Highlands Middle School language arts teacher Brian Alessandro is in a jumbo jet. He’s traveling with his wife while flying over the Atlantic Ocean. The newly retired high school track and cross country coach is on his way to see his wife’s relatives in the United Kingdom.
Helping himself into a British state of mind, Alessandro passes the time by watching the film Chariots of Fire on his iPad. The movie is set in 1920s United Kingdom. It follows two runners who are training for the 1924 Paris Olympics. With the 2024 Paris Olympics coming up this summer, Alessandro is eager to watch the movie again with a renewed perspective.
The movie’s theme, achieving victory through self-sacrifice and moral courage, still resonates with Alessandro. The soundtrack by Vangelis still stands out. Something new is the way the movie makes Alessandro realize how much he’s going to miss coaching.
“No doubt I’m going to miss it. But I’m going to be spending more time with my family,” said Alessandro, who remains on the Highlands middle school teaching staff. “The thing is, I’m still looking at race results. I’m watching Chariots of Fire again. It just says I can’t let that part go.”
With 21 regional championships and nine state titles at Highlands, Alessandro thought he’d never quit coaching. The journey began as a Highlands cross country volunteer assistant in 2002.
“We immediately won three state titles in girls cross country,” Alessandro said. “I loved coaching, and I was hooked. I quit my job and went back to school to be a teacher because of that and started out in Boone County.”
Alessandro assisted at NKU from 2005-07. He was head coach of the Thomas More cross country and track and field teams from 2007-11. He’s been head coach of the Highlands boys and girls cross country teams and the girls track and field team since 2012.
“We won five state titles the first six years in girls cross country,” Alessandro said. “We had the first individual state champs in Highlands cross country history with Maggie Schroeder and Ethan Shuley who both won twice.”
However, family responsibilities increased. The coach’s children are ages 7 and 4. Alessandro, a 1998 Highlands graduate, is 44. The former Bluebirds and Norse standout wants to make sure his children receive all the support needed as they get more involved with school activities.
Highlands rising senior Shelby Shields understands, but it’s still a shock. Counting relay runners, Alessandro coached nearly 30 individual state champions in cross country and track and field. He was named Girls Cross County Coach of the Year by the National Federation of State High School Associations in 2014 and 2020.
“He’s been in my life as a coach since I was a little tiny sixth grader,” Shields said. “I had him as a teacher in the seventh grade. He’s always been there. He became a good listening ear.”
Alessandro has a way with young runners while utilizing an array of coaching skills. It enabled him to be a program builder at Thomas More and Highlands Middle School and a program rebuilder at NKU and Highlands High School. Working with a positive attitude at his high school alma mater, he tapped into a special connection with his athletes.
The dynamic benefitted Highlands’ Jack Haggard, on his way to Bellarmine University to play soccer and run track. Haggard sought improvement in both sports without compromising either. Alessandro, ever the thoughtful protagonist, took an interest in Haggard’s dilemma. As the soccer team’s leading goal scorer his senior season at Highlands while running cross country, Alessandro had been there and done that.
“The biggest thing he did was work with me between running and soccer,” said Haggard. “Coach figured out the best plan. He knew what distances were perfect for me. He knew how I should train for soccer so I could still run.”
Shields said Alessandro’s laid back, inclusive style makes it easier for him to help student-athletes solve problems.
“I’m in two sports and he is so understanding and very helpful,” Shields said.
Alessandro developed a personal yet meticulous approach to coaching. He applied it with such care that often his Bluebirds were greater than the sum of their parts. His teams were delicate in texture but tough as nails.
“You want to run for him,” Haggard said. “I also wanted to get better and he did a really good job with it.”
Alessandro’s finespun strategy significantly improved endurance and race times. In Highlands girls track and field, all but one new school record out of 18 track events has been established since 2012. In boys track, all distance records have been reset since 2012.
“I found just as much joy in coaching young people who weren’t vying for state titles,” Alessandro said. “They all worked hard to break personal bests and pushed themselves daily.”