Coach Dave Turnbull - Summit Track & Field: Reflect, Reset, and Go

🚨Coach Dave Turnbull 🚨Dave Turnbull is the longtime head track and field coach (and health teacher) at Summit High School in Bend, Oregon. Coach Turnbull graduated from Mountain View High School in 1984, where he excelled in football and track. He earned a full scholarship to Oregon State University, where he competed in both football and track before stopping football due to concussions. At OSU, he became an All-Pac-10 athlete in the high jump, long jump, triple jump, and 4x100 relay. Coach Turnbull has led Summit’s (Bend, OR) program since the early 2000s. Under his guidance, the Storm have won 23 Oregon state team titles in outdoor track and field: 15 girls’ titles and 8 boys’ titles. This includes multiple streaks of dominance (notably 14 straight for the girls) and a boys/girls sweep in 2026. He has been named Oregon Coach of the Year multiple times and has built a reputation for depth, multi-event athletes, jumps excellence, and a high-energy, no-excuses culture. Coach Turnbull and his wife, Susan, have two kids, Noah and Asha. In this engaging conversation, Coach Dave Turnbull shares his journey from a young athlete in Pendleton, Oregon, to becoming the head track coach at Summit High School. He discusses his dual life as a coach / teacher and a DJ, the importance of building a winning culture, and his coaching philosophy centered around character development. Coach Turnbull reflects on the challenges of coaching, the significance of recruiting the right athletes, and his vision for the future of track and field. He emphasizes the need for constant learning and adaptation in coaching and passionately explains why he believes track is the greatest sport, as it mirrors life's challenges and triumphs. In this conversation, Coach Turnbull shares his insights on coaching, personal growth, and the importance of teamwork. He reflects on his own experiences with adversity, including a cancer diagnosis, and emphasizes the need for resilience in both athletics and life. Coach Turnbull discusses the significance of discipline, caring for all athletes regardless of their skill level, and the value of inspiring growth beyond performance metrics. He also highlights the importance of building relationships within a team and the need for coaches to continuously challenge themselves. The conversation concludes with Coach Turnbull's thoughts on retirement and his aspirations for the future.Takeaways:-The Why: I want to be a Day Changer-We’re in the job of Selling Belief-Coaching is Complicated-Build Character First & Athleticism will Come-How Can we get players to be their best-Building a winning culture requires setting high expectations from the start.-Coaching is a continuous learning process, and humility is key to growth.-The role of a coach is to uplift and inspire athletes during critical times.-ADHD as a Superpower-The Greatest Challenge of Coaching-Inspiration before Perspiration -Training is Systematic and Scientific-Why is Track the Greatest Sport?-Track Meets are Failure Events. Isn’t that life-If you could coach any athlete?-Reflect, reset, and go-Spiderman, Mindset, & Perspective-It’s not the medal that makes the moment, it’s the moment that makes the medal-Your Quality as a Coaching Staff Depends on…-Pride Pushes Performance.-Advice for other Coaches: Never stop learning.https://linktr.ee/The_Coachers_Podcast