The camp started 17 years ago as a Zizzer-only camp. But early on Coach Dixon wanted to invite other schools. It might seem odd to help your competition become better runners. But the West Plains coach believes you don't get ahead by holding others back. As other schools improve, they provide the push that keeps the Zizzers at the top of their form as well, he says. Two of the more notable coaches who have become an intricate part of the Wilderness Running Camp Family are Tim Nixon of Liberty High School in Liberty, MO. and Steve Davis of Potosi High School in Potosi, MO. They along with West Plains High School have won almost a dozen state titles and all three have obtained top 10 National Rankings since 2000. Potosi was the first team from Missouri to compete in the Nike Nationals in Portland, Oregon this year in November and took a very respectable eight place. Located in the middle of nowhere about 45 miles west of West Plains, the camp is held at Pettit's Campground on the banks of the spring-fed North Fork River. Runners sleep in tents and eat meals on picnic tables. "It's in a valley, so there are only two ways out," say Raytown runner Micah Schmidt. "Up a hill or up a hill." Workouts start early in the morning, with the boys and girls placed in groups based on their level of training and times in the mile run. The groups are assigned a length of time to run instead of a set distance. From the beginning, campers are immersed in Dixon's philosophies, which can be applied equally well to life or distance running. He has three principles he lives by, and requires anyone taking part in his teams to adopt. The first is trust. Next comes commitment. Finally he demands runners lose their individual identity and become part of a team. These ideals and others are pounded into the campers from the time they get up until the time they are finally sent to their tents near midnight following a group lecture from Dixon or one of the speakers he has lined up. Often the speakers are college athletes or coaches from other winning programs who started out as one of Dixon's runners. Those who make it through the camp say they leave re-energized. "My mental attitude is just sky high," says Raytown's Schmidt, who this year attended his second Wilderness Running Camp. "My times are getting better. I think of things he's said and try to keep that with me when I am training during the season." Champions will be born here but Dixon will be content if they only become better citizens. "We are in the kid business," he says. "Winning is not our ultimate goal."
Assistant Director: Marvin Hatley |
