Seneca's Chris White Talks Sports, Life after NFHS Award

MileSplit SC talked with longtime Seneca track and field and cross country coach Chris White after receiving an award by the NFHS.

White was recently named National Federation of State High School Associations National Girls' Track and Field Coach of the Year.

What does it mean to receive the NFHS track and field national award? 
It's nice any time you are recognized for something you pour your life into, and to be recognized at this level is really special because it is rare.  Having said that, I feel like I suffer from imposter syndrome a little here, because I have other coaches on my staff that I feel like they are better track and field coaches than I am.  I am blessed to have great kids who work hard, and they want to do the work to be their best.  They are supported by my assistant coaches who are phenomenal and they know what to do to get kids better.  Put those things together and add a little bit of luck in how the cards fall and we end up where we are- and I'm just proud to be a part of the program.  Seneca has had a rich tradition of track and field back to the mid-1970's, so everything we've done has been built on the work of Fred Golden, Eddie Perry, and Tom Jordan plus countless others who have put their lives into these kids, and that tradition will continue when I decide it's time to hang it up and sit on the porch and drink sweet tea.

Tell us about your coaching journey, did you see it unfolding as it did? 
I've loved track and field since I was in middle school, and I knew I wanted to be a teacher early, so I knew from the beginning that I wanted to coach track and field. I was never the kid in high school who was the star on the team, I was the kid who ran the slow leg on a relay team that scored one point for a state championship team, and that meant the world to me (I still have the medal from that race). 

I approach coaching as much as I can where I look at the job as a challenge to get kids to accomplish things they don't think they are capable of.  I tell them a lot that their body is capable of doing things their brain doesn't think they can. This is my way of trying to grow kids into confident adults who look at the world in the way of the Little Engine That Could ("I think I can, I think I can"), rather than lose all confidence when things don't go their way.

We're always focused on those little things - getting kids to believe in themselves and preaching consistency and doing the little things well, and I truly believe that has led to any success we've had as a program.  More importantly, I think it grows kids in a way that will serve them if they never run another step in their lives- I think that's what we're here for.

What do you hope to see in the 2025 South Carolina outdoor track and field season? 
I think I go into each season with the same goals- take the team that we've got in front of us, and develop those athletes the best we can for them to reach their highest level possibly while staying injury free, and then at the end of the season place them into events in a way that we can maximize our team performance.  If we can just keep doing what we do, hopefully we can find some success with it.  We move to 4A this year with some really tough teams, and that combined with losing a few strong athletes on both sides, we'll have to work hard to get into the hunt come state championship time, but our kids are always willing to work so we'll see where it leads.

What roles do you have in the sports today? 
I spent four years as the president of the coaches association (SCTCCCA) - and I really did enjoy the work.  I love to organize and do what I can to try to make things a little better if possible.  I was proud that our association led the charge to move to 16 athletes at the state championship in track and field 3 years ago, we moved to the Coaches Classic Qualifying and Elite format which has increased participation and allowed for some spectacular track meets, tweaked the cross country qualifying method to ensure geography doesn't give any team an advantage or disadvantage, and several other things that our association pursued.  I enjoyed working with everyone on these goals.  Having said that- it is a grind for 2 to 4 years and I was glad to step back into a role of just coaching my team for a while.  I have jumped back in as the treasurer when our current treasurer stepped away from coaching- and it's nice to be involved but not be the guy everyone calls at 7 p.m. when they don't like something.  My wife has appreciated that as well!


"We're always focused on those little things - getting kids to believe in themselves and preaching consistency and doing the little things well, and I truly believe that has led to any success we've had as a program." - Chris White

What has been a challenge for you as a coach?
My biggest challenges are my own character traits that get in the way of what I'm supposed to be doing.  First and foremost I have a really hard time turning it off when I'm not coaching.  I am constantly thinking about what I can be doing better, where I could put someone to get them to be their best, how we stack up against other teams, what needs to be done for upcoming meets, and all kinds of other things.  I always tell kids that rest is just as important for them as the workouts they do, and I need to take my own advice and step away from it for a while each day so my brain can do what it needs to when I'm there.  I have a hard time taking time to do things to relax or for myself without feeling like I should be planning out workouts and looking at relay lineups.  Also, I try really hard not to fall short as a dad of children who do not run track.  My daughter is a senior and plays softball, so trying to get to see her play and not ask my wife to do everything is a big challenge as well.

