Lethbridge College’s Track and Field team is preparing for a new season, this time with a new coach.  After the most decorated coach in the college’s history, Bertil Johansson, retired last season, Coach Simon Schaerz is now at the helm.

“Having the summer to prepare, do the short term and long-term planning, attending events to do recruiting has certainly helped. Overall, I think I’ve adjusted quite well.” Schaerz shared his thoughts on the coaching transition when asked after a practice.

When asked about the coaching transition, Schaerz said that the team will try to maintain the legacy of Johansson.

Along with the competition that the Kodiaks will face this year, one challenge that Coach Schaerz has is making sure his new runners are adjusting well to the college life.

“I think that the biggest challenge will be taking this new batch of new runners and making sure they’re adjusting well to the college life. A lot of them are living away from home for the first time.”

When asked about the team’s new coach, Tyler Larkin, a new face to the team says that Schaerz is very organized about his work.

“He pushes us, he cares about us, he is very organized, he puts in a lot of effort.”

While he acknowledges the strong competition that the Kodiaks will face this season, Schaerz believes that the team is ready for the competition.

“We have a really fantastic student trainer, full-time athletic trainer, we have a nutritional specialist with our group. With all those pieces in place I think we are really setting ourselves up for success.”

Coach Schaerz and his team will be at Montana State in Bozeman, Montana for their next cross-country event on Sept. 21, 2019.