Ages 8-18 · Book 3, Confidence · 4,299 places
Track and Cross Country
Where the count is literal, published, and impossible to argue with, which is why it teaches this better than anything.
Built on Ellis Abel and the Magic Triangle — “Turn fear into confidence, one step at a time.” A character series, not a curriculum with a worldview attached.
The five sessions
- Session 1
Name the one skill, small enough to practise this week
- Session 2
Read the story and connect the wall to their own thing
- Session 3
Set the rep count, write it down, keep it boring
- Session 4
Miss, fail, and log it as a rep rather than a verdict
- Session 5
Show the count at the end and let them read it themselves
Questions leaders ask
Is track and cross country in your area a religious program?
No. Ellis Abel is a character series. Each volume carries one named core value — this one is confidence — and the story does the teaching. There is no doctrine in it, nothing to opt out of, and it is used in public schools, libraries and secular programs as readily as anywhere else.
What ages does this work for?
Ages 8-18. The story is read aloud, so a child who cannot read yet is fully in it, and the discussion prompts are written in two bands so one adult can hold a mixed-age room.
When in a your area season does this fit?
Preseason for the first three sessions, then one mid-season and one at the end. Ten minutes before practice, sitting on the floor, is the whole footprint.
Our coaches are volunteers with no time. Is that a problem?
No. The script is one page per session and assumes the coach read it in the car park. The point is the athletes talking, not the coach presenting.
The rules that make it work
Confidence is earned, in that order, every time
Commitment, then competency, then confidence. Almost every adult teaches it backwards by trying to install the feeling first, and children can tell.
Ugly reps are the work, not a warning sign
A child promised that practice feels good quits on the third attempt. Say in advance that it will look bad, and the bad-looking part stops meaning anything.
Praise the count, never the talent
"You're a natural" is a compliment a child cannot use and cannot rebuild from. Sixty reps is a fact they own and can do again.
Nobody is compared to anybody
The count is against last week's count. A room where children are ranked teaches the ones at the bottom to stop starting.
Adults commit out loud too
A coach or a parent naming a thing they are bad at and are practising anyway is worth more than any session on effort.
This is a character story, not a performance program
Technique belongs to the coach and the teacher. This handles the part that has nothing to do with technique, and never scores a child on either.
Track and Cross Country by metro area
Northeast
- Track and Cross Country — New York, NY
- Track and Cross Country — Philadelphia, PA
- Track and Cross Country — Boston, MA
- Track and Cross Country — Pittsburgh, PA
- Track and Cross Country — Providence, RI
- Track and Cross Country — Hartford, CT
- Track and Cross Country — Buffalo, NY
- Track and Cross Country — Rochester, NY
- Track and Cross Country — Bridgeport, CT
- Track and Cross Country — Albany, NY
- Track and Cross Country — Worcester, MA
- Track and Cross Country — Allentown, PA
- Track and Cross Country — Poughkeepsie metro area, NY
- Track and Cross Country — Syracuse, NY
- Track and Cross Country — Harrisburg, PA
- Track and Cross Country — New Haven, CT
- Track and Cross Country — Portland, ME
- Track and Cross Country — Scranton, PA
- Track and Cross Country — Lancaster, PA
- Track and Cross Country — York, PA
- Track and Cross Country — Springfield, MA
- Track and Cross Country — Waterbury, CT
- Track and Cross Country — Reading, PA
- Track and Cross Country — Manchester, NH
