Track coach excels
An old cliche says “You can’t go home again” but Pea Ridge native Heather Henson Wade has defied that adage as she not only returned to her alma mater, but excelled in her task at hand.
Blackhawk track coach Wade has been named the 2019 Arkansas High School Coaches Association Outstanding Coach of the Year. In both 2018 and 2019, her teams have won both indoor and outdoor state championships.
And, now, they begin practice for the 2020 season with high hopes for another successful season. There are 30 athletes signed up for this year’s track team.
Wade, the daughter of Vickie Henson and the late Billy Henson, graduated from Pea Ridge High School in 1991 and then the College of the Ozarks in 2004. After teaching for two years in Buffalo, Mo., she returned to Pea Ridge High School as a teacher and coach and has received honors for her coaching and teams repeatedly since 2014.
In high school, Wade (then Henson) participated in track, softball and basketball. In track, she ran the 2-mile and threw shot put. Her coaches in high school were Kevin Miller and Rob Bray. In college, she played basketball.
She married Mark Wade in 2007. They started a family and now have three children, Khale, 9; Kolby, 7; and Mattie, 4. Wade is the granddaugther of Valentina Day, Pea Ridge, and the late Charles Day and Gene and Sue Henson, all formerly of Pea Ridge.
When she first returned to PRHS, Wade coached girls basketball, a position she relinquished in 2017. Over the years, she has coached volleyball (1 year) and softball (4 years), in addition to track and cross country.
Does she have a favorite?
“I like them all. They all have different things that make them better, different strategies,” she said. As a hobby, she enjoys running and softball.
As the rigors of parenting increased, Wade adjusted her responsibilities in extracurricular activities. But, those very demands improved her ability as a coach.
“What I learned after becoming a parent,” she said, “is that kids don’t just make mistakes — they have to be taught.
“When I was a young coach, I would get frustrated” with players’ mistakes, she said, explaining that she realized she “had to go back and reevaluate myself.”
“Becoming a parent has enhanced ability to actually ‘see’ the kids,” she said, explaining that she realized that student athletes don’t make mistakes on purpose and she has to work on helping them correct their mistakes to help them be their best.
To what does she attribute her success?
“Obviously, I have talented athletes.
“I have good assistant coaches.
“I have kids who believe in themselves,” she said, pointing out that her job is encouraging students to step out of their comfort zone to try new things. “I try to build relationships first.”
“Track is a good foundation for other sports, but it also gives kids an opportunity to try something new — it also gives them a chance to get away from something they’ve done for so long, to branch out,” she said. “Sometimes it’s good to step away from what we’ve been involved with, do something new and take a break.”
Wade said her father was always encouraging her. She said he would tell her “If you’re going to do it, be involved, be at every practice.”
“As a child, I was always active and I loved everything that I did,” she said, dimple deepening and eyes twinkling, enthusiastically adding “I like being the cheerleader. That’s what is different with coaching track. You’re cheering them on. Whereas in other team sports, you have to redirect. In an individual sport like truck, you’re just there for them and cheer for them.”
Her own children are active and love sports.
“They play a lot,” she said. “Khale loves basaeball. Kolby says he loves everything. Mattie has played soccer and is going to play tball. She’s excited about it.”
“As a coach, you have to know how to get every thing out of every kid,” Wade said. She watches videos, goes to coaching clinics and watches successful coaches and students at track meets. “I’m constantly learning and trying to improve.”
Her team lifts weights two days a week in the off season. She said there are now 18 events in track.
Assistant coaches Melissa Meyers, Asa Poteete, John E. King and Walt Mooneyhan are vital to the success of them teams — both boys and girls, varsity and junior high.
She said talent alone does not always insure success. It takes talent and a desire to work.
“First, it has to come from within,” Wade concluded. “Good coaching comes with knowing what motivates the kids as well… you have to find the different things they love.”