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After 32 years of coaching cross country at Minnetonka, Jane Reimer-Morgan is officially retired!!! Well at least with cross country. She will still coach track and field.
Reimer-Morgan has been a track coach at Minnetonka since 1985, then began coaching cross-country in 1990, helping coach the Skippers to state cross-country titles in 1991 and 2014. She has also been named 6AA Coach of the Year five times and has been inducted into the Minnesota Cross Country Coaches, Minnesota Track Coaches, and Minnesota Coaches Hall of Fames.
We at MileSplit Minnesota recently caught up with the legendary coach to talk about her family coaching tree, her favorite coaching memories, and so much more! Read the wide-ranging interview below.
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How did you first get into coaching?
I was raised in a family of 3 girls during the era of Title IX. Fortunately for us, that didn't deter our parents from helping us to pursue our passion in athletics. My parents were teachers, and my dad was a coach of Track and Field, Basketball, and Football. He had been a 3 sport athlete in college, 1 year at the U of MN, and 3 years at Augustana. Our mom passed away when we were in our early high school years, and I think that life-changing event really deepened our passion to do things that we loved. I had started going to track meets with my dad at the age of 4 and loved the events, the smell of cramergesic-ha-, and watching my father coach. His engagement with the athletes has stuck with me my entire life, and I knew from a young age that I wanted to continue that legacy.
What was your first coaching experience and what coaching positions have you held since?
I student taught in 1977 during the winter, at Brainerd High School. I was the assistant coach for the basketball team as my coaching practicum. I was then hired for the spring of 1977 as an assistant coach for track and field. This was with Mark Embretson, Kay Edgeton, Chuck Miller, Chet Stevenson, and Jon Purves, so I had some great role models. We had a coed program which I really enjoyed. Chuck and Jon had run for the University of Minnesota and had some great ideas. We had an outstanding team, and the girl's team finished 2nd in the State Meet. Since that time I have coached at:
Staples: Volleyball, MS Basketball, & Girls Track and Field (1977-1979)
Parkers Prairie: Volleyball, MS Basketball, Head Boys Track and Field (1979-1982)
Breck: MS Track and Field (1984)
Minnetonka: Track and Field (1985-2016, 2020-present), Volleyball (1985-1989) & Cross Country (1990-2022)
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From left to right: Karla Reimer-Jensen (Pierz), Mary Anderson (Pine City), Jane Reimer-Morgan, and Trish Reimer-Kealy (Becker)
Your family has a storied history of coaching track and field, how did that start, and who is still coaching in your family?
As I mentioned, I was raised in a family of 3 girls! Karla is the oldest and had a long, successful career at Pierz, coaching for 46 years. Her teams were always excellent. She stepped away from head coach as she was raising 4 girls and teaching full-time, but continued being an assistant, retiring in 2021. She was State Assistant Coach of the Year in 2019. She also was an extremely successful tennis coach, along with her husband, Mark (Who BTW, is in the National Hall of Fame of Wrestling Coaches!). My sister, Trish, is the youngest and coaches track and field, as well as cross country at Becker. Trish has twice been State XC Coach of the Year and was a great track athlete during the Title 9 ERA. She and I competed at the same State Track and Field Meet in 1973 when it was a one-class system, which was a fun experience for the 2 of us. Trish is still coaching and this will be her 25th year. She was a flight attendant for 20 years, so is behind Karla and myself in years-we always tease her that she brought the yearly average down !! Karla's daughter, Kristine, is my assistant coach for both track and field, as well as CC. She is an excellent coach-she is a Physician's Assistant, which only allows her to coach part-time, but we have been blessed to have her! Karla's daughter, Kaari, a National Heptathlete in college, coached a couple of years in a California high school, primarily with the jumps, while they were stationed there. My daughter, Taylor Steidl, is a teacher and coach at Alexandria. She coaches middle school track and field as well as middle school cross country. This is another great program that we are blessed to be a part of. For my part, this is my 46th year of coaching and my 38th year at Minnetonka!
