Nowell Kay

Bryce Alderton

These days, Nowell Kay runs around. He has to.

Even though he admits he doesn’t run recreationally in his free

time during the cross country season, the Costa Mesa resident makes

his way from coaching the boys track and field and cross country

teams at Newport Harbor High, to attending to two children and a

wife, while catering part-time for Plums restaurant.

Kay, 41, with wife Susan, must keep up with two children:

9-year-old Meaghan and 17-month-old Varenna, named for an Italian

city the couple visited on their honeymoon three years ago.

“We liked the town and thought it would be a cool name if we had a

girl,” said Kay Thursday night after getting the children to bed.

Kay, in his first season guiding Newport’s track and cross country

programs, sometimes brings Varenna to practice, “sort of like a team

mascot,” in his words.

Kay spent the last 11 years as an assistant under the tutelage of

Newport athletic director and coach Eric Tweit, and former coach Bim

Barry. Tweit now coaches the girls track and cross country teams as

Kay does for the boys.

Kay was a student in Tweit’s physical education class in 1980.

Upon returning to the Newport-Mesa area in 1985 after attending the

University of Colorado at Boulder and then Long Beach State -- where

he received his bachelor’s degree in English -- Kay worked part-time

for the Newport-Mesa Unified School District, often in security.

He was at a football game when Tweit approached him about helping

the track program.

“(Tweit) asked me if I would be interested in helping the hurdlers

and jumpers thinking I had a good background as a coach,” recalled

Kay, who ran the 400 meters, the 1,600 relay, both hurdles, and the

long and triple jump in high school. “Once I started coaching, I

realized I enjoyed the high school age group. I came back and really

enjoyed the heck out of it.”

Kay didn’t run in a cross country race until his senior year, and

only participated in three meets.

“I had some stitches in my leg and those runs just wore me down,”

Kay said. “I’ve learned to respect the distance runners. It takes

some doing to go out and run hard for three miles.”

Kay coached alongside longtime Newport boys track and cross

country coach Bim Barry, who graduated from Newport in 1981. The two

still keep in contact. Kay received an e-mail from Barry Thursday

from Lima, Peru, where Barry teaches and coaches track and field at

an elementary school.

“Once we started coaching, we took fun trips, like to New Orleans

for the Olympic Trials,” Kay said. “He was really dedicated to his

team and cared deeply about each kid.”

Barry guided the boys; programs for 13 seasons, which included the

school’s lone state title -- in CIF Division III in 1992. Barry’s

track teams either won, or shared, three consecutive Sea View League

titles up to his departure last summer.

With a head coaching gig comes added responsibility for Kay, but

one he accepts.

“Instead of just worrying about the jumpers and hurdlers, I have

to keep track of what everyone is doing and try to make things come

off with only a few hitches coming off.”

Kay said successful athletes in track and cross country come in

waves, with Newport’s class of 2000 being special in his eyes.

The boys took second that year in the CIF Southern Section

Division II finals.

Trevor Jones won the state championship in the 300 intermediate

hurdles and took second in the 110 high hurdles at the same

competition.

“That really recharged my batteries,” said Kay of the 2000 season.

“It’s really fun to be around successful kids.”

When Kay has time to himself, he likes to play sports such as

softball, tennis and basketball.

“If there is a pickup football game, I am there,” Kay said.

“Whatever I can do to keep me active.”

Although Kay admits he doesn’t run on his own during the cross

country season, he said he more than makes up for it in other ways.

“Jogging with that baby stroller adds an extra 30 pounds, easy,”

he said. “It’s a good workout, especially if there are any hills.”

Kay continues his climb through the Newport Harbor ranks, intent

on maintaining the program’s success.