18 Sports
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Track and Field Team Expands Coaching Josie Arbuckle
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rack and field competitions encompass an array of events, ranging from sprints and longdistance running to jumping and throwing. This variety necessitates a large coaching staff to provide individualized training for athletes. This year, Greenhill has increased the coaching staff to accommodate each individual athlete. The coaching staff includes full-time coaches, returning adjunct coaches, new adjunct coaches and returning volunteer coaches. Full-time coaches are Head Track and Field Coach Stacey Johnson, jumping and sprinting coach David Henderson and distance coach Jason Stacey Johnson Yaffe. Returning adjunct coaches include pole vault coach Bailey Blunt who competed at Texas Tech University and Steve Kinkead, a former multi-event athlete at Middlebury College. New hires this year include sprint and hurdler coach Joi Stephenson ’07, sprint and relay coach Reginald MacArthur and throwing coach Salvatore Guli. Stephenson competed at the University of Colorado, MacArthur competed at the University of North Texas and Guli was an all-conference thrower at Southern Arkansas University. Volunteer coaches returning from past seasons include sprint and hurdles coach Candida Coulson-Francois, jumping coach Tyron Stewart and high jump coach Randy James. CoulsonFrancois was an All-American during her time at Arizona State University, Stewart was a Texas A&M AllAmerican jumper, and James coaches at Major Impact Track Club. Stephenson has aided senior Jaden Watt with sprinting, stretching and hydration. Watt, a team captain, says that Stephenson’s advice has made a significant impact on the athletes. “It’s been really helpful to see how she’s not only doing that with me, but
she’s also giving each kid [individualized] help,” Watt said. Senior captain Celina Prieur echoes this view of Stephenson. “She’s been a really great mentor for the female athletes because she ran at Greenhill and was a really incredible collegiate runner,” Prieur said. “She’s been a really good resource for us in terms of improving form and atmosphere, but also how we approach our mentality.” The assistants and volunteer coaches have also earned the admiration of Johnson in his role as head coach. “When they volunteer, they bring a lot of energy and excitement with great knowledge of teaching the developmental aspects of jumping and throwing to our kids,” Johnson said. “Each of them brings a lot of new ideas to work with our athletes.”
Rebuilding Practices this track season are more structured, with a greater emphasis on accountability. “The track program is more rigid this year, and there is an expectation that you are at practice at all times,” Watt said. “You can’t just pop in and out. That being said, it can sometimes be difficult to hold someone accountable for their attendance and preparation.” To continue promoting an environment of accountability, Johnson created a council of student representatives from all grade levels. These representatives allow student-athletes to voice concerns or feedback. “It’s about him getting a sense of how things are going from the athlete’s
Graphic by Emma Nguyen
perspective,” Watt said. “It also holds people accountable for practice, because we have this close method of communication.” Amid these changes, senior leaders have emerged to aid in regrouping and
Photo by Laird Burke
POLE VAULT: Coach Stacey Johnson watches as freshman pole vaulter Iliyan Ali sprints to the mat during practice in preparation for the track team’s next meet.
Photo by Laird Burke
SPRINT SPEED: Joi Stephenson ’07, back left, is a member of the newly expanded coaching staff working with Greenhill track and field athletes this spring season. parts, but we have a rebuilding the team. lot of quality people “Track changes pretty dramatically who work with our each year, with the loss of seniors and kids throughout the people having to take new leadership year,” Johnson said. positions,” Prieur said. “This year, it’s Developing the especially difficult because we lost some athletes means using really great athletes.” meets as training For Prieur, it took time to fully Jaden Watt and an opportunity to embody a leadership role. It was a shock to be the one leading warmups, taking grow competition skills and habits, said Johnson. charge at meets and organizing the team. “We want to qualify as many kids as “The younger kids are looking up to me like, what’s next?” she said. “It’s taken possible for the Southwest Preparatory a bit of getting used to, but I realized that, Conference championships each year,” oh, this is where I need to step up and Johnson said. “We want to be a wellbalanced team with strong relays teams lead.” and a well-balanced group of individual event athletes. We use our early season meets as extensions of practice in many ways.” Another aspect of developing One benefit of the new coaching staff and structure is greater unity among the program includes emphasizing exploration and attempting a variety of athletes. events. “There’s a lot of times where there’s kids who don’t know they can do things, When they volunteer, until they have the opportunity to get out they bring a lot of energy and and work with some of our quality coaches excitement with great knowledge to develop their skills,” Johnson said. of teaching the developmental With athletes pursuing multiple aspects of jumping and throwing events, structuring their training requires to our kids. Each of them brings a intensive planning and preparation. To lot of new ideas to work with our achieve this balance, athletes.” early training focuses on building then “We’re becoming a more cohesive fundamentals unit,” Watt said. “And I think that we’re adding intensity later. “How do we going to build a stronger bond this year out the than we had before, just because of how balance closely the coaches are working with us training for our kids Celina Prieur to where they can be and the smaller aspect of the team.” Johnson believes that adaptability is successful in all these areas and get one of the cornerstones of a successful enough work in those areas, but also not overtrain to the point of injury?” Johnson program. “This year we are focusing on a lot said. “We call this ‘the right dose;’ how more developmental aspects in training,” much of this specific thing is perfect?” Although the track and field team he said. “[We are] really focusing on the fundamentals that our kids need to stay continues to undergo changes, athletes expressed high hopes for the season. healthy and be successful.” “It’s all about learning,” Prieur said. Johnson steps in as needed to help with jumping and throwing, but spends “Everything will sort itself out as we mesh most of his time working with sprinters, more as a team and continue emphasizing jumpers and relay teams due to the accountability. I’m excited to see how it all plays out with the influx of the new concentration of athletes in those areas. “It’s about 1,000 working and moving younger athletes.”
Developing Skills
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