Larry Dagnon new Moses Lake head XC coach

MOSES LAKE - Larry Dagnon hopes that his success as a cross country coach with Warden High School will transfer to state tournament appearances for his new employer, Moses Lake High School.

Dagnon began the cross country program at Warden in 1999 and almost immediately began sending athletes to the state tournament. He coached at Warden until 2005, and said that the time is right for him to return to coaching.

His teams qualified for six state tournaments and reached the podium twice, including a second place finish in 2003.

The key to his successful program is intense practices that focus on much more than just jogging, he said.

He said after a two-hour run where he not only coaches but also participates, his athletes hit the weight room to add muscle and lengthen endurance.

"Some coaches will be passive and just tell their kids 'go out for a run' and to me that is not a recipe for success," he said.

He added that during practices he ties parachutes to increase athletes' power and groups runners together with a bungee cords to train faster athletes to better pace themselves, while whipping slower athletes into shape.

Dagnon said that his goal is to make the Chiefs competitive with any cross country team in the state.

"If I can't bring this program to that level, then I picked the wrong time to return to coaching," he said.

Dagnon explained that he never asks a student to do a practice that the 42-year-old wouldn't do himself. He said that he is an avid runner and hopes to run in the Boston Marathon one day.

For now, he said he is looking forward to getting to know MLHS athletes and teaching elementary in the Moses Lake School District.