BUT-as I said earlier-it all started with our dad. Taking carloads of boys to the Corn Palace Relays in Mitchell, SD, riding buses with him and his teams, and the fact that he drove us all over the place so that he could find meets that we, as girls, could compete in. Mostly to Sioux Falls, to run at Lincoln for summer meets, with the great Greeno legacy of track and field there! I remember one day we ran at Brookings in the morning, and then drove to Sioux Falls and ran there that night! Many of his athletes went on to coach as well-one of them being Larry Petersen, who coached many years at Worthington. He was in the carload going to the Corn Palace!! The track in Pillager is named after dad: THE JOHN H. REIMER TRACK AND FIELD COMPLEX-it is a beautiful facility. When we moved there, we never had a track and ran around the football field. Dad pushed for a track, and in 1976, they got one! One of his former athletes, Terry Hollingsworth, has been coaching at Pillager for many years and has done an outstanding job. Dad has left quite a legacy with his family and his former athletes and I am very proud of all of them!
Who are some people that influenced the way you coached and got you to where you are now today?
I have had the good fortune to work with some great people. My dad, of course, was my earliest influence. Mark Embretson from Brainerd. At Staples, I worked with Mary Anderson and Ron Beachy. Mary was a very successful coach of females during the Title 9 ERA, and she was a great role model for me. Bob Rogness from Minnetonka has been a great mentor for me, as well as Joe Lane from Minnetonka. Kathy Techam from Verndale, a pioneer in women's sports. My sisters, Karla Reimer Jensen and Trish Reimer Kealy, of course! ( Growing up around the dinner table was mostly track talk, which probably totally bored our boyfriends at the time!) My longtime assistant, Krista Larson has been invaluable to me-30 years coaching together. My college track coach, Pat Rosenbrock. Also, I have learned many things from our Lake Conference coaches over the years. I think that you look at what works for your own personality, your own experience and don't be afraid to try new things. Keep going to clinics and improving upon how you do things.
How have you seen yourself grow as a coach and as a person over the course of your coaching career?
In the 46 years that I have been doing this, of course there have been many changes in the world around us. The technology piece has certainly changed things, for good and bad. Parents are more involved, which is also good and not so good. Student-athletes are pulled in even more directions than ever, and anxiety levels are at an all-time high. I think that I have become more mellow in my style, while maintaining high expectations. I always tell my assistant coaches; we don't know where they are coming from or what they are going home to. Trying to be more patient and understanding of the things they have going on in their lives, not just the athletic piece. I also tell the girls, "advocate for yourselves-it is ok to ask me why and get an explanation." Coaches make mistakes too-we are human. I think that when I was younger, I was afraid to let that side show as much. Expectations and compassion should go hand in hand.
How would you describe your leadership philosophy and style?
I delegate responsibilities to my assistants, and also have responsibilities for our captains and manager, but at the end of the day, the buck stops here, so I make final decisions with input from them. I have high expectations and am quite driven, but also try to be open to new things. We all, athletes and coaches, have egos, and it is also my job to try to meet their expectations but also manage them for both my staff and the athletes. The athletes know that I care about them as people, and also expect them to try their best each day-whether it is practice or a meet. We all have off days, and no one intentionally performs poorly, so it really irritates me to see coaches who will scream at their athletes after performing poorly. I lose my temper only when athletes are NOT trying-and that is a rarity. Most of our girls are very hard workers.
What do you like most about coaching?
The interaction with the athletes!! Seeing them "get it" when you are teaching them and conditioning them, and all of a sudden it clicks-that is wonderful! Also, my relationships with my athletes and coaches. Those don't go away even after many years. I enjoy seeing them after graduation, at their weddings, coming back to coach with me-it is all great to see the people that they become and maintain that relationship. Also, the people I coach with and against are some of my best friends-we root for each other in sports and in life. I also have some great friendships with parents from over the years. I feel very blessed.
What have been some of the more memorable moments of your coaching career?
