He is a father, a husband, and the head coach of elementary, middle, and high school teams in Fort Myers, Florida. Tyler Stowell is also the Run Florida Run Elementary School Boys Cross Country Coach of the Year after his ERYRC team won the 2022 FLYRA Cross Country Championships. ERYRC, Elite Runner Youth Running Club, finished the state meet with a team score of 46 points, 9 better than the No Excuses team from North Florida. Tyler’s high school boy’s team, Bishop Verot, qualified for the FHSAA state meet the day before and his middle school boys team place 6th in the club race at FLYRA the day after. On top of all of this, he found time to travel back and forth between Lakeland and Fort Myers to be both a good husband and father of 4.
Speaking with Tyler, we had a few questions about his season and what makes his team so great.
What got you into coaching, and how long have you been doing it?
I would say it was a combo between my high school girlfriend (now wife) and my high school coach. My wife got me to come out for XC and then my coach showed me what it was like to truly be there for someone at all times. I wanted to be able to replicate that and give back to kids.
What was your favorite moment from this cross country season?
Practices hold the majority of my favorite moments, while my kids are successful at meets, I feel the bonding at practices is way more rewarding. We had a trivia run on the track where we split two teams, asked questions about NCAA running, previous club history and professional running. The winning team got to pick the next interval.
What, if you are willing to share, is the secret sauce that allowed your team to get to the top of the podium this year?
I believe in keeping the athletes healthy, well rested, low stress and motivated. For my elementary kids, they are highly motivated by the middle school kids. Similar to a 6-12 program where middle schoolers are motivated by high school athletes.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
If you have the ability to coach, you should truly enjoy it and understand the impact you can have on so many lives!
Congratulations to Coach Stowell for a great youth season and good luck at the high school state meet!
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