Burlington Central's Neil gives back to the sport he loves

My how time flies.

Back in the late 1990s I was writing about Vince Neil's running excellence in cross-country and track and field at Dundee-Crown.

Nearly two decades later, Neil still is excelling in both sports, only now its as the head boys' and girls' cross-country coach and head girls' track coach at Burlington Central.

This fall marks Neil's 12th season with the Central cross-country programs. He took over as head coach from Tom Miller in 2008. And Neil, thanks to a mixture of sport expertise and a Midas touch when it comes to relating to student-athletes, has crafted a program that continues the tradition of fielding consistently strong athletic programs at the school.

"No matter if you are the No. 1 guy or you are one of the frosh-soph guys, he cares about every athlete," Central senior boys' cross-country runner Nick Harvey said. "He's very knowledgeable about the sport and he connects with everybody. He's a coach and he's a friend to everyone as well."

Neil, a 1997 D-C alum, qualified for the then Class AA state cross-country meet twice and was a 3-time Class AA track state qualifier at Dundee-Crown. He went on to compete in the steeplechase at Eastern Illinois University.

"I'm not surprised at all he went into coaching," now retired D-C cross-country and track coach Tom Smith said. "It's part of the way Vince is wired. When he ran for us he was a student of running and was an ambassador for the sport. He was a real positive part of what we were doing. I'm very proud of him. He's a good runner, a good coach, a good husband, a good father and a good person."

Neil's had the opportunity to learn from well-respected coaches such as Smith, Miller (also a longtime coach in District 300 before coming to Central), current Central boys' track coach Mike Schmidt, Central track assistant Don Spencer (former head coach at St. Charles North) and former Eastern Illinois coach John McInerney.

"I've worked with so many people who have so much knowledge," said Neil. "It's made me a much better coach and person. I've been blessed to work with great kids and great coaches."

Schmidt, whose niece Meghan Safranski is on the Rockets' girls' team this fall, has seen Neil's handiwork firsthand as a coach and parent. Schmidt's son is now a sixth grader in the Central school district and is participating in cross-country this season. Neil was a Schmidt assistant coach for several years before taking over the girls' track program.

"Vince has already had the middle school kids out to practice," he said. "He does a great job building the lower levels. He runs a summer camp that mixes in running with some cool activities such as going to Great America or going to the city. It's running, but he makes it fun. Vince has a love for running and shares that with the kids. He's real good at team building and creating a family-like atmosphere."

Neil does indeed believe in building that family-like culture, but stressed that dynamic has a natural component to it.

"With cross-country everybody tends to be on the same page," he said. "Everybody deals with 3 miles of pain. You have to be very dedicated. It's a huge commitment mentally and physically. The kids have great respect for each other and they look out for each other. It is a family. The kids take care of each other."

Central sophomore girls' runner Chloe Bilyk refers to Neil as "kind of like a father figure."

"He cares," she said. "No matter how you do, he is very encouraging. He pushes me and everybody to get to the best of our ability. He has a very strong training ethic. He knows I love statistics on things such as eating right and sleep and he always has those for me."

Away from the course and track, Neil is enjoying his role as instructional technologist for the Central school district. Neil's job is to help teachers utilize new technologies in the classroom. He noted district students in grades K-2 now have tablets, while those in grades 3-12 have been outfitted with Chromebooks. Neil previously taught history for 10 years at the high school.

"Good instruction certainly cannot be replaced," he said, "but instruction is enhanced when there is access to more resources. I love it. I get to see kids across many curricula and develop those relationships."

Neil, who noted both Central cross-country teams have shown early-season improvements, always has his eye on the long-term for students.

"I want to help kids whether it's cross-country or on a larger scale with education," he said. "Cross-country is so fun. I get to work with kids in a sport that always will stay with them whether it's staying physically fit, being supportive of others in need or being a positive role model. It's a dynamic sport with a bunch of individuals working toward the better good of the team."

And Central's cross-country programs have a gem of a leader leading that charge.