Saying goodbye to a loved one is notoriously painful. Alan Jones, who coaches Girls Track and Field at Canton High School, is preparing to say goodbye to an entire team of loved ones. Jones coached track for the Amateur Athletic Union for 14 years before he started coaching at Canton High School, where he has been for the past four years.

Jones explained that he wanted to start coaching high school. “I saw the benefit of helping young people achieve their goals, especially if we can get athletes to be good enough to get into college,” said Jones.

Jessica Krone is one of Jones’s success stories. Krone graduated from Canton High School in 2016 and is now running on Oakland University’s track team. Jones was more than just a coach to Krone.

“He has taught me more than any teacher, driven me around more than any bus driver, and encouraged me more than any teammate. He introduced me to a sport that I love, showing me how working hard isn’t always dreadful,” said Krone.

Jones’s first few years did not go as planned for him. “My first couple years were really hard because we didn’t hold a competitive edge,” Jones said. “But now I feel like we can compete with just about anyone.” His motivation to stay and push the team to their full potential came from the hard work and dedication he saw from the girls.

One of Jones’s major tools to success was preseason conditioning. It allowed him to see which girls were truly committed to progress. “A group of girls really wanted it and came out and ran,” said Jones. “People were vomiting all over the place, but when you come out for track, you’re not only coming out to have fun, but also to compete and get better.”

Jones hopes that the girls on the team can take what they learned from being on a team and apply it to college and beyond.