TRAVERSE CITY — Finding solutions is what Kristina Olsen does.
Now, as the newly minted head coach of the Traverse City Central girls cross country program, the 35-year-old will put those skills to good use as she helps guide the Trojans into a new era.
“A common thread between my careers is this underlying theme of helping people find their solution,” Olsen said. “I’m not necessarily finding their solution for them, but I’m helping them get to that solution. And that’s what coaching is to me.”
Olsen graduated from Jackson High School in 2006 and then moved on to run competitively in Division I at the University of Alabama-Birmingham. While there, she earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees before returning to Michigan and earning another master’s degree from Wayne State University.
Traverse City was always seen as a destination spot for Olsen as a place to live and work. She became the medical librarian at Munson Medical Center in November 2014, helping physicians and nurses comb through mountains of information to help them find the correct diagnoses and treatments for their patients.
When she moved on from Munson, Olsen became a freelance UX (user-experience) designer. She specializes in digital interfaces, particularly the research aspect and figuring out how to attract users to a product or a website.
The method is identifying the problem to then find the solution. That should come in handy as a head coach.
“Communication and working with an individual is a partnership,” Olsen said. “Cross country is a team sport, but it also is individual because you have some kids who will respond differently to certain types of training and approaches. You need to find what works well for everybody and for each individual.”
Fortunately, Olsen will have a leg up after spending the last seven seasons as an assistant coach with the Trojans.
Central is coming off a second-place finish in the Big North Conference Championships along with a fifth-place effort in the Division 1 regionals that saw seniors Alexis Ball and Ella Kirkwood qualify as individuals for the state finals.
“Eight out of the last 10 years, we’ve had really strong runners, national-caliber runners, out front,” Olsen said. “We’re in a different era now where we’re trying to build depth, and that will take a different view. We’ll have more girls to give us more depth in the program.”
Olsen replaces the legendary Lisa Taylor, who coached the Trojans for three decades before announcing her retirement last month.
Taylor, who was a finalist for National High School Coaches Association Coach of the Year for 2022, led the Trojans to 20 Big North Conference titles and 16 regional championships while producing 17 top-10 Division 1 state finals finishers (12 in the top four) and 51 individual high school All-State runners.
Taylor also helped a nationally ranked Division 1 team to a state title in 2008, along with finishing runner-up in 2004, 2010, 2014, 2019 and 2020. Taylor has had 28 state championship qualifiers since 1994.
“She’s such a wonderful person,” Olsen said of Taylor. “What she has done for the Traverse City Central program, it will be difficult to fill those shoes. She’s been a great mentor, and I think that I have been set up to succeed thanks to the support of (Central Athletic Director) Justin Thorington and Lisa and the rest of the coaching staff to continue this program and keep its rich history.”
Olsen began as an assistant ahead of the 2017 cross country season, and she is already looking forward to what 2024 will bring. She said the last seven seasons have helped her develop relationships with the runners, and she believes the young crop of Trojans coming up from middle school will be a boost to the program.
The next several years will be “developmental,” Olsen said, but she is excited about the opportunities a young team offers for the runners to develop and grow together.
“Running together as a team, as a pack, will provide really good opportunities for the girls,” Olsen said. “I’m really excited for 2024 and what we can do. The possibilities are pretty cool.”
Olsen said having an “extremely supportive” community will help as well.
“I haven’t experienced that elsewhere, so I’m hoping to be more involved as a team. Tapping into the community is something I look forward to,” she said. “It’s a wonderful opportunity to be part of such a great, strong running community with the history to back it up. I’m looking forward to continuing that.”
And she’s also looking forward to that first official practice next summer.
“The first practice of the season is always magical,” Olsen said. “Just the possibilities that are open, that’s what is so exciting. You’re going to have your fresh faces with a new team dynamic. There’s that nervous excitement and figuring out how they’re going to support each other. It’s pretty neat.”