IUSF pleased with student, alumni dynamic

Before the start of both Little 500s, Race Coordinator Matthew Ewing had a lot of things to check out. He had to make sure all the judges were present, that the TV crew was accommodated, that the parade’s celebrities knew where to be and when, among other responsibilities. \nBut before Friday’s and Saturday’s races, Ewing made it a point to look across the track at the pits to find out which teams were using either their student or alumni coach, and in some cases, both.\n“I knew it was going to be interesting to see,” Ewing said.\nLast May, the IU Student Foundation implemented a student coaching initiative required all Little 500 teams to have a student coach that would be in the pit on race day. The initiative barred non-students from coaching in the pits during the race. Before Qualifications in March, IUSF lifted the alumni coaching ban, allowing students, alumni or both in the pits during the race. \nDespite early criticism, many riders and student coaches were pleased with the way the dynamic played out.\n“During the race I felt like I was able to point out things to him he might not have noticed,” said Steve Ziemba, Kappa Delta’s student coach. Ziemba, a sophomore, rides for Alpha Tau Omega, which did not qualify for the men’s race this year. Kappa Delta won the women’s race. \nEwing agreed the collaboration of student and alumni coaches appeared to be successful. In some instances, alumni coaches were barking signals to the riders while the student coaches were writing messages on dry-erase boards, Ewing said.\n“It seemed to work really well,” he said. “We’ll see if this plays out in the future.”\nAll teams will still be required to have a student coach in the future, Ewing said, but he is unsure if both student and alumni coaches can be in the teams’ pits during the Little 500. \nHe will talk about safety issues with the race’s chief steward to determine whether two coaches, four riders, four stationary bikes, water coolers and other extraneous items made the 8-by-16-feet pits a little too crowded.\nBut Ziemba, last year’s men’s rookie of the year, appreciated the chance to participate in the race without racing, thought it wasn’t nearly the same experience. He can now wear two Little 500 championship rings – one as a rider for ATO’s 2006 title, and one as a student coach for Friday’s win. But it was easy for him to determine which win was sweeter. \n“Winning as a coach – I was a little detached from the win because I didn’t help out with the training or anything,” he said. “It’s much better winning as a rider.”