High School Track & Field
Head Coach Contact Information
Email: gkurtz@accelschools.com
Phone: (720) 329-2217
Season/Practice Dates
Off Season: November 11th – February 24th
Main Season: February 24th – May 17th
Championship Season: May 1st – June 14th
Team Accolades and Notable Performances
Boy’s Top 5 All-Time List and Performance List
Girl’s Top 5 All-Time List and Performance List
Social Media and Communication Pages
Team Mission/Vision Statement
The purpose of training is to build each athlete’s mental and physical toughness with the philosophy that they can do anything they set their mind to. Athletics is a metaphor for life. Success comes from practice and determination whether athletic, school, career, or anything attempted. Each athlete will experience a level of failure during practice and likely during a meet. Failure is not the end. Failure is the beginning of a learning opportunity. Athletes will be given opportunities to fail and be educated about, and encouraged during recovery. We will build ability in mental and physical flexibility, strength, and speed and endurance through varied training methods. Training is intended to push athletes as hard as possible while maintaining safety. As an athlete pushes their limits and becomes familiar with the feeling of exhaustion, they will be better able to push themselves during a meet and in their life with any challenges presented their way.
Coaches Biography’s
Head Coach – Gary Kurtz (Middle Distance, Long Distance)
Gary Kurtz was born and raised in Denver, Colorado, and now resides in Colorado Springs where he attended The University of Colorado Colorado Springs as a student athlete for the University’s Track & Field and Cross Country programs. He graduated with his Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology in 2021, and recently graduated with his Master’s in Business Administration. He serves as the Human Resource Manager for all of Banning Lewis Academy. He is the Head Cross Country and Track and Field coach, in which he has worked with both programs for over 6 years now. He is certified through CRLA as a Level 1 Peer Mentor and has also received his Level 1 and Level 2 Endurance Specialist Coaching certification through the United States Track and Field Association. In 2019, Coach Kurtz qualified for the DII NCAA National XC Championships, and is recognized by the NCAA as a Nationally Ranked athlete in both sports. Coach Kurtz loves competition, but above all, he wants all athletes to find a passion and enjoyment out of the sport or activity they are participating in and take the related skills to apply in the athlete’s life for the better.
Assistant Coach- Jim Goodreid – (Sprints, Relays)
Jim Goodreid was born and raised in Colorado and is returning for the third season as the Sprints coach. Jim is a former NCAA Division I Collegiate Athlete, competing and graduating from Colorado State University. Jim specialized in sprints and middle distance running, and has taken his education and athletic background to coaching. Over the years, Jim has coached numerous State Champions in individual sprints and relays, and has four prior athletes that are ranked in the top 50 all time list for the history of Colorado Sprinting. Jim enjoys the competition of the sport, and all of the valuable life skills these activities has taught him. He takes pride in coaching each athlete on a personal basis, and works to provide the best personalized training per athlete in order to maximize their potential as a student, while also learning the discipline it takes to balance life as a student athlete.
Assistant Coach- Daniel Peterson – (Throws)
Coach Dan Peterson is a fourth year throwing coach from Philadelphia, PA. He has lived in Colorado Springs for 20+ years where he grew up heavily involved in sports of all kinds with a deep love of track and field, especially throwing events. He was a state qualifying thrower in 2013 and 2014 where he placed 11th and 18th and won numerous Field Athlete of the Year awards for his school in 2012, 2013 and 2014. Coach Dan strives to be a friend and mentor to all of his athletes, and to push them to be the best they can be, both on and off the field of play.
Assistant Coach- Ben Novak – (Horizontal and Vertical Jumps)
Ben Novak was born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and has been in Colorado for 8 years and teaching at Banning Lewis for 5 years. He has been coaching for over 19 years in a variety of roles throughout club and school athletics. He enjoys everything his athletes have to offer, both for his own professional improvement as a coach as well as how to assist them beyond their athletics. His focus on sport pedagogy, combined with competitive experience, allows him to assist each individual player on how to improve their physical and psychological skills as it pertains to their sport. Most importantly, showing you again, how you can learn and have some fun doing the sport you chose to spend your extra time doing.
Assistant Coach- Marissa Kuik – (Hurdles)
Marissa Kuik grew up in Coon Rapids, Minnesota, just outside of Minneapolis and started running when she was in 4th grade. She ran cross country and track at the varsity level from 7th grade all the way through her senior year and competed at the collegiate level. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in History from a small school in a small town in Iowa called Waldorf University, where she ran three years of cross country and track. Coach Kuik was an All-American in cross country while running for Waldorf and once she finished her undergraduate degree, she enrolled in the Master’s History program at UCCS and finished up her collegiate eligibility there as well. Coach Kuik has assistant coached for Banning Lewis for 4 years now, and cannot wait to continue her journey with the team!
