Evan Woicik has been involved in track and field an assistant coach for the past eight years, and the role has turned into a big-time passion for him. Now, Evan is passing on his passion to the athletes in the Haddam-Killingworth track program as a member of the Cougars’ coaching staff.

Evan, 29, never thought that track and field would be the sport he fell in love with. Evan competed at Somers High School, but always saw himself getting into basketball as a coach. However, when he started coaching track, Evan knew that he wanted to stay involved for years to come. Evan eventually joined the program at H-K and is currently a coach for both its indoor and outdoor squads.

“I competed in track when I was in high school, but never thought it would be something I coached. I was always more into basketball and had started my career coaching boys’ basketball,” says Evan, a Windsor Locks resident. “At the time, the school I was working with also needed a track coach for the spring. I agreed to do it and eventually fell in love with it.”

One of Evan’s favorite aspects of track is how it’s such an individualized sport. Evan enjoys working with student-athletes and helping them become the best version of themselves as they compete.

“Track really teaches the principle of self-competition. As an athlete, you are contributing to a team, but ultimately, the competition day in and day out is with yourself,” Evan says. “Each kid, each week needs to focus on being a better version of themselves than they were the day before. I think that is a valuable life lesson, as well.”

Sean Gallagher, the head coach of the H-K girls’ indoor track team, feels that the Cougars were fortunate to have Evan join the program just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Gallagher says that Evan quickly built relationships with the Cougars’ athletes and that those efforts have paid dividends throughout a successful 2022 season.

“Coach Evan has been working with the sprinters and jumpers with his energy and personality, getting his athletes to try new methods and often spending overtime at practice. He’s passionate about the sport, and it motivates the whole team,” says Gallagher. “In the short time Evan has been with the team, he has coached Shoreline Conference champions, Class state champions, State Open champions, and even an All-American.”

Coach Gallagher also credits Evan for helping H-K’s athletes improve their strength in the weight room through his innovative workout ideas.

“Evan has become an asset for many kids in the weight room with his background and creativity in workouts specifically created for different events. Sprinters, jumpers, throwers, and even distance kids have benefited from his ability to create specific workouts to help them in their events,” Gallagher says. “Aside from improving athleticism on the team, he’s been able to change the mental and physical well-beings of many kids through his approach to fitness.”

Evan admits that he’s a bit obsessive when it comes to coaching track. Evan believes that you need to be passionate about what you are doing in order to succeed in anything.

“I am constantly researching or reaching out to other coaches at various levels to learn as much as I can about this sport. Track has a great community of people that are willing to help each other. From there, it’s really just about meeting the kids where they are at,” says Evan. “There is not a one-size-fits-all model to coaching this sport, so having the knowledge to create specific plans based on each athlete’s needs is crucial. It’s every bit as important to really understand who you are coaching and not just what.”

Evan will be soon coaching be H-K’s athletes during the outdoor track and field season in the spring. Before that happens, though, Evan is looking forward to seeing how Aidan Law performs in the long jump at Nationals after the senior captain finished second in the New England Championship last week.

“Right now, I have a long jumper who is preparing for Nationals, which is very exciting,” Evan says. “Overall, I was happy with how we did as a team this past indoor season, but I still believe we have a lot of room to grow. I am excited to see what we can do with the outdoor season. We have a lot of great kids coming out.”