Moon helped guide Team USA to a record 10 gold medals at the IAAF World Indoor Championships.
John Moon Helps Guide Team USA to 10 Gold Medals at IAAF Indoor Championships
Courtesy: Seton Hall Athletic Communications
Release: 03/20/2012
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - Seton Hall University head men's and women's cross country coach John Moon was bestowed with one of the most prestigious honors of his historic career when he was named the men's head coach of Team USA at the 2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships.Moon traveled with Team USA to Istanbul, Turkey, for the three day meet which took place on March 9-11, and the results ended up being a record-breaking haul for the Americans.
With more than 160 countries represented at the meet, the United States finished with 18 medals, winning a team-record 10 gold's and doubling the nine medals won by second-place Great Britain.
The 10 gold medals improved on the country's previous record of eight, set during the 1993, 2003 and 2010 IAAF Indoor Championships. The U.S. squad also won three silver medals and five bronze with its total haul of 18 falling just one shy of the team-record 19 medals earned in 1999.
For Moon, it was an opportunity that brought him back to Turkey for the first time in nearly half a century; he competed there as a part of a USA Goodwill Tour along with assistant coach Norm Tate back in 1963.
What did it mean for you to be selected as the head coach for Team USA:
"It was an honor for me to be selected out of all the great coaches in the United States, and to head the United States' world championship team was tremendous. When I got the phone call about whether or not I would be interested I was speechless for a while, it was just fantastic."
"It was an honor for me to be selected out of all the great coaches in the United States, and to head the United States' world championship team was tremendous. When I got the phone call about whether or not I would be interested I was speechless for a while, it was just fantastic."
Some of the athletes you were coaching are going to be headed to London for the Olympics, talk about the caliber of athlete at the meet and who you were working with:
"The supremacy of the United States in track & field was kind of going down, but after seeing some of these young kids I think we are going to make a statement in London. A lot of these athletes, along with some of the athletes who were not there, are going to make a big impact on 2012 and 2016. Just seeing their work ethic, drive and determination was a great thing to be around. I couldn't wait to get back to my practice here and talk to them about the motivation of those athletes and their overall attitude."
"The supremacy of the United States in track & field was kind of going down, but after seeing some of these young kids I think we are going to make a statement in London. A lot of these athletes, along with some of the athletes who were not there, are going to make a big impact on 2012 and 2016. Just seeing their work ethic, drive and determination was a great thing to be around. I couldn't wait to get back to my practice here and talk to them about the motivation of those athletes and their overall attitude."
What were your goals for the team as you headed into the meet:"I told the team when I had the team meeting that my goal was to get 17 medals, and we got 18. That was fantastic, and 10 of them were gold and one of them was a world record. I never expected that. It was a feeling and an accomplishment that I am going to cherish for the rest of my life; it was just a great honor, one of the highest honors a track coach can get."
Talk about the experience of traveling to Turkey for the meet.
"You know, this is actually pretty interesting. We were at the banquet before the meet and someone was talking about how in 1963 the United States had a delegate of athletes come over to put on some meets and some seminars and they stayed for three weeks. There was a guy named Tate, and a sprinter named Moon, not realizing that I was at the next table. In 1963, my assistant coach (Norman Tate) and I were there as athletes, that was 49 years ago." CLICK HERE FOR USATF FEATURE
"You know, this is actually pretty interesting. We were at the banquet before the meet and someone was talking about how in 1963 the United States had a delegate of athletes come over to put on some meets and some seminars and they stayed for three weeks. There was a guy named Tate, and a sprinter named Moon, not realizing that I was at the next table. In 1963, my assistant coach (Norman Tate) and I were there as athletes, that was 49 years ago." CLICK HERE FOR USATF FEATURE
Where does this experience rank among the many things that you have been able to accomplish in your career:
"There are different levels of accomplishment, from high school to college and the Olympic and international level. I don't think what I was able to accomplish at the highest level could have happened if I didn't accomplish those other things prior to that. And even just standing there before the meet as they play the national anthem is an incredible experience, it's hard to even put into words. It was a great experience and I really felt good and was very proud to be selected."
"There are different levels of accomplishment, from high school to college and the Olympic and international level. I don't think what I was able to accomplish at the highest level could have happened if I didn't accomplish those other things prior to that. And even just standing there before the meet as they play the national anthem is an incredible experience, it's hard to even put into words. It was a great experience and I really felt good and was very proud to be selected."