Who would you say mentors you in the sport, and how?
Obviously, Tom Jordan has been a huge influence on my coaching career and my life in general.  Tom knows track and field, but it's how he treats kids and his integrity in what he does that really had a big influence on me.  One of the things that drives my decision making and how I do my job is Tom in the back of my head saying "Right is Right".  If I do what I think is right, then I can live with myself and any consequences that come with it.  I've tried to live by that- and it all goes to him.  In addition to that- he built this program from those before him for me to take over, and has continued to work with us since he retired in 2012.  He's been a great friend and colleague for a long time.


There have been several others that I've looked up to across the state over the years- I coached with Dan Strawderman at Pickens when I student taught, and he was a big influence on me ending up at Seneca.  Even though I hated him because I couldn't beat him- Ron Sullivan was a huge influence on me as he was also very successful, but his coaching style was so different from what I saw out of Tom, that I would often consult both of them when I was trying to figure out how to move forward.  Jimmy Towe was also a big influence on me as a coach in the way that he treated everyone as his family, and I try to foster a culture where kids know we love them.  Several former presidents of the association were super helpful as I worked through that, and I got lots of good coaching ideas from them: Ed Boehmke, John Jones, Danny Brooks, Eric Cummings, Dave Lee and many others.  Our coaching community is awesome and everyone is always willing to share what they do to help you get better.

What do you want to say to the South Carolina track and field and cross country community about the future? 
I think we've made so much progress in track and field and cross country in our state in the time I've been here, I think we keep fighting to continue the trend.  Our sport has become more competitive, and we've put out some great athletes.  As long as we have a community of coaches that put the athletes first and do what we can to further the sport- we will continue to move in that direction.

How do you see yourself remembered in the sports? 
I really believe that if I do my job well and with the right intentions, that people won't remember me, they will remember my students and athletes.  Not just the athletes that make a name for themselves on the track, but all of them that go on to do great things and be great people in all aspects of life.  I love the idea that you will walk into a vets office, a doctor's office, a teacher's meeting, or a manufacturing environment, and you will have some interaction with a former athlete of ours, and you will remember them as being awesome.  If I can be a small piece of helping them become awesome- that's how I want to be remembered.  For those students and athletes- I hope they'll look fondly on any time we spent together and know I always tried to help make them their best in whatever they chose to do.

Any advice to the next generation of coaches? 
Absolutely.

Invest in the whole kid. You have to be willing to see athletes as whole people who have life that is important on and off the track.

Invest in all the kids - not just the ones who score the most points.  Some of my best athletes were tiny people who could barely finish a 200 in middle school, but I try to care about them just the same.

Be a great teacher. If you are not a classroom teacher, consider going into the classroom.  A good coach is a good teacher, and we need people in the classroom who are willing to invest in our kids' brains as much as we invest in their athletics.

It's hard, but I try to encourage them to do a lot of different things: play two to three sports, join the chorus, participate in student government, take AP classes.  I don't believe in specialization for a kid before they leave high school and I don't encourage it with my athletes. I want them doing other things.  If you get a chance read Range by David Epstein. Great book about how generalists are often better equipped to handle the world than those that specialize.

Develop good habits and practice them consistently.  I tell my athletes all the time - I don't need the kid who can high jump 6-5 in March and never clear 6-0 again. I would rather have the kid who can jump 6-2 consistently and one day he will break out a big performance.  Consistency breeds success, and good habits breed consistency.

Learn the metric system. That way you will know how far you throw or jump without having to do math (or use your phone in the infield).

What other hobbies do you have? 
When people ask me what I do I don't answer that I am a high school track coach. I am a high school physics teacher.  That is really my identity and what I do.  Track is something that I love to do, but teaching is my calling.  I would really say that track is my hobby after teaching. 

After that I have a few others:
I love spending time with my family and going out to get a good meal together when we can (the kids are getting older, so that is less frequent than I'd like....plus it's expensive).

I love to read- mostly non-fiction. 

Some great books to check out:
Head in the Cloud (William Poundstone) - a book about why it's important to know things even if you can Google it

Billion Dollar Ball (Gilbert Gaul) - about the financial craziness of college football

Billions and Billions (Carl Sagan) - awesome science stuff

Take Back the Game (Linda Flanagan)- about how money is affecting youth sports

Anything by Jonathan Haidt (he wrote "The Anxious Generation" and several others)

I also love John Grisham books for good fiction

I like to play the guitar and a few other instruments.  Don't get much time to do it anymore, but I enjoy it.

I do some woodworking, again when I get time. I built the mantle and book cases around my fireplace and have built some other pieces of furniture in the house. It's a great way to get my mind off things.

I think that's all.