Meet Sean Ingram | Track Coach & IT professional

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sean Ingram and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sean, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
The decision to start Brute Force Track Club came from years of coaching, wanting to create my own vision and see it through. I also wanted to share the knowledge I acquired over the years with our youth; which is helping them fulfill their dreams. I did not start the club for monetary gain, although money is important in running a successful business, it was not the sole motivation.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
The work I do as a coach is a pleasure but the business side can be overwhelming. There is a ton of planning that goes on, not only for training but for travel, facilities, and even weather predictions. It has become easier over the years with repetition and figuring out what does and does not work.
There are a lot of aspects that set me and my style of coach apart from others. This is not a “this way is better than that way” type of difference, it’s just different. I, like most other coaches, am certified as a USATF\IAAF instructor and have the knowledge to coach using certain techniques or methods. I have acquired these certifications to meet the requirements of these organizations but I do not subscribe to their methodology. My style of coaching is very much a “cook to taste” approach. I coach based on the athlete’s needs and not what the book advises me to do, or when to implement certain styles of training. I have found that I need to be very flexible especially here in Colorado, we can have sun in the morning and snow by noon.

I am very proud of our club’s progression. We are a small team but we are extremely technical (biomechanics) and each one of our athletes has made huge gains from where they started. The years to come are going to be most exciting as we get to see the end result. Our goal (end result) is to see all of our athletes off to college/university with all expenses paid.

I got where I am now with sheer determination and focus on the goals I set. I knew it would take time to get the club set up how I envisioned it being. There are still tons of adjustments I want to make but they will require lots of time and fundraising.

Creating the club was not easy. We are a registered non-profit organization, our logo is trademarked (USPTO), and all of our gear is customized. Setting up everything was a hassle but if you do it right the first time, it’s just maintenance moving forward. We are in maintenance mode and only apply minor adjustments for all our business needs.

I have learned patience from all my interactions whether it be working with vendors or developing an athlete.
This club was not created overnight, it took years of back-and-forth thoughts, and a true blueprint to get where we are at now.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My go-to for visiting friends and family would be the mountains. I normally start in BlackHawk, then work my way up to Winter Park for lunch. I do not have a particular restaurant, I like to try new places each time I visit the high country. For a week-long trip, we would definitely drive to Vail, I love their village and shopping in the summer. Bike rides on the trails, or long walks during the day then, happy hour and dinner by the fire. I have not been up in a while but I can envision myself there right now.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are so many people to name along my journey but I will keep it to two. First, I need to give a shoutout to Donald Gatewood (Coach Gatewood) who was my high school track coach. Coach Gatewood coached at Montbello high school and won over 7 state championships from 1981 until 2004 I believe. I was a student of his coaching/teaching and have applied all that I remembered into my coaching philosophy which has been instrumental in helping hundreds of kids.

I also need to shout out Robert McReynolds (Coach Rob) and his knack for finding talent. Coach Rob was also one of my coaches in high school (1997) but it wasn’t until 2013 that he saw something in me that screamed “I am a Coach.” I bumped into him at an intersection where he asked me to help him coach the team he was starting. I was initially not on board but I stopped by for a few practices. After our first competition, I was sold and have not looked back; 10 years later I am 5 years into coaching my own club.
These two men were instrumental in my life and in a lot of my life decisions.

Website: bruteforcetrack.club

Instagram: bruteforcetc2018

Facebook: Brute Force Track Club

Youtube: @bruteforcetrackclub3818

Image Credits
Zsa’nee Gaines