Get to know Porter Gaud coach Hugh Knight

Name: Hugh Knight
School: Porter-Gaud
Years coaching: 13
Hobbies: running, cycling, all sports but especially college and pro football
Event PRs: 5K: 17:07


How and when did you get involved in coaching?
I began coaching at Porter-Gaud in 2002.  I had just graduated from Furman, and my brother had just finished running for Coach Larry Salley.  My brother put in a good word for me and Coach Salley and Thomas Robinson agreed to take me on as an assistant.  When Coach Robinson left two years later, I took the head cross country job. In track, I have been an assistant coach (distance) for 12 years and will assume the head coaching duties this spring as Coach Salley is now our Athletic Director.

Did you run and what level?
I played soccer in high school but always ran to stay in shape.  I also competed in several road races as a kid.  I got my first taste of running when I completed the Cooper River Bridge Run at the age of five. I was a regular at the Turkey Day Run and many of the holiday-themed races that didn't overlap with soccer tournaments.  In college, I continued running to stay in shape since I was no longer playing soccer.  I joined the Greenville Track Club while at Furman and competed in several of the road races in the Upstate.

Are you still running today?
I do run today but not as much nor as fast!  I occasionally jump in a road race but mostly just run for health and fitness.  When the team is on endurance runs I like to get out there and run with them.  If I assign them an easy pace, I can still keep up with some of them!

What experience did you have from being on a team and how do you feel that helps you be a coach?
I played on some amazing soccer teams at Porter-Gaud in the late 90s. We were fortunate to win four state titles that coincided with my high school years.  I still have many fond memories of those teams to this day and I think that illustrates the power of the team.  We worked hard together, we overcame adversity together, and we experienced success together.  As a coach, I tell my athletes about the power of the team and how its influence is far greater than the sum of the individuals.  They will remember these moments into adulthood and beyond.

PG's Salley takes AD job, Hugh Knight named head coach
What subject or subjects do you teach and at what level?
I have taught elementary PE for the last four years, but I also direct a handbell choir.  Prior to teaching PE, I was a music teacher at the middle and high school level.

How do you find athletes to join the cross country team?
We hold informational meetings in the spring to spread the word about our team.  I also like to use Coach Yvonne Duncan and Coach David Reese (middle
school PE teachers) to help scout for the top up and coming runners. Typically, track and field is a good entry point for young athletes who are interested in running distance.  After a solid spring track season, they are usually ready to join our cross country team.

What kind of prerace tradition do you prefer?
I leave most of the pre race dealings to the captains.  The current captains have learned what to do from the previous captains.  Like most teams, we do a warm up jog, stretch, do some prerace strides, and have a brief gathering right before the gun goes off.  Before the state meet, we have a team dinner that helps to get everyone's mind focused on the task before us.  We also have senior speeches on our last day of practice prior to the state meet.  Each senior is given the opportunity to address the team and talk about what the sport has meant to them.  These have turned out to be quite the event.  Some are
serious, some are funny, some have been rapped, but most of all, the younger athletes get to see how much the sport has meant to the graduating seniors.

What challenges do you have as a coach?
I think one of the biggest challenges that many coaches face is how to get your runners training through the summer.  They don't have to be doing specific workouts, but that is the opportunity for them to build their mileage base.  If they come to fall camp off of a solid summer of training, then they are ready to reap the benefits of more structured workouts and tempo runs.  If they haven't run much, we spend the first few weeks trying to compensate for that.

How do you balance life responsibilities?
I have a very understanding wife!  We have two young girls (Two years old and three months old) and being a coach requires a lot of time away from
the family.  We get home late in the evenings and most of our weekends are occupied with full day meets and the requisite travel.

What do you see your team doing this season?
We have a very different team this year.  We lost some key seniors from last year.  Brent Demarest is running for Virginia and he is
impossible to replace.  We also lost Brendan Ward and Bolton Sanford - both consistent all-state performers.  Even though it is
difficult when you graduate your top three from the previous year, it also presents great opportunities for the young guys.  We have a team that is hard working and they are seeing week to week improvement.  They have faith in the training that they are doing and I'm excited to see how they develop.

What kind of coaching style do you have?
We have a pretty laid back atmosphere on the cross country team, but when it's time to go to work, everyone knows it's time to get serious. We have a lot of fun joking around in the stretching circle, but when it's time to get on the road or the track, everyone knows to get focused and work hard.  I stress to all athletes that regardless of their speed, they can always improve relative to their PR.  Each athlete can get better and we focus on treating every training
opportunity as a chance to better ourselves.

Is there one moment you will not forget from coaching?
One moment that will stick with me comes from the 2011 state track meet.  On paper, we really did not have a chance to win the team title.  As the day progressed, we were performing quite well, but it was still really tight going into the 1600.  I knew I had a great crew of milers and was hopeful that they could really make a statement.  We had five guys entered in the mile and they managed to take the top five spots.  That gave us 31 points out of the 1600 and completely changed the tide of the meet.  We ended up winning our first team title since 2001 and that was quite a special feeling.

What do you hope each runner gets out of being on the team and the sport?
I hope that everyone who runs cross country for Porter-Gaud will realize the brilliance of such as simple sport.  There are no subjective standards as the stopwatch never lies.  Cross country is one of the purest sports out there and there are many times when hard work can trump talent that doesn't work hard!  Running is also a lifetime sport and I hope that I have equipped all of my athletes with the tools that they need to be runners into adulthood.

What have learned from your athletes?
I have learned that everyone is different!  Certain kids respond to certain training styles and I must always be able to adapt.  Some thrive off of short speed intervals while others do best with long tempo runs.  I've got to be able to identify this and then best tailor our training to help us achieve success.

If there is one thing in the world you could do, what would it be and why?
I have always been fascinated with Special Forces training and the hardships that they go through in their training.  I have read many books on Navy Seals and Army Rangers and I think it would be neat to take part in some of the training that they go through.  I can't say that it necessarily sounds like fun, but it would give me a great perspective on what it is like to really test one's limits!

Favorite runner(s): Frank Shorter, Bill Rodgers, Steve Jones, and Joan
Benoit Samuelson.  I like Frank and Bill for what they did for
American running, Steve Jones for his blue collar work ethic, and Joan
Benoit Samuelson for her performance in winning the Los Angeles
Olympic Marathon.
Favorite food: Steak and Potatoes
Favorite bands: I like a lot of old Carolina Beach Music.  These tunes
were playing in my house when I was growing up and I still like them
today.  I also listen to a lot of Country Music.
Favorite quote: "The only easy day was yesterday."
Favorite training shoe and racing shoe: 
Training: Saucony Kinvara.
Racing: Saucony A3
Inspirational person in your life: My family