Glenvar High School has filled the track coaching vacancies that came open when Bekka Loder stepped down as indoor coach in the winter season and girls’ coach in the spring. James Osborne is the new indoor coach and Jubal Poindexter will take over as spring girls’ track coach.
Both are familiar with the program, as both have served in other capacities for Glenvar High. Osborne is also the cross country coach, leading the boys’ to their first ever state championship in his initial season as head coach last fall. Poindexter has been the middle school outdoor track coach, leading the middle school Highlanders to the Cosmopolitan Club championship for the past two years.
A 1993 Christiansburg High School graduate, Osborne has had a passion for running and track since his days running for the Blue Demons.
“My time there completely shaped my lifelong passion for competitive running,” he said. “The absolute highlight of my high school experience was being a part of an elite running tradition, competing in cross country, indoor track, and outdoor track all four years.”
James ran on three state cross country championship teams at Christiansburg.
“That taught me firsthand the dedication, sacrifice and mindset required to build a winning culture,” he said. “A massive part of that success, and my growth as both a runner and a person, came from being coached by two legendary mentors, Jeff Custer and Steve Shelton. Learning the sport under their guidance didn't just help us win titles back then; it laid the exact foundation for how I approach training, mental toughness, and building a championship-caliber program today."
While Osborne interacted mostly with the distance runners last year, he was familiar with many of the other athletes.
“I actually already knew a lot of them from my previous coaching stops,” he said. “When I coached indoor and outdoor track at Eastern Montgomery I got to meet and know several of the Glenvar track athletes during both of those seasons. Because our state championship meets happened at the same time and location, and our schools attended a lot of the same invitationals throughout the year, it gave me a great head start on building relationships with them before I even arrived here."
James has enjoyed his time at Glenvar thus far and looks forward to expanding his duties.
"I have thoroughly enjoyed my coaching experience at Glenvar,” he said. “From day one the parents, the community, and the administration have been an absolute joy to work with, providing incredible support every step of the way.
When you have that kind of strong foundation backing the program, it allows us to fully focus on training hard, fostering a winning mindset, and pushing our athletes to reach their highest potential both on and off the course.”
Poindexter is a 2000 graduate of Northside High, where he competed in football under legendary coach Jim Hickam and in track & field under Ed Culicerto.
“Coach Hickam was organized, demanding and old-school,” said Poindexer. “His leadership helped shape strong young men and taught lessons that extended far beyond athletics. Coach Culicerto lived by a simple philosophy, both in track and in life: ‘compete against yourself.’ It is a lesson that has stayed with me, and one I continue to share with my athletes today.”
Jubal went on to Ferrum College, where he played four years of collegiate football as a running back and defensive back under coach Dave Davis.
“More importantly, Ferrum introduced me to my future wife, Lalita (Brim) Poindexter, an attorney and 2018 Ferrum College Athletics Hall of Fame inductee,” he said. “Today, we are blessed with three wonderful daughters, Ava, Maya and Laila, who all attend Glenvar Schools. They are straight-A students, baptized members of Shiloh Baptist Church and have been blessed to enjoy success in athletics.
“As two country kids who came from humble beginnings, my wife and I are living proof of what faith, hard work, education and perseverance can accomplish. I owe so much of that journey to my parents, teachers, church and coaches who invested in me long before I realized how life-changing those investments were.”
Poindexter will be entering his 23rd year of coaching track & field including stops at Franklin County High School, Northside High School, Cave Spring High School and most recently Glenvar Middle School.
“Throughout my career I've been fortunate to work with outstanding student-athletes who have broken school records, won championships, earned individual state titles, continued their athletic careers in college, with some even going on to compete professionally,” he said. “While I am proud to have been a part of those accomplishments, I view every new opportunity as a blank slate and a new challenge. Throughout my career, I have worked to build programs centered on relationships, toughness, enthusiasm and a championship mindset. My hope is to bring that same energy and culture to Glenvar High School while building upon the strong tradition that already exists.”
After three years of coaching at the middle school Jubal is quite familiar with the athletes at the high school.
“Glenvar is a close-knit community where relationships mean everything,” he said. “Pouring my heart into our kids and the middle school program over the past three years has been incredibly rewarding. During that time, our athletes broke 18 school records, captured Glenvar Middle’s first-ever Cosmopolitan Invitational team championship and successfully defended that title last season. Many of the student-athletes who helped build that success are now members of the high school program.”
While Jubal has been well-traveled, he feels like he’s found a home at Glenvar.
“I absolutely love Glenvar,” he said. “My time at Glenvar has been one of the most rewarding chapters of my career. From the students and families to my fellow coaches, teachers and administrators, I've been surrounded by people who genuinely care about one another and take great pride in this community.
“I was also fortunate to teach at Glenvar High School in 2018 under former principal and current Roanoke County Public Schools Superintendent Jamie Soltis. To me, Mr. Soltis embodies what Glenvar represents, hard work, resilience, humility and a relentless pursuit of excellence. The phrase ‘Leave No Doubt’ isn't just a slogan; it's a mindset that reflects the spirit of this community.
“Outside of Glenvar, coaching recreation soccer and growing in my faith at Shiloh Baptist Church under the leadership of Pastor Adrian E. Dowell has strengthened my bond with this community even more. I have a deep appreciation for the people who make Glenvar so special, and I'm grateful for the trust and relationships that have been built over the years. I'm excited to continue investing in our student-athletes and helping them grow both on and off the track.”
photo) is the new girls’ spring outdoor track coach. Both already had ties to the program as Osborne coaches the cross country
team and Poindexter has been the middle school coach for the past three years, Here Jubal is flanked by middle school athletes
Matthew Gard(left in photo) and Joshua Foster. SUBMITTED PHOTOS
