Mother of Mercy's Head Track and Field coach, Dan Bird, will take over as Head Coach of Cross Country and Track and Field at St. Ursula Academy next fall. After St. Ursula's Cross Country and Track and Field coach quit this past fall, Coach Bird received a call asking him to take over at St. Ursula.
"They had talked to me about coming in as the head coach for this year's track season, but I decided that leaving Mercy mid-year wasn't the right thing to do," Coach Bird says about being contacted by St. Ursula."
At the beginning of this school year, Coach Bird knew this was going to be his last year at Mercy as coach. "I figured that my time at Mercy was coming to an end. I just knew that it was time to go," he says. Coach Bird had decided that he would be leaving Mercy in the fall, before St. Ursula contacted him.
"It was very coincidental that St. Ursula contacted me when they did. I wasn't even looking. I had a gut feeling I might be asked, I was on the short list of coaches," says Coach Bird, "I'm not leaving for a better school, I love coaching at Mercy, I just wanted to continue coaching after I left Mercy and that's when St. Ursula called me."
When asked if this is going to hurt their current season in any way, every athlete and Coach Bird responded that it will not. "I don't think it will affect our season. We already won three meets, two of which were back to back," says four year track runner, Erica Lovell '10. Captains Anna Ahlrichs '10, Emily Maly '10, Dani Thiemann '10, and Samantha Buschle '10 talked to the team after Coach Bird announced his decision to the team, telling them not to dwell on it and to make this year his best.
Coach Bird wants to make this season his best, too. "I'm really focused on this track team. We have 50 people on the team this year, and this is the first year that I've been here that we've won back to back meets. I'm not even thinking about St. Ursula."
The track team was very upset upon hearing the news. "It is a big tragedy for the team. Mostly, everyone is just more confused," says Lovell. While the team is focusing on this season, upon hearing Bird's decision, the juniors began to worry for next year's season without having the coach they've known and learned from the past three years. "It's kind of nerve-wrecking that he won't be here next year, but we gotta make the best of our senior year and be leaders to the underclassmen," says Sarah Strawser '11. "It's going to be a tough transition. It'll be weird without Bird, it'll be a whole different atmosphere. He makes everything fun - serious, but fun," says Jackie Meyer '11.
Though there is still a lot of disappointment, the team supports Bird in his decision. First year track runner, Erin McBreen '12 says that she's very sad Bird is leaving, but is happy he found a job he can enjoy as much as the one he has now. Olivia Meinhardt '10 takes inspiration from Young Money to find the words to describe her feelings, "I'm excited for him. 'I hate to see him go, but I love to watch him leave' to pursue other things."
"Ursula is a huge rivalry," says Lovell about Bird's switch, "but he has to do what he has to do. I like Coach Bird and I want him to be happy."
Coach Bird said that sprint coach, Renee Hein, will most likely take over as head coach for Track and Field next year. Bird will be taking pole vaulting coach, Dan Bird, Jr., with him to St. Ursula but the decision on whether the other track coaches will stay at Mercy or leave with Bird are yet to be determined.
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