- Track and Cross Country — Trenton, NJ
- Track and Cross Country — Atlantic City, NJ
- Track and Cross Country — Utica, NY
- Track and Cross Country — Norwich, CT
- Track and Cross Country — Erie, PA
- Track and Cross Country — Binghamton, NY
- Track and Cross Country — Barnstable, MA
- Track and Cross Country — Burlington, VT
- Track and Cross Country — Kingston, NY
- Track and Cross Country — Amherst, MA
- Track and Cross Country — Chambersburg, PA
- Track and Cross Country — Bangor, ME
- Track and Cross Country — State College, PA
- Track and Cross Country — Vineland, NJ
- Track and Cross Country — Lebanon, PA
- Track and Cross Country — Johnstown, PA
- Track and Cross Country — Pittsfield, MA
- Track and Cross Country — Glens Falls, NY
- Track and Cross Country — Altoona, PA
- Track and Cross Country — Lewiston, ME
- Track and Cross Country — Williamsport, PA
- Track and Cross Country — Watertown, NY
- Track and Cross Country — Gettysburg, PA
- Track and Cross Country — Ithaca, NY
- Track and Cross Country — Elmira, NY
Midwest
- Track and Cross Country — Chicago, IL
- Track and Cross Country — Detroit, MI
- Track and Cross Country — Minneapolis, MN
- Track and Cross Country — St. Louis, MO
- Track and Cross Country — Cincinnati, OH
- Track and Cross Country — Kansas City, MO
- Track and Cross Country — Columbus, OH
- Track and Cross Country — Indianapolis, IN
- Track and Cross Country — Cleveland, OH
- Track and Cross Country — Milwaukee, WI
- Track and Cross Country — Grand Rapids, MI
- Track and Cross Country — Omaha, NE
- Track and Cross Country — Dayton, OH
- Track and Cross Country — Des Moines, IA
- Track and Cross Country — Madison, WI
- Track and Cross Country — Akron, OH
- Track and Cross Country — Wichita, KS
- Track and Cross Country — Toledo, OH
- Track and Cross Country — Springfield, MO
- Track and Cross Country — Lansing, MI
- Track and Cross Country — Fort Wayne, IN
- Track and Cross Country — Youngstown, OH
- Track and Cross Country — Flint, MI
- Track and Cross Country — Canton, OH
- Track and Cross Country — Davenport, IA
- Track and Cross Country — Ann Arbor, MI
- Track and Cross Country — Peoria, IL
- Track and Cross Country — Lincoln, NE
- Track and Cross Country — Rockford, IL
- Track and Cross Country — Green Bay, WI
- Track and Cross Country — South Bend, IN
- Track and Cross Country — Sioux Falls, SD
- Track and Cross Country — Duluth, MN
- Track and Cross Country — Cedar Rapids, IA
- Track and Cross Country — Evansville, IN
- Track and Cross Country — Fargo, ND
- Track and Cross Country — Kalamazoo, MI
- Track and Cross Country — Appleton, WI
- Track and Cross Country — Champaign, IL
- Track and Cross Country — Topeka, KS
- Track and Cross Country — Rochester, MN
- Track and Cross Country — Lafayette, IN
- Track and Cross Country — Columbia, MO
- Track and Cross Country — Joplin, MO
- Track and Cross Country — Elkhart, IN
- Track and Cross Country — Springfield, IL
- Track and Cross Country — St. Cloud, MN
- Track and Cross Country — Racine, WI
- Track and Cross Country — Saginaw, MI
- Track and Cross Country — Iowa City, IA
- Track and Cross Country — Muskegon, MI
- Track and Cross Country — Eau Claire, WI
- Track and Cross Country — Oshkosh, WI
- Track and Cross Country — Bloomington, IL
- Track and Cross Country — La Crosse, WI
- Track and Cross Country — Terre Haute, IN
- Track and Cross Country — Waterloo, IA
- Track and Cross Country — Kenosha, WI
- Track and Cross Country — Janesville, WI
- Track and Cross Country — Bloomington, IN
- Track and Cross Country — Jackson, MI
- Track and Cross Country — Traverse City, MI
- Track and Cross Country — Rapid City, SD
- Track and Cross Country — Monroe, MI
- Track and Cross Country — Jefferson City, MO
- Track and Cross Country — Niles, MI
- Track and Cross Country — Sioux City, IA
