I don't usually take requests because my readers don't usually make requests. Sometimes, though, they surprise me. Earlier this year, I had written a column about my expectations (okay, my fears) about helping to coach a high school track team. Last week, one of my athletes said that I needed to write a followup, now that the season is over.

I gently explained, "This is a national track and field column ... the stories I write about have to have general interest."

She insisted that the follow-up would be of general interest, or else why would I have written about coaching in the first place? Of course, she was right, and I was wrong. (That's generally how my life works when it comes into conflict with females. I married a female, I am father to females, I coach females, so I'm used to being wrong on a regular basis.)

The head coach of our team told me at the end of the season that he learns one major lesson each season. His first season, he said, he learned, "Never do this again."

But he came back. This season, we learned the lesson together, and we joked about inscribing it on a plaque, so we would never forget it: "Happy girls run fast."

It's such a simple concept that I am amazed I don't hear more about it. You can browbeat young athletes all you want, and tell them they must do this and they must do that. You can threaten, you can punish, you can hold your anger till your face turns red. Yet the bottom line we discovered is that the happier young athletes are, the better they perform.

One of our best meets of the year came after a day we goofed off in practice competing in ridiculous relays that involved dancing, animal noises and crawling. All my years of interviewing the top coaches in the NCAA and not one of them clued me into this technique. Maybe it's just a girl thing. Some of the guys on the boys track team would just shake their heads in disgust when they saw these sort of mood-lighteners.

So, was it a successful season? I'd have to say so. I'm coming back for more next year, and doing what I can to keep the kids motivated to work in the off-season. We had great moments, such as a regional championships where every one of my distance runners ran a lifetime best, and we had some down moments, too.

At one meet, my wife came to meet the kids, see them in action and try to help out a little. The meet she chose turned out to be our first dual meet loss in eons. So many of the girls were sobbing and blaming themselves that my wife finally excused herself to sit with the parents on the sidelines. "I didn't know what to say to them," she admitted.

I learned that as a group, there are no people who are harder on themselves than teen-age girls. A coach never has to tell them that they did a bad job; they are quicker to flog themselves than anyone. The coach's role is to defuse the guilt, and focus optimistically on the future. Once an athlete believes in herself, and sees that she is on the right path, the battle is won. They all have an inherent desire to succeed, and if the coach is unable to make the path to success fun, then the athletes lose faith.

One of my proudest moments in coaching came when none of my athletes were even around. My wife and I were loading my two children in the van for a shopping trip, and my 5-year-old put on a cap I had gotten from a track meet. "Nice hat!" I said.

"I"m a track coach," she replied proudly as she hopped into her booster seat. I beamed. To be an object of emulation, I figured I must be doing something right.

But when we got to the store, she climbed out of the car, and threw the hat back into her seat. I said, "You're done with the hat?"

"Well, I don't want anyone to KNOW I'm a track coach," she said as she walked away.

So that's the way it is. I got "worked," as they say. And so it goes with the young ladies I coach. They're pretty quick to rip on me, my age being a favorite topic of derision. But when it's time to do the job, they do it, and I don't have to ask them twice. We try to keep it fun, and it's so much easier to believe in yourself when it's fun.

The latest action in the big leagues
Though they probably never practice using animal noises, the world's best athletes are off on a tear on the Grand Prix circuit, and performances are heating up. On the Fourth of July, the circuit stopped in Lausanne, Switzerland. The sprints went to Maurice Greene (9.90), Ramon Clay (20.05) and Marion Jones (11.04).

Hometown favorite Andre Bucher won a nice 800 in 1:43.58 over South African Hezekiel Sepeng (1:43.89). In the women's race, Irinia Mistyukevich of Russia clocked 1:58.80 while Regina Jacobs' 1:59.07 was only good for fourth in the crowded finish.

Ali Saidi-Sief of Algeria crushed the 1500 field with his 3:29.51; American Bryan Berryhill, far back in ninth, clocked 3:35.56 to make the "A" standard for the Worlds. In the 3K, Paul Bitok of Kenya won in 7:32.36 and Tim Broe placed seventh in a fine 7:39.45.

The hurdles saw Anier Garcia of Cuba (13.24) edge Larry Wade (13.25) as the more likely Allen Johnson and Terrance Trammell took the last two places. Jenny Adams captured the female hurdles in 12.68. Angelo Taylor clocked a world-leading 47.95 to take the long hurdles.

Inga Babakova of the Ukraine high jumped 6-8 (American Amy Acuff in fifth at 6-4.25). Jeff Hartwig won the vault with a leap of 19-4.25, while Savante Stringfellow took the long jump in 27-2. Meanwhile, Jan Zelezny captured the javelin at 294-9, with American Breaux Greer in third at 273-4.

In Paris two days later, Marion Jones headlined the proceedings by sprinting a world list leading 10.84. Maurice Greene went 9.96 to win the men's dash.

Andre Bucher continued his hot streak by clocking 1:43.34 to win the two-lapper over Yuriy Borzakovskiy (1:43.76). Angelo Taylor again beat a top field in the 400 hurdles (48.10). In the highs, Allen Johnson returned to form, his 13.15 easily besting Anier Garcia (13.23) and Terrance Trammell (13.24).

Hicham El Guerrouj captured the 1500 in 3:28.38, ahead of Bernard Lagat's 3:30.83. Seneca Lassiter, in eighth, clocked 3:34.32 to make the "A" standard. Wilson Boit Kipketer clocked 8:08.13 in the steeple, leading two of his Kenyan teammates under 8:10 as well. In the 5000, Luke Kipkosgei ran 13:02.25.

Field event victories went to Australia's Viktor Chistyakov in the vault (18-10.25) ahead of Lawrence Johnson (18-8.25). Ivan Pedroso of Cuba won the long jump (26-7; Savante Stringfellow in fourth at 26-3). Greece's Konstadinos Gatsiozdis won the javelin at 284-9.

Violeta Szekely of Romania won the 1,500 in 4:01.55. Suzy Favor Hamilton ran the fastest American time of the year in third, 4:02.64, while Sara Schwald hit the "A" standard with her 4:06.64. Austria's Stephanie Graf won the 800 in 2:00.00 (Regina Jacobs sixth in 2:00.87). Jenny Adams won another hurdles race, this time in 12.81. The 400s went to the Ukraine's Tatyana Antipova in 54.01, as Tonja Buford-Bailey clocked a nice 55.33 in fifth.

The unbelievable Russian times continued in the 3000. Olga Yegorova won in 8:23.75, and teammates Yelena Zadorozhnaya (8:26.79) and Tatyana Tomashova (8:27.02) also beat the once-great Gabriela Szabo (8:27.21).

Venelina Veneva of Bulgaria won the high jump with 6-6.75 (Amy Acuff sixth at 6-5). Hungary's Katalin Divos took the hammer at 224-10, with Dawn Ellerbe second at 221-6.

Coming up next
The classic Bislett Games in Oslo will be held this Friday, while the day before, the World Youth Championships will open up in Debrecen, Hungary. This is the second staging of this bienniel meet for high school age children from around the world; so far, 1330 entries are confirmed from 165 nations.

We are also looking forward to more news releases from the IAAF about its Elite Athlete Project. In their latest accomplishment, the folks at the IAAF sent several world-class athletes to Paris's Disney themepark. Finally, they're on the same page as me, and have figured out how to keep the sport fun. Perhaps they'll consider animal noises next?

Jeff Hollobaugh, former managing editor of Track and Field News, is a regular contributor to ESPN.com. He can be reached by e-mail at michtrack@aol.com.