Oh so many in 46 years-
*At Parkers Prairie, I was the Head Boys Track Coach at age 24, in a time when women did not coach men. When I went to the first conference coaches meeting, all the other men coaches looked at me and said, "the girls meeting is over there". I politely said, "I know, I am the boys coach", and I got some bewildered looks. 3 years later, they voted me as the Conference Coach of the Year. I have been lucky enough to receive a few awards, but that one still remains most precious to me, because they recognized a female in men's sport, by my men peers. They also began asking me for my workouts!
*Winning our first 4 x 800 State Title in 2003! Since then we have won it 10 times, and held the All-Time State record for 14 years.
*Maggie Carruth winning the 800m State title as an 8th grader, beating the defending State Champion.
*My first year at Minnetonka in 1985, as an assistant, winning the MSHSL Team Championship
*Winning the XC State Title in Alexandria in 1991, after the Halloween blizzard.
*Winning the State XC Title in 2014
*Winning the 2022 True Team State Title!
* In 2016 I was inducted into the MN Track and Field Coaches Hall of Fame. My dad had been inducted in 2010, and this is the only father/child combination in the HOF.
Who are some of the more memorable athletes that you have had the pleasure to coach?
All of them!!! This is a really tough question-I have had a lot of truly remarkable athletes.
In my first season coaching, at Brainerd, we had future Hall of Famer Kathleen Borgwarth, in the hurdles, sprints, and jumps. Also, Gail Dailey was an incredible mid-distance runner, 1978 graduate, go pioneers!
At Staples, we had Deb and Dorene Trantina, identical twins who competed in State numerous times in the 800 and 1600. Incredible runners and people.
I was the only boys' coach, grades 7-12 in Parkers Prairie-we went from 13th (last) place in the conference to 3rd the first year I was there, and only had 11 boys on the team. They worked hard and it paid off. Some of those very memorable boys are: Bruce Fuhrman (who is now the head coach at Staples for coed track and CC), Troy Meyers, Nate Hunke, and Bill Suchy. We also had a girl 1600 runner who trained with us and competed at State-Sheila Potratz.
As Head track coach at Minnetonka, I write the workouts for our sprinters and distance crews. I have phenomenal assistants who carry out these workouts- Since I do not directly coach the jumpers, vaulters, hurdlers, or throwers, I will name just some of our distance, mid-distance, and sprinters. Emily Mason, Meghan Mayer, Katie Hollimon, and Molly Lehman from our very first 4 x 800 State Championship. Molly went on to Duke, and I believe still holds the record there for the 1500. Katie and Molly ran 3 years in a row on the State Championship 4 x 800, and Molly's sister, Alice Lehman, joined them for the last 2. Other distance runners would include Sophie Whicher, Libby Halbmaier, Lucy Hoelscher, Grace Hoelscher, Maggie Carruth, Anna Urdahl, Alison Liewen, Emily Meese, Taylor Light, Bre Valle, Meaghan Borowski, Nia Hermansen, Megan Bailey, Marla Bailey, Rachael Hoerauf. Keri Zweig, Karry Tierney, Liisa Johnson, Danielle Haines, Anna Leighton, Kathy Moore, Deanna Hillesheim, Jody Pederson, and Mollie Bauman from the early 90s. Elizabeth Endy was a great runner at almost any distance! Meghan Janssen ran the 4x200, 4x400, and 4x800 at State numerous years, winning many of them-quite a combination.
Danijela Vicanovic a stellar 400-800 runner from the 80s.
Sprinters- Maureen Leonard, Carolina Bowe, Faith Robinson, Amanda Miller, Kaitlyn Dunsmore, Megan McFarlin, Mia Barron, and Zeal Kuku (set new 200 school record in 2022). Tonya Andruskiewicz (who coaches with me now), Maureen Leonard, and Tara Wetzel. All state champions from the 80s!
Recent years- Kate LeBlanc, Annalise Johnson, Anna Cherian. This year's CC team was very memorable-they persevered through so many injuries, and really ran well as a team-a great season-May Mor, Evie Malec, Claire Cashman, Avery Marasco-Johnson, Ella Graham, Mere Gilles, Kyra Martin, Lauren Fligge, and Olivia Muehlstedt. Our 2022 Track team really excelled- Our relay teams, hurdlers, jumpers, and distance, all focused so well and won the True Team Championship, and placed 2nd in MSHSL. Shout out to all of them- Looking for another excellent showing for this season!!
