Missouri's high school track and field season just wrapped up Saturday.
Chip Malmstrom knows he is going to miss it. Maybe not today, but he will miss it.
"I'll miss track, I grew up bouncing on a pole vault pit as a 4-year-old," said Malmstrom, who is stepping down as head track and field coach at Helias after two seasons.
Malmstrom's been through this before. He coached two years of football at Helias after coaching five years under his father in Minnesota.
"When I left football, all of the sudden I had a lot more time," he said. "Once things started happening that I would have been at in the past, that's when I missed it."
Malmstrom said there's more to coaching than just the competitions.
"You'd like to think you are doing more than helping them run faster on the track or catching a pass in football," he said. "You want to believe you're helping them learn about life and how to deal with people."
Tim Rulo, who will start at Helias as head football coach next fall, will be the new head coach in track and field as well. Rulo has been a head track coach at South Callaway.
"The program is going to be in good hands," Malmstrom said.
III
Malmstrom isn't giving up all of his head coaching duties. He will continue to lead the bass fishing program at Helias.
As part of his duties, he serves as the boat captain for Helias teammates Lauren Plunkett and Cole Rice. As captain, if the gas motor is running, he's running it. Malmstrom also sits in the middle of the boat, running the trolling motor.
"I stay down low so I don't get caught by any lures," Malmstrom said.
The team is preparing for the state tournament June 13-14 at Stockton Lake. The team can consist of unlimited numbers, but they need boat captains.
"We have kids qualified to fish in the state tournament, but they don't have a boat to do it in yet," Malmstrom said.
For information about volunteering, go to teenanglers.net.