Medomak Valley coach George Gould earned his 2,000th career win at the Class B track and field state championship meet on June 6 in Freeport. (Paula Roberts photo, LCN file)
Forty-four years ago, George Gould was asked to coach the Medomak Valley High School girls basketball team. Since then his life has never been the same.
Every year after that invite from former Athletic Director Doug Libby in 1986, Gould has coached at least one sports program for the Panthers, racking up a total of 2,001 wins in cross country (1,464), basketball (106), and track and field (431) in his career.
Gould was presented with a special plaque by current Medomak Valley athletic director Matt Lash to commemorate the rare achievement at the Medomak Valley spring sports banquet on June 15.
“Basketball was my life growing up in Beals, and I’d been coaching the A.D. Gray boys middle school team when Doug (Libby) asked me to coach the girls high school team. I replied, ‘Yeah, I would love to,’” said Gould. “I had never coached a girls team before, so it was challenging, but very rewarding. I caught the coaching bug and have been loving it ever since.”
One thing led to another, and during the 1986-1987 school year, Gould began coaching the girls cross country running team.
“Growing up, I was very passionate about basketball, and I played baseball, too,” said Gould. “I got into track and field in 1966 during the inaugural season at Waldoboro High School.”
Gould noted that having two older brothers that were coaches was a key part of his inspiration to pursue coaching, along with legendary Waldoboro High/Medomak Valley boys basketball coach Bob Green.
“He was a hero to me,” said Gould. “Another role model and legend that taught me a lot about basketball was Neal Lash. He was a legend, an absolute legend.”
Gould is in the process of preparing for the fall cross country season. His team began informal practices on Wednesday, July 8 and they will meet to run together every Wednesday until the Maine Principals’ Association two-week ban from sports, which spans from Aug. 3-16. The official regular season is set to begin on Monday, Aug. 17, and Gould is eagerly counting down the days.
“I am still going strong, and I still love it,” said Gould, who coaches boys and girls cross country in the fall and boys and girls outdoor track and field in the spring. “Coaching has been my whole life.”
After the conclusion of the cross country season, Gould, 77, typically travels to Florida, and then comes back to Maine just before the spring outdoor field and track season begins in March.
“I spend an hour or two walking every day to stay in shape for the upcoming cross country season,” Gould said. “Coaching keeps me inspired to stay in shape; I need to set a good example for the kids.”
Gould has seen a lot of changes in cross country and track over the years, most of which he notes has been positive.
“All of the race timing, data management, and recordkeeping for track and cross country has come a long way, and it saves me and other coaches time which we can now spend assisting the athletes,” he said.
One recent challenge Gould noted is that new sports have been introduced at Medomak Valley that tap into the pool of athletes available to participate in running sports like track and cross country. Gould is glad that students have other options but is realistic about how sports trends can impact longstanding traditional sports like track and field.
“We have lost track boys to football over the past decade, and girls to the recent emergence of varsity girls volleyball,” said Gould. “In the last few years, there have been times when we have not had enough runners competing in cross country to register a team score (the boys and girls teams require five). Running is hard. It’s very gratifying, but it is hard and takes the right kind of mindset.”
George Gould (right) receives a plaque from Medomak Valley Athletic Director Matt Lash to honor his 2,000th win as a Panthers coach on June 15 in Waldoboro. (Courtesy photo)
Over a career spanning over four decades, Gould has accumulated a lifetime of coaching highlights.
“Our 1989 cross country team that beat two-time repeat champions Greely to become the undefeated state champs was a special group,” said Gould. “We won the championship by just one point. It was so close that no one knew until it was announced during the awards ceremony after the meet – and it was so exciting. The narrow winning margin was due to a role player on our team that was our fifth ranked runner; they outlasted two of Greely’s runners near the finish line to tip it in favor of the Panthers.”
Gould also reminisced about a big girls basketball win.
“We won a big game on a shot at the buzzer in the Bangor Auditorium, which was an amazing venue to play in back in those days,” said Gould.
With 43 years of experience, Gould has acquired a strong sense of what is critical toward coaching high school sports and shared some words of advice.
“Just be yourself and do the best you can, and set a good example for the kids,” said Gould. “Be mindful that those young people are going to grow up soon, so treat them like the community members they will become 10 years or so from now – the doctors, teachers, lawyers, nurses, and so forth. Treat them with respect and dignity. Everyone on the team is essential, so treat the last place kid the same as the first place kid.”
The respect-based style has paid dividends for Gould beyond sports, as he has cherished seeing athletes on his teams join the community as adults and become his friends. He has gone on to coach their kids and even their grandkids.
“It’s so rewarding to see the kids enter high school as nervous young ninth graders starting the cross country season, and then to see them grow up, graduate and advance in life,” said Gould.
Recent examples of this were Ava and Kaylee Collamore, who graduated from Medomak Valley in June.
“The Collamore twins arrived at our first cross country practice in 2022 as little girls, and now they’ve grown up into wonderful young adults heading off to college,” Gould said. “I am going to miss them, but I’m glad and blessed to have been part of their experience growing up.”
Gould was eager to heap praise on those that have nurtured the success of the programs that he has coached.
“I would not have been coaching this long if it weren’t for Athletic Director Matt Lash,” said Gould. “Day to day, he treats all the sports and participants with equal support, respect and resources, whether it is a last place team or a state championship team. He is to athletic directors what Cooper Flagg is to basketball. He has a great temperament and is so good at what he does, and he is supportive, organized and helpful.”
Gould also paid tribute to a pair of mentors who have passed away during his long coaching career.
“I would like to dedicate all the wins over the course of my Medomak Valley career to the late David “Doc” Littlefield, and to my former assistant track and field coach Elizabeth Bianchi,” said Gould. “I miss them greatly, and I could never repay them for all the inspiration and support they gave me.”
Gould was quick to recognize that it was the athletes that actually won the 2,001 games and events so far in his career, not the coach. He also tipped his hat to all the assistant coaches who have supported his work the past 43 years.
“I will forever be grateful for the hard work and dedication of the great athletes and coaches I have worked with.”
Gould acknowledged that while he is not retiring yet, Father Time is ticking toward when he reluctantly will not get to see that “coming-of-age” process for incoming first-year students through to their final days as Medomak students.
For now, with his 44th season approaching fast, Gould is content to enjoy the summer, take long walks to get his body ready, and to reflect on a lifetime of fond coaching memories.
Gould: by the numbers
Wins by Sport
Cross County = 1,464
Track & Field = 431
Girls Basketball = 106
Seven KVAC cross country championships
Two cross country regional championships
One cross country state championship (1989)
One cross country state championship runner-up
One girls basketball conference championship
Years as Medomak Valley Coach
Girls Basketball = 1983-93
Girls Cross Country = 1986-2025
Boys Cross Country = 2006-2025
Girls Track & Field = 1999, 2006-26
Boys Track & Field = 2022-2026