I know I am missing some names here, and for that, I apologize. I have had SO MANY memorable athletes-not just for their ability, but also for their leadership and their work ethic.
Tell me about some of the teams you've coached and how you coached them.
My first head coaching job was with my Parkers Prairie boys 'track team. They did not have a winning program at the time I came in, and then you add the fact that they are getting a female coach in 1979! So I had to be very strict, enforce very tough rules, and they eventually came around! Since I had to coach every event, I took turns with different areas every day. It was tough to keep an eye on what the other events were doing, as you can imagine! I also had to drive to St. Cloud to get foam from Stearns Mfg. to fill burlap bags for them to high jump and pole vault into. I lined the dirt track with lime for each lane and exchange zone! It was a different time, for sure! I really enjoyed my time with them- at the end of the season, they gave me a dozen roses and bought me a jacket with my name on it-I still have that jacket 44 years later!
1999 Minnetonka track, was my first year as Head Coach. I had been an assistant under Bob Rogness since 1985, so I knew the girls. I continued doing most things in a very similar way to Bob, but adding my own spin on things. There were some hiccups during the season, but we ended up 3rd in Section, and by the following year, we were Section Champs. The thing I have really come to know about coaching girls is that we as females, are very competitive, as much as males, but girls are more about relationships. So, I think it is important to let them know that none of our coaching critiques are personal; that we like them as people, and are just doing our job in pointing out how they can improve. These girls are tough! Plus, they are fun!! It is important for them to do team bonding activities, eg. movie nights, sleepovers, pasta parties, etc.
2020 CC Season, and 2021 Track season- It was Covid!!! We made things more fun, as we had to be separated physically from each other. So we tried to come up with things we could do to keep them engaged and in a positive frame of mind. It did enable me as a coach to get to know the girls in my pods better and have more one on one time with them, even at a distance. On our teams, we also try to make it available to every level of athlete. It is important for them to have their community, and the runners of less ability are sometimes the ones who can really motivate the better runners. It is a Team!!
2022 CC Season- This team would do whatever was asked of them. We had a lot of fun- I brought back Molly Lehman to talk with them, our seniors really mentored our younger runners, and the girls were so unselfish. It was a more personal year for me, as my last season of CC. I also really tried some different training things with them, as we were working through a lot of injuries. I think all of those things really helped us to have a successful season. As a coach, remember, don't be afraid to learn and try new things. Each year is different with different abilities and different personalities. I try to adjust to those.
This fall was your last season as the head coach of the Minnetonka cross country team. Why retire?
Not gonna lie-it is a difficult decision! I still love it, the girls will be great next year, and I really enjoy working with them! But it has been 46 years of coaching, usually 2 seasons. I have 2 grown children, who spent a lot of time eating heated-up leftovers or McDonalds. I would like to help them out more now when I can. I have not had a fall off to do other things, so my husband and I can travel, and I have a new granddaughter to enjoy spending time with. So, as hard as it is to let go, I feel that it is time. The cupboard will not be bare for the incoming new coach, and that makes me happy. Hopefully, these girls will take a few of the things I have taught them as they move forward in life. That is my hope and wish! They are remarkable runners, but even more remarkable human beings.
You will still coach track and field, what are you most looking forward to this spring track and field season?
We have a great group of girls returning, and some new freshmen who will be a great addition as well! We had a lot of fun last season and the girls really improved steadily throughout the season. Our True Team State Championship and our Runner-Up MSHSL Title were exciting, and the girls are very motivated to repeat True Team and to win the MSHSL title. If everyone stays healthy, most of our events look to be very good, and we are deep in most of them as well. Our captains are already at work getting girls motivated. My coaching staff is excellent and I look forward to spending a lot of time with them again. Now, if the weather just cooperates...............!!