Sports
Royal Oak's Barnett, Piippo Named Coaches of the Year
Over the past several years the coaches have sent dozens of athletes to the state championships in both cross country and track & field.
Coaches Dave Barnett and Ryan Piippo will be the inaugural recipients of the Royal Oak High School Coach of the Year Award.
It is fitting that the pair will share this award, as they have worked as a team to build the one of the most successful athletic programs at the high school. Over the past several years the coaches have sent dozens of athletes to the state championships in both cross country and track & field.
This past fall the boys cross country team captured the regional title, becoming the first Royal Oak High School team in any sport to be regional champions.
Nominations for the coaches came from athletes and parents, including parents of athletes who have graduated and moved on to compete in college. The letters, although all very personal to the writers, had many themes in common. All mentioned that the coaches cared for each of the athletes and spent a great deal of time making them know that they were an important part of the team, regardless of their individual abilities.
In his letter, parent Gregory Finlayson described how cross country was a turning point for his son, Nick Finlayson.
"The team building that these coaches led and encouragement they gave my son was outstanding. He came back from two nights away (at a cross country camp) a more confident kid," Finlayson said. "Nick had always been a little shy and immature and he was not in good physical condition. His involvement with the Royal Oak Cross Country Team has changed all those things almost overnight."
The results speak for themselves, Finlayson said. In Nick’s first meet he ran a time of 25.35. Each meet showed steady improvement with Nick running a 19:55 at the regional meet.
"That’s taking off 5:40 in one season," Finlayson said.
"Coaches Barnett and Piippo are the perfect blend of subtlety and enthusiasm. It’s hard to put into words how it works, but their unified efforts promote enthusiasm, teamwork, and positivity. They work in tandem in such a way that the net result is greater than the efforts of either individual," wrote Scott and Alisa Hill. "Despite their differing approaches, the emphasis has always been on team, and the result is that each boy on the team improved as the season progressed."
The High School Athletic Department will be hosting a celebration of the new Coach of the Year Award this upcoming school year- stay tuned for details as they become available,
[Note: It is interesting to note that the Class President for the Class of 2012 was a Cross Country and Track athlete, and this year both the Class President and Vice President competed in Cross Country and Track. The members of these coaches’ programs are truly leaders among their peers, and this writer thinks this is in large part due to the example these two men set.]
About Coach Dave Barnett
What year did you start your teaching career?
I started teaching at Royal Oak Kimball in the fall of 1997.
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What year did you start your coaching career?
I started as an assistant cross country and track coach at Kimball in 1997.
Find out what's happening in Royal Oakwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
What is your most significant accomplishment as an athlete?
Placing third in the Big Ten 3000m steeplechase at my last Big Ten Championship meet. That race was the culmination of many years of training with great teammates and competing in a lot of different races and was a wonderful way to finish my college career.
What is your most significant accomplishment as a coach?
Winning the regional cross country championship is probably the most significant accomplishment up to this point. Similar to my track race, it represented years of hard work in terms of training and team-building and establishing the right kind of program to get us there.
About Coach Ryan Piippo
What year did you start your teaching career?
After college I traveled and substitute taught for a couple years before settling into my first full-time teaching job in Royal Oak during the 2003/2004 school year.
What year did you start your coaching career?
I've been coaching as long as I've been teaching - even volunteer coaching at a couple of schools where I had long-term subbing positions. During my first fall here in Royal Oak (2003) I worked as David Barnett's assistant cross country coach and Clyde Ewell's assistant girls track and field coach. Ever since that first year, Dave and I have transitioned into the positions where we are now, co-head coaches of both the boys cc and track teams.
What is your most significant accomplishment as an athlete?
My fifteen minutes of fame came with my 2009 win in the Free Press Half Marathon, but my most lasting memories, and the ones I'm the most proud of, aren't tied to a medal, trophy, or stop watch time. The same attitude that we try to instill in our athletes shines through in my own memories - those moments where , no matter how small the race or time on the clock, I was able to push to my potential and I learned something about competing and being the best version of myself that I could be.
What is your most significant accomplishment as a coach?
Certainly any of the team accomplishments that we've had through the years jump out, since that involves getting several athletes all on the same page physically and mentally at precisely the right time. That being said, those aren't the best parts of being a coach. Every season there are countless moments where you can see the passion for running, for friendship, for life ignited in the guys and those are truly the moments that keep me rewarded and motivated as an educator.
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