March 7, 2018 at 4:10 p.m.
Kraemer to lead RHS track in 2018
Coaches switch roles as season beings
Kraemer to lead RHS track in 2018
Football coaches Chris Ferge and Aaron Kraemer are still on staff this season but the two have switched official titles, with Kraemer assuming the role of head coach and Ferge serving as his assistant following three years leading the program.
"We're in a great position where we're at right now," Kraemer said Monday as the team began practice for the spring season. "Coach Ferge passed it off to me this year and is still helping out coaching. Having his presence on staff and his expertise in track and field is going to be invaluable to me."
Within the program itself, the two will still be working on most of the same events as they have previously - with Kraemer overseeing the sprint and hurdling crews and Ferge handling the throwing events.
Brittany Haakenson, who served as the girls' head coach last season while overseeing the distance runners, did not to return this season after picking up a spot on the girls' basketball coaching staff. She's been replaced on the distance end by Melissa Krueger.
"Brand new coach, first year, but she is super excited and I'm super excited to have her on the team," Kraemer said of Krueger. "She has some great ideas already, coming in. She's a distance runner in her own right so she has a program she runs on her own and she's going to get our kids ready."
For now, both Kraemer and Ferge will assist the athletes in the jumping events, though Rhinelander activities director Brian Paulson told the River News Monday he is in the process of attempting to secure an extra coach dedicated to the jumping portion of the program.
While the training will be different for the athletes depending on the events in which they will compete, Kraemer said his objective is to bring a speed and sprinting background to the program.
"I want to bring as much of a sprint base to our program as possible," he said. "We want to get fast. We want to run fast doing it. That's basically it.
Kraemer estimated roughly 45-50 kids have come out for the sport. While that number is lower than some other programs in the GNC - track powerhouse Lakeland, for instance, had in excess of 80 athletes on day one - the number is in line with what the team has had in years past.
Of those 45, only five seniors were present on opening day, meaning the Hodags will have a young squad to work with this year.
"There's some kids who are still finishing up their basketball season, with their last practices today, some kids that we've contacted that we want to have come out and recruit," Kraemer said. "We're still looking for kids, but I think we have a very talented group in here already."
The team split up into groups right away on day one with sprinters, distance runners and throwers beginning specific training for their specialized events. With the Jim Miazga Community Gymnasium already in use, the team utilized the Aspirus Fitness Center for its strength and stretching workouts, while running the halls of the high school.
The team's first indoor meet of the season is scheduled for Tuesday, March 20 at Lakeland Union High School in Minocqua.
The RHS track team was the first team to begin practice for the spring sports season. The earliest day the RHS softball team can begin practice is this coming Monday, as can baseball pitchers and catchers - in a WIAA rule change for 2018.
The full RHS baseball team will start training March 19, as will the RHS girls' soccer team. The Hodag boys' tennis and golf teams are eligible to being practice March 26.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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