SPORTS

JFK coach shows ’em how it’s done

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Many coaches were excellent athletes at one time or another, before age, new responsibilities and lifestyle changes slowed them down. But that is not Chris Mammone, coach of Kennedy High School cross country and track and field teams.

Mammone, 31, is the brand of coach who can still outperform his youthful charges, inspiring them to reach new heights and keeping his insider’s knowledge of the sport fresh. He is an accomplished runner who competes in regional races, winning many on Long Island. Mammone made his international debut in January, running the 3000 meters at the McGill Team Invitational in Montreal.

A native of Nassau County’s South Shore, Mammone has never really stopped running since his days as a champion two-mile and steeplechase runner for Valley Stream South. He was also a top runner for Iona College in Westchester County, and for a time he believed he could make a career as a professional runner, moving to Eugene, Ore., the land of Steve Prefontaine and Bill Bowerman. It did not work out, and Mammone returned to the East Coast, where his roots remained.

A phone call from Dave Frazer, who Mammone knew from Nassau running circles and then headed Mepham High School’s running program, alerted Mammone that Kennedy High School had an opening for a girls cross country and track coach. The team had gone through a period of instability after head coach Todd Wolin departed in 2006 for a coaching job at University at Albany.

“The running program had a lot of rebuilding to do,” Mammone said.

He said there were just four or five girls on the team when he started in fall 2008. Now there are more than two dozen. Several of his runners have won All-County honors.

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