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Blank has Pam Pack on the right track
By STEVE FRANKLIN, Sports Writer
Jon Blank accepted the Pam Pack track coaching position four years ago to help better the football program.
As an assistant for Washington’s varsity football program, Blank took over as the varsity track coach to help keep his football players in shape during the offseason.
At the time, the Pam Pack track team was the laughing stock of the Coastal 8 Conference. With only 15 members on the boys’ team when Blank took the reigns, the Pam Pack were perennial cellar dwellers in the conference.
Four years later, the Pam Pack is a program to be reckon with.
Blank has taken Washington from walkovers to winners.
“There had been a lot of coaching turnover with the track team in the past. Any time you can get a coach to stick around for a few years, you’re going to be able to build success. We had to start from scratch, but things are starting to get better around here,” Blank said. “Our kids are a big part of our turn around. Especially the seniors. Guys like Travis (Daniels), Jamont (Jones), Leonard Corey and Jeremy Holland have stuck with it for all four years. They wanted to be a part of getting this program going.”
The Pam Pack boys finished the 2008 regular season with a perfect record of 11-0. And they finished second in the conference behind three-time NCHSAA 4A state champion New Bern. The Lady Pam Pack improved from eighth in the conference a season ago to fifth this year. The remarkable turnaround of both teams prompted the Coastal 8 Conference’s coaches to name Blank the 2008 Coach of the Year.
“It is a great honor to win Coach of the Year because it’s voted on by your peers,” Blank said. “But at the same time, I know I didn’t earn it alone. We’ve got great assistant coaches. To me, the award is a tribute to the entire coaching staff and how hard they’ve worked.”
Blank has instilled a different atmosphere around Washington’s track program. In his first-year as coach, nearly 35 guys turned out for the first day of practice. But by season’s end, only 15 were left. Blank opted to weed out the weak links. Blank ridded the team of the kids who didn’t want to be there, or would skip practice every other day.
Now, the track program is the largest varsity program in the school, with nearly 50 boys and 35 girls. Being part of the Pam Pack track team is now a privilege, instead of a right.
“My freshman year, people weren’t really serious about track,” senior Travis Daniels said. “Now everybody loves track. We want to be successful. Everybody out here takes it very seriously now.”
Blank has been able to rebuild the program through dedication and a lot of hard work. He’s gone from a football assistant with out any track and field experience to one heck of a track coach.
“We expect success around here. We’re trying to build a winning a program,” Blank said. “What ever I do, I want to be the best at it, or it’s not worth doing. I didn’t have any track experience when I took this job, but I dedicated myself to learning the sport and different techniques. I’ve been able to employ some great assistant coaches to help out and change the atmosphere around here.”
According to his team members, the difference from Blank’s first year to 2008 is night and day.
“We’ve come a long way in four years,” senior Jamont Jones said. “We’ve gone from dead last in the conference my freshman year to being the best 3A team in the conference this year. Coach Blank has really changed things around.”
While there’s no doubt that Blank has made a difference during his tenure, the new-look Pam Pack is still on the rise. Expect even better things from Washington track in the future.
“Our goal is to compete with New Bern and the other top teams in the state,” Blank said. “We’ve got the athletic ability and the work ethic, but we’re still building. We’re still trying to sell it to the younger kids and get the best athletes out here. We’ve got a lot of work in head of us, but we’ll do what ever takes to reach our goals. We want to be the best track program in North Carolina.”
As an assistant for Washington’s varsity football program, Blank took over as the varsity track coach to help keep his football players in shape during the offseason.
At the time, the Pam Pack track team was the laughing stock of the Coastal 8 Conference. With only 15 members on the boys’ team when Blank took the reigns, the Pam Pack were perennial cellar dwellers in the conference.
Four years later, the Pam Pack is a program to be reckon with.
Blank has taken Washington from walkovers to winners.
“There had been a lot of coaching turnover with the track team in the past. Any time you can get a coach to stick around for a few years, you’re going to be able to build success. We had to start from scratch, but things are starting to get better around here,” Blank said. “Our kids are a big part of our turn around. Especially the seniors. Guys like Travis (Daniels), Jamont (Jones), Leonard Corey and Jeremy Holland have stuck with it for all four years. They wanted to be a part of getting this program going.”
The Pam Pack boys finished the 2008 regular season with a perfect record of 11-0. And they finished second in the conference behind three-time NCHSAA 4A state champion New Bern. The Lady Pam Pack improved from eighth in the conference a season ago to fifth this year. The remarkable turnaround of both teams prompted the Coastal 8 Conference’s coaches to name Blank the 2008 Coach of the Year.
“It is a great honor to win Coach of the Year because it’s voted on by your peers,” Blank said. “But at the same time, I know I didn’t earn it alone. We’ve got great assistant coaches. To me, the award is a tribute to the entire coaching staff and how hard they’ve worked.”
Blank has instilled a different atmosphere around Washington’s track program. In his first-year as coach, nearly 35 guys turned out for the first day of practice. But by season’s end, only 15 were left. Blank opted to weed out the weak links. Blank ridded the team of the kids who didn’t want to be there, or would skip practice every other day.
Now, the track program is the largest varsity program in the school, with nearly 50 boys and 35 girls. Being part of the Pam Pack track team is now a privilege, instead of a right.
“My freshman year, people weren’t really serious about track,” senior Travis Daniels said. “Now everybody loves track. We want to be successful. Everybody out here takes it very seriously now.”
Blank has been able to rebuild the program through dedication and a lot of hard work. He’s gone from a football assistant with out any track and field experience to one heck of a track coach.
“We expect success around here. We’re trying to build a winning a program,” Blank said. “What ever I do, I want to be the best at it, or it’s not worth doing. I didn’t have any track experience when I took this job, but I dedicated myself to learning the sport and different techniques. I’ve been able to employ some great assistant coaches to help out and change the atmosphere around here.”
According to his team members, the difference from Blank’s first year to 2008 is night and day.
“We’ve come a long way in four years,” senior Jamont Jones said. “We’ve gone from dead last in the conference my freshman year to being the best 3A team in the conference this year. Coach Blank has really changed things around.”
While there’s no doubt that Blank has made a difference during his tenure, the new-look Pam Pack is still on the rise. Expect even better things from Washington track in the future.
“Our goal is to compete with New Bern and the other top teams in the state,” Blank said. “We’ve got the athletic ability and the work ethic, but we’re still building. We’re still trying to sell it to the younger kids and get the best athletes out here. We’ve got a lot of work in head of us, but we’ll do what ever takes to reach our goals. We want to be the best track program in North Carolina.”
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| Daniels hopes to end Pam Pack career with a bang |
