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September 2008
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ALUMNI NEWS |
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Track Coach Recognized Among Best in Region The minute someone tries to pigeonhole Chad Young, SOC/BA ’03, as a math teacher, he’ll switch the topic to his running, playing violin, or the eight-day bike ride he recently took. Beyond his multiple extracurricular activities, Young is quick to admit that his day job as a teacher and coach in the Montgomery County Public Schools is something he’s won’t be leaving any time soon. “I’ve found something I really have a passion for,” he says. Now, five years into his teaching and coaching career, Young’s dedication was recently noticed and appropriately rewarded. In April he received the Washington Post’s All-Metro Coach of the Year Award after leading the Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School Girls Indoor Track Team to a Maryland State 3A Title. “I do feel fortunate,” said Young of the opportunity he has as a coach, which he considers an extension of his work in the classroom. “My kids make me look good.” A cross country and track runner himself while at AU, Young started on the team as a walk-on. By his senior year, he was a member of the university’s first cross-country Patriot League Championship team. “It was the first year we had track as a varsity sport,” said Young, proud of how the program has grown since then. “There’s no greater compliment than to have one of your students enter coaching and to see him excel is even a greater honor,” says former AU track coach, Matt Centrowitz one of Young’s biggest fans. “I’m sure this is just the beginning,” says Centrowitz. “I still like to compete, but I really like to be on my own schedule,” he says of his fitness pursuits. “Since high school, I’ve always had to balance a huge number of things.” Just as Young didn’t plan to join the AU track team, he also found teaching by accident – or maybe teaching found him. As a public communications major with a minor in business, Young knew he liked to write and that he liked being involved with people. Also, staying in D.C. was a huge draw for him. His first job was at a local D.C. running store, but his paycheck and his time needed some filling, so he began substitute teaching. Soon, the opportunity arose for him to enter the John Hopkins Pro-MAT program, and he didn’t hesitate. Young entered the program, which allows teachers to work full-time while pursuing their master’s degree. Young has been out of the program for two years now, but feels that his own education is far from over. “I try to learn as much as possible from others,” he says of his teaching and coaching style. Overall, he stresses that his work is for his students. “I’ve worked really hard to have a positive relationship with all of them,” he says. Look for Young to guide his team to another Maryland 3A title this fall. - Dan Beardslee, SOC/BA ’07 | |||
