Wasilla track coach steps down

By JEREMIAH BARTZ

Frontiersman.com

WASILLA — Sometimes it’s good to go out while you’re on top.

After leading Wasilla Warriors girls track and field to back-to-back 4A state team titles, Gary Howell has decided to step down from his position as head coach of the Warriors track and field teams.

The decision coincides with another career change. Howell, an English teacher at Wasilla High for the last seven years, has taken a new job at Mat-Su Career and Technical School.

“I was looking for a change,” Howell said recently. “The timing was right for me.”

Howell said he’s been considering potential career changes for the past two years or so. He enrolled in a Master’s program, with the idea of pursuing a career in school administration. But after a year’s worth of classes, Howell decided that was not for him.

Instead, he opted to pursue a different teaching opportunity.

“Mentally and emotionally, I was ready for a change,” Howell said.

By accepting the new teaching position, Howell said he knew he’d have to step down as head coach of the track team.

“It would be too difficult to run a quality program from outside the building. I do not believe in doing something if I can’t do it well,” Howell said. “It’d be a disservice to the kids, the program and the assistant coaches.”

Wasilla High activities director Paul Cossette said he was disappointed to learn the Warriors were losing a coach who helped build a state championship track and field program at Wasilla, but understood Howell’s decision.

“We wants to be able to put in 100 percent,” Cossette said. “He knew he wouldn’t be able to do it the way he wanted to do it outside the building.”

Howell has also built the Wasilla cross-country program into a state power. The Warriors have also won consecutive 4A state titles in girls’ cross-country running. Howell will continue to lead the cross-country program at Wasilla High, Cossette said.

Howell took the reins of the Wasilla track program five years ago. In the season prior to Howell’s arrival to the program, Wasilla had fewer than 30 athletes on the team and qualified only one athlete for the state meet.

Howell spent his time as head coach aggressively recruiting athletes from other sports and working to develop natural runners into top athletes. Howell’s Warriors had great success, particularly on the girls’ side. Wasilla won its third Region III title and second straight state title this past season. Howell also coached a number of individual state champions, including recent graduate Morgan Dampier, who won six individual track titles during her career.

Howell said he didn’t think his program would ever have that much success.

“That was never the goal to try and build that girls’ juggernaut,” Howell said. “I got really lucky with key athletes and was supported tremendously by my assistant coaches.”

Howell noted longtime assistants Leslie Varys and Nathan Ford specifically.

“Nathan and Leslie, we just got along really well,” Howell said. “Because we were having fun, the kids came out and had fun too. You just do better when you’re having fun.”

Cossette said Howell’s success building a program is now used as a benchmark.

“We use him as an example,” Cossette said of Howell. “Here’s a classic example. He built that program with his passion. He connects with kids, works well with kids and loves the sport he’s working in.”

Howell, a Colony High School graduate, has coached and taught in the Mat-Su Valley for 10 years. He’s also spent time as a wrestling coach in his career.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.