- Track and Cross Country — Bismarck, ND
- Track and Cross Country — Wausau, WI
- Track and Cross Country — Manhattan, KS
- Track and Cross Country — Springfield, OH
- Track and Cross Country — Battle Creek, MI
- Track and Cross Country — Ames, IA
- Track and Cross Country — Mansfield, OH
- Track and Cross Country — Lawrence, KS
- Track and Cross Country — St. Joseph, MO
- Track and Cross Country — Sheboygan, WI
- Track and Cross Country — Muncie, IN
- Track and Cross Country — Sandusky, OH
- Track and Cross Country — Michigan City, IN
- Track and Cross Country — Kankakee, IL
- Track and Cross Country — Grand Forks, ND
- Track and Cross Country — Mankato, MN
- Track and Cross Country — Fond du Lac, WI
- Track and Cross Country — Bay City, MI
- Track and Cross Country — Lima, OH
- Track and Cross Country — Dubuque, IA
- Track and Cross Country — Decatur, IL
- Track and Cross Country — Cape Girardeau, MO
- Track and Cross Country — Columbus, IN
- Track and Cross Country — Kokomo, IN
- Track and Cross Country — Midland, MI
- Track and Cross Country — Grand Island, NE
- Track and Cross Country — Minot, ND
South
- Track and Cross Country — Dallas, TX
- Track and Cross Country — Houston, TX
- Track and Cross Country — Atlanta, GA
- Track and Cross Country — Washington, DC
- Track and Cross Country — Miami, FL
- Track and Cross Country — Tampa, FL
- Track and Cross Country — Orlando, FL
- Track and Cross Country — Charlotte, NC
- Track and Cross Country — Baltimore, MD
- Track and Cross Country — San Antonio, TX
- Track and Cross Country — Austin, TX
- Track and Cross Country — Nashville, TN
- Track and Cross Country — Virginia Beach, VA
- Track and Cross Country — Jacksonville, FL
- Track and Cross Country — Raleigh, NC
- Track and Cross Country — Oklahoma City, OK
- Track and Cross Country — Louisville, KY
- Track and Cross Country — Richmond, VA
- Track and Cross Country — Memphis, TN
- Track and Cross Country — Birmingham, AL
- Track and Cross Country — Tulsa, OK
- Track and Cross Country — Greenville, SC
- Track and Cross Country — New Orleans, LA
- Track and Cross Country — Knoxville, TN
- Track and Cross Country — Sarasota metro area, FL
- Track and Cross Country — McAllen, TX
- Track and Cross Country — Charleston, SC
- Track and Cross Country — Baton Rouge, LA
- Track and Cross Country — El Paso, TX
- Track and Cross Country — Columbia, SC
- Track and Cross Country — Cape Coral, FL
- Track and Cross Country — Lakeland, FL
- Track and Cross Country — Greensboro, NC
- Track and Cross Country — Little Rock, AR
- Track and Cross Country — Deltona, FL
- Track and Cross Country — Winston-Salem, NC
- Track and Cross Country — Palm Bay, FL
- Track and Cross Country — Augusta, GA
- Track and Cross Country — Durham, NC
- Track and Cross Country — Fayetteville, AR
- Track and Cross Country — Jackson, MS
- Track and Cross Country — Chattanooga, TN
- Track and Cross Country — Port St. Lucie, FL
- Track and Cross Country — Huntsville, AL
- Track and Cross Country — Pensacola, FL
- Track and Cross Country — Lexington, KY
- Track and Cross Country — Killeen, TX
- Track and Cross Country — Wilmington, NC
- Track and Cross Country — Corpus Christi, TX
- Track and Cross Country — Ocala, FL
- Track and Cross Country — Savannah, GA
- Track and Cross Country — Brownsville, TX
- Track and Cross Country — Gulfport, MS
- Track and Cross Country — Myrtle Beach, SC
- Track and Cross Country — Lafayette, LA
- Track and Cross Country — Asheville, NC
- Track and Cross Country — Naples, FL
- Track and Cross Country — Mobile, AL
- Track and Cross Country — Spartanburg, SC
- Track and Cross Country — Beaumont, TX
- Track and Cross Country — Tallahassee, FL
- Track and Cross Country — Fayetteville, NC
- Track and Cross Country — Montgomery, AL
- Track and Cross Country — Shreveport, LA
- Track and Cross Country — Hickory, NC
