Collins. Suppes himself was an assistant under Craig Luckasen for three years, and Luckasen has continued as an assistant under Suppes since that time. The formula, apparently, works well at Fort Collins.
Where the sports of track and field and cross country are concerned, Fort Collins is no ordinary place.
And that plan provides Suppes no small measure of peace with the transition, "I feel like relationships and experiences are what all of us will miss when we choose to quit coaching. Luckily I still have a few more years as an assistant, and I can still have those opportunities."
Further down the road?
"I'm not sure. Obviously I’m going to spend more time with my family and hopefully get more chances to see my daughter run collegiately."
As a coach who has felt the sting of losing to Suppes-coached Fort Collins teams more than I care to remember, the thought of going into a season where we won't be competing against a team under his guidance is just a little bit foreign right now. I suspect I'm echoing the sentiments of a vast number of coaches when I say this is going to take some getting used to. And, it is with a profound sense of loss that I process this news.
But in an age when many coaches don't get to stage their own exits, Chris Suppes gets to step down on his own terms. And, in a world where a lot of things aren't right, there is a whole lot right about that.