New Cross Country Coach brings a bright future to Forest Lake Christian School

Coach Nick Vogt brings over 38 years continuous coaching experience to the Forest Lake Christian Falcons. He is currently employed as Executive Director of Christian Team Ministries, Inc. - a position he has held since 1984. His job description involves directing all aspects of the organization: He oversees and organizes running events, conducts track & Field clinics and camps, leads international competition tours, as well as coaches athletes in the “Christian Team Athletics Club” and the “Gold Country Pole Vault Club.” This position also provides him the flexibility to coach athletes on a personal level, as well as for a college and high school programs.

In 2004, William Jessup University hired Coach Vogt to begin their first cross country program. Under his guidance, every year from 2004 - 2007 the Warrior program produced outstanding runners, including one All-American in Sara Kelly, who won the National 4k Cross Country Championship. Both the Men’s and Women’s cross country squads qualified their entire team for three consecutive years to the NAIA Regional Championship. After the WJU Men’s Team took the 2006 Conference Title, his peers selected Vogt as the California Pacific Conference Cross Country Coach of the Year.

From 1994 to 2002 Vogt was the Head Cross Country Coach and Assistant Track Coach at Yuba College, located in Marysville, CA. Coach Vogt re-instated the cross country program in 1994. Every year while Vogt coached at Yuba, the 49er program produced runners who qualified to the State Championship, and both the Men’s and Women’s cross country squads qualified their entire team to the State Meet several times.

From 1986 to 1994, Vogt was the Head Cross Country Coach and Track Coach at Bear River High School, in Grass Valley, CA. His Boys and Girls combined dual meet record was 108 wins, 29 losses, 12 league championships, and 3 section titles. In addition, Six Bruin teams qualified to the State Championship, with the Boys and Girls teams each achieving best State Meet finishes of fifth place. In 1990, he was named All-Metro Cross Country Coach of the Year. He was also selected three consecutive times as the Golden Empire League Cross Country Coach of the Year

From 1979 to 1984, Coach Vogt served as the Director/Head Track and Cross Country Coach of the Youth for Christ/USA Track Team, where he coached the YFC Marathon Team to a National Championship in 1980, and Qualified three YFC distance runners to the 1980 Olympic Marathon Trials. His best runner, Dave Smith, ran the Marathon in 2 hours 11 minutes.

From 1977 to 1979, the Athletes in Action Track & Field Team employed Vogt as their Head Cross Country Coach and Assistant Track Coach, where he coached the AIA Cross Country Squad to team titles in the SPA-AAU 10K Championship, the SPA-AAU 20K Championship, and the USTFF Regional Championship in 1977. His runners also took team titles in the SPA-AAU 30K Championship in 1978, the National AAU 25K Championship in 1978, and the SPA-AAU 25K Championship in 1979. In addition, several of his Pole Vaulters consistently cleared over 16 feet.

Vogt competed in both track and cross country while at CSU, Chico. Since the mid-60’s, he has been an active runner, training regularly, and he presently competes in Master’s Division track, road, and trail races. He was a very competitive ultra-distance runner from ‘84 to ‘90, placing regularly in the top 10 overall places and top 3 division places in 50 mile trail races. He was also competitive in road race competition from ‘72 to ‘84, placing consistently in the top five in open and sub-masters divisions.

Since 1970, Coach Vogt has been an instructor and speaker at a variety of National and International seminars, camps, and clinics along with some of the World’s top athletes and coaches. Since 1988, he has been leading high school, college and open division teams on competition and clinic tours to Korea, Russia, New Zealand, and the Philippines. Below are just a few of the activities that he has been involved:

Tour Director: CTM Clinic & Competitive Track Team Tour to the Philippines (Summers: 1989 - Present)
Conference Director: 1991 Negros Track & Field Coaches Seminar in Bacolod City, Philippines, (with 300 coaches attending).
Clinic Session Leader: 1990 Oceania Sports Congress in Auckland, New Zealand prior to the Commonwealth Games (200 delegates attending).
Speaker and Session Director: 1988 World Congress on Sports in Seoul, Korea prior to the Olympic Games (Over 300 delegates from 150 nations in attendance).

Since its inception in 1970, Coach Vogt has directed the Asics High Altitude Runner’s Camp & Clinic (7700 ft. Elevation) at Grouse Ridge, CA, as well as directed the Annual Point Reyes Winter Running Camp in California since it began in 1986.

He authored numerous articles on track & field technique, as well as several booklets on training and competition for runners. He taught Track & Field seminars not only in learn-by-doing clinics in the USA but also at numerous universities in the Philippines.

Coach Vogt received his degree and credential in 1972 from California State University, Chico. In 1981 he was licensed as a Minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He and his wife, Chris, were married in 1975, and they have two grown sons and three granddaughters.