by Adam Grybowski
As a coach, Bob Hamer doesn鈥檛 like to fixate on outcomes, even if the sport he leads at 天美传媒官网 often revolves around getting to the finish line. Instead, Hamer and his staff prefer to focus on the individual steps their runners, jumpers and throwers need to take moment by moment to succeed.
鈥淭here is no day two without day one,鈥 says Hamer, 天美传媒官网鈥檚 director of cross country, track and field, 鈥渁nd that鈥檚 why we have to live in the moment and have a great day one.鈥
Last May, that philosophy helped 天美传媒官网 earn both the men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 outdoor and indoor titles during the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) tournaments. The four victories were a 天美传媒官网 first. The only other time the men and women both earned a title in the same year was 2013, when both teams won the outdoor championships.
Because track and field is among the few sports where the men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 teams operate in tandem, one of Hamer鈥檚 challenges is to build a culture of support when one side is up and the other is down.
鈥淓ven though track can be a segmented sport, we鈥檙e all in this together,鈥 he says. 鈥淲inning four titles in one year is unique, and it鈥檚 something we鈥檒l remember for the rest of our lives, but we鈥檙e not always going to have this kind of success. We have to make sure we not only love winning but can also enjoy the journey along the way.鈥
We have to make sure we not only love winning but can also enjoy the journey along the way.鈥
Hamer鈥檚 coaching philosophy has been developing since he was a runner at Penn State. The two-time All-American twice helped the Nittany Lions finish in the top 15 teams in the nation in cross country. It was during those experiences when he first felt the pride that comes from not only chasing individual success but representing an entire institution.
鈥淏y putting on the singlet, you鈥檙e not just representing yourself but your team and your university and those who came before you,鈥 Hamer says. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 something that really shaped me.鈥
Despite graduating with a degree in finance and visions of himself as an investment banker, he switched gears and enrolled in a graduate program at West Chester University, earning a master鈥檚 degree in sports administration. Two coaching positions, at Devon Preparatory School and Saint Joseph鈥檚 University, preceded his move to 天美传媒官网 in 2007. Since then, he has been named MAAC Coach of the Year 10 times.
Now, having made 天美传媒官网 history last season, he knows he faces the complex challenge of leading new teams this academic year with outsized expectations of repeating the championship sweep. As always, Hamer doesn鈥檛 plan on letting anyone get ahead of themselves.
鈥淲e鈥檒l be excited, even though we鈥檒l have targets on our backs,鈥 he says, 鈥渁nd one of the keys to our success will be to stop our athletes from fast-forwarding to the end.鈥