By Sylvia Quintanilla for Athletic Media Relations
LAS CRUCES, N.M.-
New Mexico State Cross Country/Track and Field head coach Orin Richburg
traveled to Berlin, Germany this past summer to coach the United States of
America men's and women's relay teams at the 2009 International Association of Athletics
Federations (IAAF) World Championships.
Richburg, who has been the head coach at NM State for three
years, has had international coaching experience for years. Each trip around
the world has come from a nomination from his peers.
"We're all in a profession that we try and be the best we
possibly can be," Richburg said. "To be nominated by your peers and your peers
select you to represent your country, that's a high honor," Richburg said.
A high honor that comes with high expectations, though the
USA track team brought home 10 gold medals and 22 medals total, their loss in
the 4x100 meter relay overshadowed their overall success in Berlin.
"Didn't win short relay then basically our success is not
what it should be," Richburg said. "Everyone expects us to win the short relay
in the USA."
Team USA did earn the gold in the 4x400 meter in both the
men's and women's race, a similar story the summer before in at the Olympics.
"Everyone looked at it as a failure," he said.
During the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China, both the
men's and women's team failed to win in the short relay 4x100 meter, but
succeeded in the 4x400 meter bringing home the gold. The men had a
disqualification in the short relay and the women had in injury coming into the
games.
State side this summer, while Richburg was in Berlin, the
Aggies were in good hands while at camp in Ruidoso, N.M.
This summer provided an opportunity for assistant coaches,
Scott Fister, Paul Harkins and Meaghan Gregory to bond with the team at the
camp.
Being around the best athletes in the world, habits are
bound to be observed and brought back home. The way the elite athletes present
themselves, their daily routine, even to the way they eat affected Richburg.
"The main thing is to see how these athletes respond to
discipline," Richburg said. "You see that from the best in the world and try to
give your student athletes the same thing."
Using his experience this summer will get the Aggies to
understand what they need to do in order to be successful.
"If we can get that without having to harp on those points,
we should be very successful at NM State," Richburg said.
To Richburg, success on the field comes second to that in
the classroom, during the 2007-08 season, Richburg had 19 student athletes
receive academic all-Western Athletic Conference honors.
September 5 marked the beginning of the Aggies' season at
the Lobo Invitational in Albuquerque, N.M. The freshmen men had a successful
debut with the Aggies; Ryan Fenton finished 12th overall and Johan
Ruybaild closing in at a minute behind him.
"Try and improve each year," said Richburg. Last year
against the Lobos, the women were fourth and the men were sixth. "Great group
of young men and young women in our program that understand exactly what we
have to do in order to be successful."
The Aggies will be in Santa Teresa, N.M. Thursday Sept. 10,
at the Lori Fitzgerald Invitational.
Courtesy: New Mexico State University
