The Homewood-Flossmoor boys track coaches were the most decorated staff at the 2024 Illinois Track and Cross Country Coaches Association clinic.
Leader Nate Beebe was named coach of the year, as previously reported by The Chronicle, while sprints coach Chris Korfist entered the ITCCCA Hall of Fame and jumps coach Rob Assise was honored as a distinguished assistant coach. The Vikings were state champions last spring.
“We set a common goal and my job is to be that bridge to get that athlete to the goal,” Korfist said. “I think now at H-F that goal is ‘Can I be a state champion?’ and ‘Can we be state champions?’ That’s the culture that Nate Beebe has built. We are the team to beat.”
Korfist has 30 years of experience teaching sprinters and is considered a national authority in the field, producing state champions and professional athletes. He said what pushes him is an interaction he had when he was still new to coaching.
“I only ran one year of track so when I got the job, another coach told me I’d never be any good. I have to say that has been the motivating factor,” Korfist said. “The other factor (that drives me) is that you’re solving a complex problem: How can you make people run faster?
“Billions of dollars have been spent in robotics to try to make robots run and the best scientists on the planet are still struggling. Can I get four kids from Homewood-Flossmoor to run faster than any other four kids in the history of the state of Illinois? We almost did it last year.”
Korfist is almost unique in his ITCCCA Hall of Fame status as an assistant coach who is still working. The honor is usually reserved for retired head coaches. Family watching the presentation online joked that much of the rest of the hall of fame class was dead.
“I don’t want that to be the end of my story. That’s my fear. I’ve still got gas in the tank and there’s a whole lot I still want to do at H-F,” Korfist said. “You’ve put this all down and it’s on a plaque but I’m not done, yet. For me, it’s just a sign post.”
He admits when he put on the hall of fame badge it felt great, but said he doesn’t think he’ll fully appreciate the weight of it until he’s finished. Homewood-Flossmoor will be the final stop for him after stints at Hinsdale Central, York and Montini.
“I’m not good at looking back at accomplishments because when I do, it just creates a whole new goal that I’ve got to strive for,” Korfist said. “I’m not done and we’ve got a lot of potential with this year’s team. I want to focus on them rather than me.”
H-F will be one of the favorites for the state championship again this spring, based largely on the potential of Korfist’s sprinters and Assise’s jumpers.
Assise is in his 21st season coaching. He said being recognized by his peers –coaches vote for the ITCCCA awards– made the award a little more special. Those are the ones who know the time and dedication it takes to do it well, he said.
“The first thing (being named a distinguished assistant did), it made me feel was old,” Assise said with a laugh. “I’ve always been fortunate to work with really good athletes and I think that’s the primary reason you get recognized for something like this.”
Track coaches work directly with athletes for four years. That’s something that isn’t possible with most high school sports with junior varsity, sophomore and freshman levels. Assise said that’s part of what’s kept him around this long.
He said communicating with those athletes is a key to being successful.
“I try not to get too high or too low. I think that sense of just being even keel has been helpful,” he said. “Things may have changed a little bit in my two-plus decades here but for the most part, the universal principles don’t. It’s just treating people well, having high expectations and creating a plan to work to achieve those expectations. Those things don’t change over time.”
Both Assise and Korfist are at the cutting edge of their field, writing articles for track publications and teaching students and coaches outside of the H-F circle.
The willingness of track people to share information, even with competitors, is one of Assise’s favorite things about the sport.
“It’s just being curious. I think that’s a key characteristic for a coach to have,” Assise said. “I’ve been really fortunate to fall into a few different great networks and that’s always helpful to be able to bounce ideas off of good people and have a good support system.”
The staff at H-F is one of those great networks, as evidenced by the decoration it received at the ITCCCA clinic. They put in the work with 5 a.m. chats and post-practice meetings that show a level of dedication that isn’t universal in prep sports.
Korfist compared the way they work together to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, with each individual collaborating freely but leaving a perfect niche for everyone else to fill. The hope is that it translates to even bigger things this spring than were accomplished in 2023.
“What’s great about H-F is those kids have big goals and they’ll believe in you,” Korfist said. “That’s why it’s a great place to be.”