- Track and Cross Country — Lubbock, TX
- Track and Cross Country — Huntington, WV
- Track and Cross Country — Gainesville, FL
- Track and Cross Country — Clarksville, TN
- Track and Cross Country — Columbus, GA
- Track and Cross Country — Roanoke, VA
- Track and Cross Country — Hagerstown, MD
- Track and Cross Country — Fort Walton Beach metro area, FL
- Track and Cross Country — Kingsport, TN
- Track and Cross Country — Waco, TX
- Track and Cross Country — Longview, TX
- Track and Cross Country — College Station, TX
- Track and Cross Country — Tuscaloosa, AL
- Track and Cross Country — Laredo, TX
- Track and Cross Country — Slidell, LA
- Track and Cross Country — Amarillo, TX
- Track and Cross Country — Lynchburg, VA
- Track and Cross Country — Daphne, AL
- Track and Cross Country — Tyler, TX
- Track and Cross Country — Lake Charles, LA
- Track and Cross Country — Hilton Head Island, SC
- Track and Cross Country — Macon, GA
- Track and Cross Country — Fort Smith, AR
- Track and Cross Country — Panama City, FL
- Track and Cross Country — Charlottesville, VA
- Track and Cross Country — Gainesville, GA
- Track and Cross Country — Athens, GA
- Track and Cross Country — Monroe, LA
- Track and Cross Country — Punta Gorda, FL
- Track and Cross Country — Jacksonville, NC
- Track and Cross Country — Johnson City, TN
- Track and Cross Country — Lexington Park, MD
- Track and Cross Country — Warner Robins, GA
- Track and Cross Country — Auburn, AL
- Track and Cross Country — Florence, SC
- Track and Cross Country — Charleston, WV
- Track and Cross Country — Houma, LA
- Track and Cross Country — Bowling Green, KY
- Track and Cross Country — Dover, DE
- Track and Cross Country — Midland, TX
- Track and Cross Country — Burlington, NC
- Track and Cross Country — Abilene, TX
- Track and Cross Country — Jackson, TN
- Track and Cross Country — Greenville, NC
- Track and Cross Country — Blacksburg, VA
- Track and Cross Country — Odessa, TX
- Track and Cross Country — Vero Beach metro area, FL
- Track and Cross Country — Homosassa Springs, FL
- Track and Cross Country — Decatur, AL
- Track and Cross Country — Hattiesburg, MS
- Track and Cross Country — The Villages metro area, FL
- Track and Cross Country — Florence, AL
- Track and Cross Country — Dothan, AL
- Track and Cross Country — Sherman, TX
- Track and Cross Country — Valdosta, GA
- Track and Cross Country — Winchester, VA
- Track and Cross Country — Wichita Falls, TX
- Track and Cross Country — Rocky Mount, NC
- Track and Cross Country — Alexandria, LA
- Track and Cross Country — Dalton, GA
- Track and Cross Country — Texarkana, TX
- Track and Cross Country — Albany, GA
- Track and Cross Country — Morgantown, WV
- Track and Cross Country — Hammond, LA
- Track and Cross Country — Harrisonburg, VA
- Track and Cross Country — Jonesboro, AR
- Track and Cross Country — Wheeling, WV
- Track and Cross Country — Cleveland, TN
- Track and Cross Country — Salisbury, MD
- Track and Cross Country — Staunton, VA
- Track and Cross Country — Morristown, TN
- Track and Cross Country — Elizabethtown, KY
- Track and Cross Country — Lawton, OK
- Track and Cross Country — Goldsboro, NC
- Track and Cross Country — San Angelo, TX
- Track and Cross Country — Brunswick, GA
- Track and Cross Country — Anniston, AL
- Track and Cross Country — Owensboro, KY
- Track and Cross Country — Steubenville, WV
- Track and Cross Country — Sebring, FL
- Track and Cross Country — Pinehurst, NC
- Track and Cross Country — Beckley, WV
- Track and Cross Country — Sumter, SC
- Track and Cross Country — Gadsden, AL
- Track and Cross Country — Paducah, KY
- Track and Cross Country — Rome, GA
- Track and Cross Country — Victoria, TX
- Track and Cross Country — Hot Springs, AR
- Track and Cross Country — Hinesville, GA
- Track and Cross Country — Parkersburg, WV
