Photo by Dustin Vyers.
By Christina Mlynski
There's nothing quite like being a Dragon. This type ofbrpride is a huge aspect that runs deep through swimming and diving coach KevinbrMurphy, Boys Varsity Soccer coach Greg Oglesby and Cross Country coach JustinbrLeonard. Although none of them will ever take credit for leading their teams tobrdistrict and state championships, we got the opportunity to sit down andbrdiscuss with each one what protecting the Dragon Tradition truly means. Andbrmost importantly, we discovered that being a Dragon is sincerely timeless.
Greg Oglesby (Soccer)
As one of the ultimatebrwinning coaches, what does it take to be a champion?
My beliefs about what it takes to become a champion are:brhaving a complete and total commitment to a cause, an unwavering belief inbryourself, your team, and your coaches, and carrying out your beliefs andbrdedication with class and pride no matter the outcomes.
What are your thoughtsbron success and how is this achieved?
My thoughts on success: success is achieved when you havebraccomplished something significant. Understanding that there have been manybrother sacrifices made to get you to a place where you can experience success.brSuccess comes when you have a humble and teachable spirit and attitude. Successbris never achieved alone. Success is looking in the mirror at night knowing thatbryou worked harder than your opponent. You can't control anyone else, but youbrcan control what you do as an individual and teammate.
What are the biggestbrobstacles faced during a season and what steps are put into place to overcomebrsuch challenges?
Obstacles: there are always variables you can't control andbryet we know we will face every season on some level such as potential loss ofbrathletes due to injuries, and failing grades. I am an educator and have alwaysbremphasized success and commitment in the classroom for my athletes.brFortunately, we have true student athletes, who understand and value theirbreducation and only need an occasional nudge to focus on their studies.br Injuries are an inevitable part of any season. We are, however, preparedbrto spend a great deal of time and training to do what we can to preventbrinjuries through weight training, stretching, and diet and nutrition.
Steps to overcome challenges: great coaches are relationshipbrbuilders and dedicated to building character. They see the value in strongbrrelationships and will spend the necessary time it takes to develop theirbrathletes in this area. This leads to easy and frequent communication, which isbrthe backbone of any successful program. Team members need to feel their ownbrvalue to the group. This is accomplished through a great depth of team buildingbrand character development. Leaders grow out of this work as well.
If you could give yourbrplayers -- past, current and future and any advice, what would it be? Why?
Player advice: there are several main things I continue tobremphasize with all of my players past and present and those who have continuedbrto stay in touch (and so many many do); use your head, think things through,brwork smarter not harder, do the right thing because it is the right thing tobrdo. These are all part of living a great life both on and off the field as anbrathlete and a person who will contribute to others for a lifetime in a positivebrway.
Every Friday, the last words my players hear from me are,br"Remember who you are, and what you represent." They are a reflectionbrof their family, community, school, and team. Once a Dragon, always a Dragon!br
I firmly believe that great leaders replace themselves. Ibrhave seen so many of my athletes go on to become so accomplished in their ownbrlives, become coaches of excellent programs, leaders in their chosen fields ofbrwork, excellent fathers and husbands. It is with great pleasure and pride thatbrI maybe share a small part in all of that.
Kevin Murphybr(Swimming/Diving)
As one of the ultimatebrwinning coaches, what does it take to be a champion?
Champions in our sport, and in most sports, are made in thebrlong-term. Whether Swimming or Diving, it takes time and focus and dedicationbrto excel. In our Dragon Swim/Dive Program it is the power of the Teambrthat we feel sets us apart from many other HS Swim/Dive Programs. If thebrTeam has a "vision" then they can work together to accomplish thebrgoal of "winning". While the "goal" is to win a TexasbrTeam State Championship, it is the individual improvement of EVERY athlete thatbrcreates that opportunity. If everyone prepares, and everyone commits, andbrEVERYONE improves, then we are "winners" regardless of the finalbrscore. Everyone wants to be a Champion, but it is the ones that have thebr"will to prepare" that learn what it takes to be a true "champion".
