By Janai Goodman
Being a varsity coach comes with a lot of responsibilities. Every team member tries to win and be the absolute best for Fred Singleton, a coach at White Plains in his 43rd year of coaching track and field. He says, “I started to give back to the sport I loved and to the youth of our community." For Fred, becoming a track coach was meant to be; he was a track star himself at Mount Vernon High School and then at Penn State.
Fred Singleton coaches a sport that most people do not fully understand. Yet, winning the League Title is a big deal, and that is something most people do understand.
White Plains Girls Indoor Track has not won the champion title since 1989. However, on January 13th, 2019 both the White Plains Girls and Boys teams won the League Championships Title. This was a historic 30-year landmark win, a true accomplishment, aided by the help of the throwing and girls’ coach, Coach Hidalgo, and boys’ coaches Coach Furry and McCormick, who have trained the teams to become the best they can be on and off the track.
White Plains was put in a new league this season and some said that it was an easier league. Coach Singleton has this to say about the controversy: “Some might speculate that it was easier in the new league, but we still had to win. Everyone on the team pulled together to make it happen.” With hard work and dedication, they got it done!
Coach Singleton has had many unforgettable experiences as a coach, however, he states, “This season ranks among my most memorable, as there are so many people on the team for whom I have so much respect. A few of the others would be 1980, 1987, 1991 and 2000. I’m so happy for our athletes, both boys and girls. I’m hopeful that once the pictures go up on the wall, that the level of their achievement will sink in. I am so very happy for them, and of course proud of them.”
Statements like these from Coach Singleton make him such an amazing coach and mentor. I should know. This is my third season with Coach Singleton. Coach always shows us that dedication and hard work are essential in achieving our best. When you have a coach that leads by example, it is difficult not to buy in. He certainly brings out the best in all the athletes play on his team.