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ArmoryTrack.com had a chance to catch up with her for this edition of the Coaches’ Corner. AT: Briefly describe your coaching philosophy. GE: To intelligently and scientifically enhance and maximize performance. To take a holistic approach to coaching and key in on the little things that may not seem so important just yet but can later on play a major role in the success of your athletes. To stick to your beliefs but always keep an open mind. To enforce discipline, competitiveness, the desire to compete, and to win. To challenge your athletes and provoke all the positive attributes. Last but not least, to continually teach. AT: What's one of your staple workouts and why do you do it? GE: Depending on the training phase we like to administer what we call event runs. The object of this work out is to tap into the energy systems that the athletes use during their race. We attempt to simulate race conditions by having the athletes experience the physical and psychological demands of the event. Thus condition the athlete’s body to redistribute metabolic compounds commonly referred to as lactic acid. The athletes run quality intervals at race pace. These intervals may be repeated as many as three times depending on the event. AT: How do you handle training during the winter season, especially during inclement weather? GE: Our weekly practice sessions are often made up after we review the weekly weather forecast. However, we do not put much emphasis on the weather because we want our athletes to approach the practices with a positive attitude knowing that it is imperative to get the work in. Our cut off temperature for a speed endurance or a special endurance day can range anywhere from 35 to 40 degrees, depending on the wind factor. The weather has no emphasis on our tempo or long runs as long as the athletes are dressed in proper gear. We use the weight room for strengthening and when we have a good day we get our explosive stuff in. Some of our athletes get the benefit of training in the armory because of early class schedules. AT: What would you say is your biggest challenge as a head coach? GE: I must say we run a smooth camp and I am fortunate to work along side assistants who have the tools to make our athletes move. One challenge that we sometimes face with some of our girls is getting them to commit to their training without distraction from outside factors which can sometimes get in the way of their progress. A good friend of mine often reminds me to tell my girls that besides their faith, health, and family, there is only room for two other things in their lives; track and school. Bringing anything else into the picture would only make one of those two things suffer. During my level two training, we spent a great deal of time addressing sports psychology. One thing I grasped that really stuck with me is that coaching high school athletes must be taken as a holistic approach in order to deal with all the other variables that are sometimes prominent; especially when working with females. Making the athletes committed and believing that track can be a means to an end and not an end in itself is a great accomplishment. AT: Talk about your team this season. You've lost two of your top athletes in Dalilah Muhammad and Alison Lee, how do you rebound from that? GE: Dalilah, Alison and Cody were a rare combination of strong athletics and academics. They are ideal student-athletes who have contributed a great deal to the team. We are confident that we can continue such trend by encouraging our new and upcoming athletes to follow the same path. Demanding that they maintain good grades is always enforced. We take the necessary steps to ensure that we are getting the proper tools and resources to make our program successful. It is also important that we as coaches keep our minds sharp and to ‘stay ahead of the game’. We attend regular track clinics, network with other coaches, and keep our eyes on our long term goals. All these things combined are very important to our continued success. |
Gail Emmanuel has guided Cardozo to two PSAL city championships. She’s guided two national champion sprint medley relays and a national champion 4x800. Emmanuel is also the Trinidadian 400-meter national record-holder and competed in the 400 meters for Trinidad at the 1984 Olympics.