Norton family grows closer over love of cross country

Every morning, a certain memento catches Ryan Norton’s eyes.

It sits on his father’s desk at Cibola High.

What Norton gazes at on a daily basis is a Male Athlete of the Year plaque won at Yuma High from 1981. The award lists all of the recipients’ accomplishments and his times in cross country and track and field in regional and state competition.

The plaque also serves as a reminder as to what Norton needs to shoot for if he wants to be successful.

"When I see that plaque, it’s like motivation and I say, ‘Hey, this has been done and it’s in your bloodlines,’" Norton said. "If you persevere and you’re persistent enough, all of these morning workouts are going to pay off eventually.

"Since I’m so competitive in nature, I’m always trying to be as good — if not better than — as he is. You can just tell he was definitely one of the dominant runners to come out of Yuma in the past couple of decades."

In the senior’s final race, perhaps Norton can live up to his vow when he and his Cibola teammates compete at the state cross country meet Saturday at the Cave Creek Golf Course in Phoenix.

At least one person will be rooting for Norton and his teammates. In fact, he has been cheering them on for the last four years. That person is none other than Kris Norton, Ryan’s father and Cibola’s cross country coach.

Opening leg

Like any parent, Kris thought Ryan was the greatest. Kris said he saw Ryan run in elementary school and thought he could be a great runner.

Then four years ago, Ryan entered high school.

It was decision time, and both son and father had reservations about joining forces — but for entirely different reasons.

"Coming into it, I kind of felt obligated to coming because my dad was the coach," Ryan said. "He was very careful about that. He didn’t want to pressure me. But I was interested because I see so much how his world revolves around running and how much stuff he’s been successful at in the running world. I was intrigued by myself to go out and figure out what it was all about."

Kris said, "I was concerned about myself making sure that I handle things appropriately. I’m a very intense coach. And I was worried I would over-coach him. There were concerns there that I did not want to put too much of a high expectation and over-coach him and damage that father-son relationship. That needed to come first."

The relationship between father and son in the athletic world got off to a rocky start. Ryan started slow his freshman year, which caused Kris to crash to the realization that his son may not be the thoroughbred he once thought.

However, Ryan improved by the end of 2007, and in 2008, he became the regional champion when he upset Yuma High’s Gabe Torregrosa.

Just when it looked like Ryan’s running career was about to take off, he decided on a different goal during his sophomore track and field season. Kris said Ryan wanted to work and earn money to buy a car, and Kris initially didn’t agree. But all Ryan was doing was living life, something Kris said he preaches to his team.

"There’s definitely a lot more to life than running," Kris said. "I teach all of the runners in the team that whether they are going to be state champions or they are just trying to finish three miles, this is not the most important thing in life. It’s the journey that I teach these kids that are going to teach them the skills that they are going to want for the rest of their lives. The hard work, the daily practice routines, and that was going to be the main thing that we’re expecting from them.

"There’s no manual for being a parent. Being the first one, I’m learning all this. I didn’t want to mess it up too much."

Luckily for Kris, he also has Shanna, his freshman daughter, who joined the cross country team as well.

Like Ryan, Shanna said she was not pressured into running, but she had to choose a fall activity to participate in. Shanna chose cross country over club soccer.

With another child comes a different set of problems, though.

"It’s challenging because they are two very different kids," Kris said. "One is very analytical. One runs by emotion. Ryan is very analytical. He dissects his races. He has everything analyzed. He’s very efficient."

Kris said what he’s learned from dealing with Ryan is patience and the ability to not overreact when circumstance go awry. He hopes this strategy will serve him well when managing Shanna the next three years.

Shanna said she’s gained intel on her father after watching Kris and Ryan the last few years.

"I learned that my dad, over the years, that he’s not going to really care if you’re the top runner or if you’re the worst," Shanna said. "It’s all just about if you’re out there and you’re trying."

Not playing favorites

On the surface, it may seem Ryan and Shanna receive preferential treatment because they are the coach’s children.

But nepotism may be the furthest assumption from the truth.

"From an outsider’s perspective, you would want to say yes," Ryan said. "But after practice is done and I go home, the only reason you could say that he treats me differently is because I have more opportunities to talk to him and get feedback from him."

After winning regionals in 2008, Ryan cemented his standing as one of Cibola’s best runners with a third-place finish as a junior and coming in runner-up at this year’s regional meet. Each year, Ryan lost to a Cibola teammate.

Kris said his son’s win in 2008 was one of the proudest moments of his life. If there were any signs of nepotism, it would be in how Kris handles his team after Ryan fell short.

"If a dad had three sons in a race, he’d be excited for the winner and hurting for the second and third," Kris said. "I think that’s how it is. Do I hurt from that he loses? Yeah. Am I excited for the kids that win? Yes."

Even Shanna, the newbie runner, can’t catch a break.

"I think when practices started, it’s hard to keep running when you’re really tired," Shanna said. "I don’t want to start slacking off, but I think, ‘Oh, it’s my dad. It’s OK.’ Then he tells me, ‘You need to be up there. You need to put in all your work.’ I started to learn, ‘OK, he really wants me to try.’"

Finishing kick

As Saturday draws near, Ryan has just one wish for his final race.

"I’m trying very hard to keep it memorable," Ryan said. "I want to be able to look back on this 10 years from now and say that I did everything right, I did everything I could to be successful not just with this last week, but all four years."

A memorable finale for Ryan, he says, is to have the mentality that the meet isn’t over before it begins, even if Cibola isn’t favored to win. If doubt creeps in, then they may have already lost.

Kris, meanwhile, has focused more on racing strategies, what Ryan needs to work on and any adjustments that needs to be made.

Both father and son might be oblivious to the termination of their athletic relationship.

"That probably does describe the relationship a lot," Kris said. "I don’t know if he pulls out the analytical part of me or not, but our discussions tend to focus more on how to run the race and other factors to be aware of."

Come next year, it will be just Kris and Shanna at Cibola while Ryan is away at college. Ryan said schools such as the Air Force Academy and Paradise Valley Community College are waiting until after the state meet or even as late as track and field season to consider offering him a scholarship.

Regardless of where he lands, Ryan knows he will be entering unfamiliar territory.

"You really don’t know what you have until it’s gone," Ryan said. "I guess what it means is it’s comforting, I’m comfortable in the situation I’m in with my father."