Coaches series: Charlie Appell

Tony Altobelli

For Charlie Appell and the rest of the Appell family, running is

just in the blood.

“I’ve got four kids and all four were runners,” the Estancia High

track and field coach said. “It was great seeing them participate like I

did.”

But one thing that is not so great, however, is the lack of attention

that track gets compared to the big sports like football, basketball and

baseball.

“Our sport isn’t taken all that seriously,” Appell said. “Other sports

get more attention and for the kids, for all the hard work they have to

put in, they wonder if it’s all worth it.”

A coach since 1969 in places like Chapman University, and Orange Coast

College, Appell has led a pretty consistent Estancia program for the past

11 seasons. Some of the Eagles’ standouts that Appell has coached include

UC San Diego standout Robert Ho, All-American Johan Appell and Division

II All-American Arceli Martinez as well as future stars like Liz Huipe.

“For about 10 years, we’ve been in the thick of things as far as

competing with the rest of the pack,” Appell said. “I don’t care what

kind of kids come here. If they care about what they’re trying to

accomplish, then they will be successful.”

Appell graduated from Westminster High and competed in both the mile

and two-mile races. He ran for OCC following his time at Westminster.

From there, Appell went to Northern Arizona University, where he

changed events and got into the steeplechase.

“It was something new and something I always wanted to do,” Appell

said. “It was a fun event to be a part of.”

After his playing career ended, Appell got into coaching in 1969 and

has seen plenty of ups and downs.

Sure, coaching can sometimes be discouraging,” he said. “But when you

get the kids that care about what they’re doing and they see the journey

all the way through, it makes it all worth while.”

Appell has a pretty simple philosophy. Work just as hard off the track

as you do on it.

“My first priority is to get them to study first,” Appell said. “I’m a

pretty compassionate coach. I can be a little yelly at times, but I want

them to know that I care.”

In addition to track and field, Appell also heads the cross country

teams and it’s there that he tries to instill a different coaching

approach.

“In cross country, there’s a lot more teamwork than most people

think,” he said. “You have to perform as a team out there, otherwise the

end result isn’t as strong.”

So what’s the biggest change he’s seen in the youth of today compared

to the youth of generations past.

“To be honest, kids are a lot more lazy now,” Appell said. “I’ve seen

more kids in much worse shape than I ever have before.”

Despite all of it, both good and bad, Appell is still trying to

combine the hard work with the fun

“The kids that are committed here work their butts off,” he said.

“Sure it may be only an hour and a half, but it’s an hour and a half of

nonstop motion and conditioning. In that process, I try to keep it fun.

It’s easy with the right kids.”

As well as Estancia, Appell is also a coach at the Orange County Track

Club and is an instructor of exercise science at OCC.

With his children all grown up, Appell and his wife, Sylvia, reside in

Costa Mesa.

“As long as it’s fun for me, that’s how long I’ll keep on coaching,”

Appell said. “If it’s not fun, I’ll hang it up.”