- Track and Cross Country — Enid, OK
- Track and Cross Country — Eagle Pass, TX
West
- Track and Cross Country — Los Angeles, CA
- Track and Cross Country — Phoenix, AZ
- Track and Cross Country — Riverside, CA
- Track and Cross Country — San Francisco, CA
- Track and Cross Country — Seattle, WA
- Track and Cross Country — San Diego, CA
- Track and Cross Country — Denver, CO
- Track and Cross Country — Portland, OR
- Track and Cross Country — Sacramento, CA
- Track and Cross Country — Las Vegas, NV
- Track and Cross Country — San Jose, CA
- Track and Cross Country — Salt Lake City, UT
- Track and Cross Country — Fresno, CA
- Track and Cross Country — Tucson, AZ
- Track and Cross Country — Honolulu, HI
- Track and Cross Country — Bakersfield, CA
- Track and Cross Country — Albuquerque, NM
- Track and Cross Country — Boise, ID
- Track and Cross Country — Oxnard, CA
- Track and Cross Country — Stockton, CA
- Track and Cross Country — Colorado Springs, CO
- Track and Cross Country — Provo, UT
- Track and Cross Country — Ogden, UT
- Track and Cross Country — Spokane, WA
- Track and Cross Country — Reno, NV
- Track and Cross Country — Modesto, CA
- Track and Cross Country — Santa Rosa, CA
- Track and Cross Country — Visalia, CA
- Track and Cross Country — Vallejo, CA
- Track and Cross Country — Salem, OR
- Track and Cross Country — Santa Maria, CA
- Track and Cross Country — Salinas, CA
- Track and Cross Country — Anchorage, AK
- Track and Cross Country — Eugene, OR
- Track and Cross Country — Greeley, CO
- Track and Cross Country — Fort Collins, CO
- Track and Cross Country — Boulder, CO
- Track and Cross Country — Kennewick, WA
- Track and Cross Country — Olympia, WA
- Track and Cross Country — Merced, CA
- Track and Cross Country — Bremerton, WA
- Track and Cross Country — San Luis Obispo, CA
- Track and Cross Country — Bend, OR
- Track and Cross Country — Yakima, WA
- Track and Cross Country — Santa Cruz, CA
- Track and Cross Country — Prescott metro area, AZ
- Track and Cross Country — Bellingham, WA
- Track and Cross Country — Las Cruces, NM
- Track and Cross Country — Lake Havasu City, AZ
- Track and Cross Country — Yuma, AZ
- Track and Cross Country — Medford, OR
- Track and Cross Country — St. George, UT
- Track and Cross Country — Chico, CA
- Track and Cross Country — Billings, MT
- Track and Cross Country — Coeur d'Alene, ID
- Track and Cross Country — Yuba City, CA
- Track and Cross Country — Redding, CA
- Track and Cross Country — El Centro, CA
- Track and Cross Country — Idaho Falls, ID
- Track and Cross Country — Pueblo, CO
- Track and Cross Country — Grand Junction, CO
- Track and Cross Country — Logan, UT
- Track and Cross Country — Maui, HI
- Track and Cross Country — Santa Fe, NM
- Track and Cross Country — Hanford, CA
- Track and Cross Country — Flagstaff, AZ
- Track and Cross Country — Mount Vernon, WA
- Track and Cross Country — Napa, CA
- Track and Cross Country — Albany, OR
- Track and Cross Country — Bozeman, MT
- Track and Cross Country — Missoula, MT
- Track and Cross Country — Wenatchee, WA
- Track and Cross Country — Sierra Vista, AZ
- Track and Cross Country — Twin Falls, ID
- Track and Cross Country — Farmington, NM
- Track and Cross Country — Longview, WA
- Track and Cross Country — Cheyenne, WY
- Track and Cross Country — Corvallis, OR
- Track and Cross Country — Helena, MT
- Track and Cross Country — Fairbanks, AK
- Track and Cross Country — Pocatello, ID
- Track and Cross Country — Grants Pass, OR
- Track and Cross Country — Great Falls, MT
- Track and Cross Country — Casper, WY
- Track and Cross Country — Lewiston, ID
- Track and Cross Country — Walla Walla, WA
- Track and Cross Country — Carson City, NV
Cities and all 3,143 US counties are covered too — every place page is live. The campaign sitemap lists every one.