What are your thoughtsbron success and how is this achieved?
Success is achieved through doing your very best: Havebra vision, make a plan, implement the plan, stay focused on the plan withoutbrdistraction, maintain a positive attitude, overcome inevitable temporarybrsetbacks, work with your teammates, be "physically, mentally andbremotionally tough" in training and on competition day. Finally,brknow that you did your very best in preparation and enjoy race day and thebropportunity to compete without regrets.
What are the biggestbrobstacles faced during a season and what steps are put into place to overcomebrsuch challenges?
There are always "temporary setbacks". Itbrmay be a slip on a start or turn. It may be sickness or a minor injury.br It may be school or social upheavals. Whatever the problem, if youbrhave invested in your preparation, then most of these "setbacks" canbrbe overcome. In our Program, preparation and effort are the most highlybrprized. While "winning" is the goal, the value of preparationbrand effort is considered above winning. If we prepare and give abr"supreme effort," then we are pleased, no matter what the outcome.
If you could give yourbrplayers -- past, current and future and any advice, what would it be? Why?
Advice? In all of Life's endeavors, "be the Turtle, notbrthe Hare"...The long-term "process" will always win out over thebrshortsighted "dream." Dreams without action stay dreams. "If youbrwant something special to happen, then you must make it happen!"
Justin Leonard (CrossbrCountry/Track)
As one of the ultimatebrwinning coaches, what does it take to be a champion?
In order to be a champion it takes an "All In"brmentality from everyone involved with the program. This "AllbrIn" mentality means that I'm going to have tunnel vision on this one goalbrand see how successful we can become.
What are your thoughtsbron success and how is this achieved?
Success to us is defined as maximizing your own potential.br If everyone involved with the program is truly working to maximize theirbrown potential then we as a program will be successful. The ultimate goalbris for every runner to be as successful as they can be at their individualbrability level.
What are the biggestbrobstacles faced during a season and what steps are put into place to overcomebrsuch challenges?
Every season is different because you're dealing with a newbrgroup of kids and a new group of personalities. Therefore, you have tobrfigure out what's drives and what makes each group click. Our season runsbrfrom August through December so complacency sometimes can become an issue butbrthat's why it's important to make big goals and have daily reminders so thebrkids know that this is what we are working for. Another obstacle isbrpatience. We live in a world now of instant access to things we want andbrin this sport it takes months and years of daily work in order to develop andbrthat's sometimes hard for kids to accept. Therefore, we constantly lookbrat the teams and individuals that came before them and see what they did andbrthe amount of time and patience it took for them to be successful.
If you could give yourbrplayers — past, current and future and any advice, what would it be? Why?
Take the work ethic that they used in this sport and applybrit to their next chosen path and great things will happen. Choose abrcareer that you are passionate about and one that you look forward to going tobreach day because that enthusiasm is contagious and will make a difference forbrthose around you as well.
Coaching Highlights
Greg Oglesby
- brNational Federation of High School Associations'br2013 Boys Soccer Coach of the Year
- 2013 District 4-5A Coach of the Year
- br 2001 UILbrClass 4A State Championship
- br2010-2011 5A State Championship
Kevin Murphy
- brSince arriving in 2005, Coach Murphy has leadbrthe Dragon Men and Women, each, to 8 District Championships in a row
- br2011-2013 Dragon Boys State 5A Swim/DivebrChampionships
- br2012 and 2013 Dragon Girls won Texas StatebrTitles
- br2008 5A State Champions Boys' IndividualbrSwimming Champion – Wil Singley
- br2010-2011 5A State Champions Boys' Swimmingbr& Diving
Justin Leonard
- brSince taking over in 2008, Coach Leonard hasbrlead the Dragons to six 5A State cross country championships
- br12 district championships
- brDragon Boys won 3 state championships from 2011brto 2013
- brLady Dragons won three championships from 2011brto 2013
- br2011 and 2012 Coach Leonard's Dragons won thebrNike National Cross Country Award for the No. 1 program in the nation