He's qualified because: In his first year after replacing longtime Bears coach Marty Simpson, Weaver's boys and girls swept the Tri-River Athletic Conference and Central Section Division I titles with near-perfect scores – they accounted for 10 of the top 27 places combined at the section finals. The girls were third and the boys fifth in the state meet.
How to peak: Weaver tapped into Simpson's library of knowledge this summer during a Eugene, Ore.-to-San Francisco bike ride with five others.
"We talked about training calendars and he gave me everything he's ever done. The biggest thing I learned from Marty is bringing kids along slowly; he was so, so good about that. Even though they're good, they don't need monster workouts. Our kids get better; that's our year-to-year goal."
And did they? Uh, big time. In the state finals, the Bears delivered personal records from 4 of 7 boys and 6 of 7 girls. (Only the top five finishers count toward a team score.)
A confession: The former half-miler at Hoover High admits: "I didn't allow myself to be coached. I wasn't rude, but I wasn't the runner I should have been. Looking back, I should have listened more to coaches. ... I think it has allowed me to make sure I communicate with kids today. It has paid off in the end."
National highlight: Weaver became part of an Internet sensation by encouraging University High-San Francisco's Holland Reynolds to crawl the final 2 yards to the finish line of the girls D-V race at the state meet.
Reynolds' run had been reduced to a wobble in the final 200 yards before collapsing near the finish because of apparent dehydration.
Weaver: "We know the rules – if we touch them, they're done, they're disqualified. So I made sure she was coherent, she looked up at me and I asked her if she wanted to finish. She did, so I said, "You don't have to get up, just crawl and get a foot across the finish line."
Weaver stayed near Reynolds as she crawled across the line, then helped her get medical attention. Video of Reynolds' 28th-place finish, which helped her team win a record eighth state title, became a national hit. Adding to the drama was the fact that Reynolds' coach, Jim Tracy, has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis – more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease.
Weaver: "It was a pretty amazing story, but I knew nothing about it at the time. She was fighting for a coach who was fighting for his life. I was just doing my job."
Video of Reynolds' dramatic finish – with Weaver's encouragement
For all of the excellence in the history of track and field at Buchanan High's Veterans Memorial Stadium -- none greater than The Prandini Parade at the CIF State Championships 10 months ago -- never has there been a sprint like this.
He's qualified because: The Bears' girls Central Section Division I title was the 10th he's delivered in boys and girls cross country and track and field. And the nine-time Bee Coach of the Year did so this time without a senior while extending the program's consecutive section title streak to 11.
"There is a lot of pride in ," he says. "I don't want to say we take it for granted, but it is one of our goals. You don't hear of many teams having that kind of success."
Hagen Reedy delivered the best season in history for a female within the natural boundaries of the Central Section. She won Tri-River Athletic Conference, section Division I and state D-I titles before placing seventh at the Nike Cross Country Nationals in Portland.
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2010 Girls Cross Country All-Star Team
