A positive attitude goes a long way.

Stephen Ott says this early and often when he’s coaching his athletes at Parkland High School.

“I want my student-athletes to be good people,” Ott says. “Their attitudes are very important to the success they have on and off the course. I remind them that whether they think they can, or think they can’t, they are right.”

Ott is a go-getter. You have to be taking over the Trojan cross country and track field programs from a coaching legends in Loretta Dodson and Scott Levan. But if anyone could, it would be Ott.

Parkland has a rich sports history and during the mid 90s, Ott helped create some of it. Serving as captain of Parkland football’s first District 11 championship team in 1996, he was also on the track and wrestling teams and served as a student-athletic trainer.

He went on to Bloomsburg University, where he earned a diploma in 2001.

Since graduation, he’s been a teacher. It was the career he wanted, and he went and got it. Coaching, more or less, got him.

“Once I was hired as a teacher, Bob Steckel reached out and asked me to help coach football,” Ott says. “Scott Levan reached out and asked to help with track. I thought both were a perfect fit, since I played both for Parkland.”

Ott has coached football and cross country for the Trojans for a long time. Over the past 18 seasons, he has been on the track and field staff in different capacities.

“Track and field has been a constant in my coaching career,” says Ott. “Most recently, I have been the distance coach for the past eight years. Our boys 4-by-800 relay team has now won four consecutive District 11 gold medals. This is not a simple task.”

It’s his experience with track that he hopes to bring this fall to the Trojans’ cross country squads.

“Track is both an individual and team sport,“ he said. “The relay is a prime example of this. You cannot win a relay without a team of runners. I hope to instill these beliefs and successes into the cross country runners as well.”

Ott is now the cross country boss, but he couldn’t get the job done without the help of assistant coaches Doug Finley, Christie Schlaner and Lexie Dongvort.

“Each of them helps guide our runners to new levels on a daily basis,” said Ott.

Coaching has allowed him to see another side of students outside the classroom. The classroom, however, still occupies much of Ott’s typical day.

“I have a full day of teaching before heading right to practice after school,” he said. “It takes a lot of planning, organizing and rushing around to attend to all my obligations. I try to stick to a similar weekly schedule of hard workout days and recovery days. This allows the student-athletes to know what is coming and prepare mentally for it.”

After practice, Ott’s day usually isn’t done. Often he’s driving around one of his two children to their activities.

“My wife and my two children have allowed me to take on these new coaching positions this past year,” he says. “Without their support and encouragement, I would not have been able to embark on this journey.”

No one knows exactly what that journey will hold for Ott, but it’s probably going to include more teaching, more coaching, more family activities and more positive attitude quotes.

“Anything is possible when you put your mind to it,” he said.