Bonnie Moxley, Head Coach of the Mahomet-Seymour Girls’ Cross Country and Track programs, was notified last week that she, along with six other candidates, will be inducted into the Illinois Track and Cross Country Coaches Association Hall of Fame in January.
Moxley, who has coached for 31 years, spent her first 10 years at University High School coaching both girls and boys track and cross country.
“My years coaching at the Class A level at Uni High were challenging, yet rewarding,” Moxley said. “It was a valuable time of learning in my early years of coaching. I learned that the “gifted” student is not always motivated and they generally do not excel at physical tasks and sport. The school only had 200 students when I was there so putting together a quality team took a lot of convincing for them to even try.”
“I have learned over time that each athlete is different,” she continued. “Generally speaking their training can be similar but at times they/we are all dealing with different physical situations and life situations that impact their athletic performances. “
During that time, the girls teams brought three State track trophies and two State cross country trophies to University High School.
When Moxley joined the Mahomet-Seymour program, coached alongside Mahomet legends such as Moose Handlin, Jim Risley and Jon King before taking over the program when Risley retired.
“Taking over the girls program when Jim Risley retired was humbling,” she said “Knowing that only Moose Handlin, Coach Risley, and John King had run the girls programs and how successful they had been was going to be a challenge.”
Around the same time, the programs were transitioning to competing in the AA class of a two-class system. Moxley said the vision for training teams at that level became more tangible when taxpayers “answered our request to raise the bar in extracurriculars when the taxpayers approved the addition of the fieldhouse. “
“I, for one, will never take that facility for granted,” she continued.
A self-proclaimed “old school coach,” Moxley said she is less concerned with the win-loss record and more concerned with giving high school girls and boys the opportunity to learn lessons they will carry into adulthood.
Each athlete under Moxley’s guidance learns how to set both individual and team goals to work towards so that the unit, as a whole, sees success.
“As we work at becoming better track and cross country athletes it is critical that we keep winning and losing in perspective,” she said. “Memories will be created, lifelong friendships are developed and hopefully the student/athletes learn how to work with others and work toward things that they didn’t believe they could ever accomplish.”
“I want them all to develop a desire to be fit for life and that this is a lifestyle, not a sport. And that the team is something bigger than themselves,” she said. “Every decision they make will impact their team in some way. “
“Success is not measured in wins or losses,” she continued. “It brings me pure joy to see my former athletes running in 5K’s, half marathons, marathons, or just going for a run on the trails.”
Moxley said her coaching strategies and techniques have had to change over the years to motivate the students to perform at their capable levels, but her desire to teach them humility and grace has been the foundation of her philosophy over the years.
“Sometimes you win and sometimes you learn,” she said. “I believe that everything happens for a reason and we can all grow through the good and the bad times if we stick together and we have the right attitude. “
“I pray that I have influenced my athletes to be better individuals,” she said. “Coaching has been my mission field and it has been a true blessing in my life.”
