Mike Szalat - Making Cross Country Fun for over 20 years!
Sports are about so much more than wins and losses. At the same time, though, sports aren’t nearly as fun if you don’t care about wins and losses. At the middle school and high school level, more than anything else, sports are about learning life lessons and building relationships. It takes a special kind of coach to be able to balance the drive to develop young people and develop competitors. Mike Szalat is one of those people. Over the last 20+ years, few people have put more hours into the students and athletes at St. Edmond in Fort Dodge.
True to his Moonlighter status, in his time at Saint Edmond, Coach Szalat has taught Science and Social Studies courses, coached cross country, wrestling, and baseball, and sponsored the National Honor Society and Student Council, among other roles that the school has asked him to take on. He has coached a runner in every state cross country meet since 1999 and had successful individuals and teams on the diamond and on the mat during his tenure.
In more than two decades as a coach, he has been able to coach many good athletes, but none more memorable than coaching his three sons. This past cross-country season was his first season without one of his sons on the team since 2009. Tim gets a little inside information as he looks down the road to coaching his three sons someday.
Several members of the Moonlight crew were taught and coached by Coach Szalat. Almost 20 years later, he is still Coach Szalat or Mr. Szalat to us. This interview covers Coach’s career in sports and working with young people. He has worked with hundreds and hundreds of young people and made an indelible impact on their lives.
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Every Iowa sports fan knows the reputation of Harlan Community High School. The Harlan Cyclones are known far and wide for their success in every sport. Coach Bladt and the football program built a foundation of success that the entire community rests on. There is a lot of pride in the school colors and full bleachers whenever they take the field or court. Mitch Osborn has helped to continue that success in his roles as AD and head basketball coach. This week we sit down with Coach Osborn to learn about his career and what makes Harlan so darn special.