New Track Coach: Changing How it’s Done
Cal Lutheran athlete, assistant trainer, and NPHS alumna Amy Galipeau recently joined the track and field coaching staff. She has taken a new approach to training tactics, focusing on improving their individual skills and shape them into better athletes.
“It’s cool being back with the same coaches I had and (seeing) how the program is run (from) the coaching perspective.” Galipeau said, “It is also nice to give back to the program that gave so much to me,”
Incorporating her experience as an assistant trainer and her major in exercise science, Galipeau takes the full body workout into consideration, since the runners must become stronger in order to get faster. Along with cross training, she focuses on replicating a race environment during the sprinters’ workouts.
“Everyday they have a running workout and they will have some kind of plyometrics (jumping exercises in order to warm up the muscles of the legs) as their warmup for the workout and after … they always have core and strength (training).” Galipeau said, “Mostly the workouts are high intensity for a short period of time,”
“She makes you run a little bit more than what you would have to do in a race to build up endurance, but she also works hard in making sure our form is good for speed,” said Madeleine Tomlinson, a junior who has been running track for three years. According to Tomlinson, the workouts this season have been more focused on making each runner better in every aspect, not only with running but also with cross-training exercises.
Amanda Chiou, junior, considers the previous two coaches to have been polar opposites: one pushed too hard and the other didn’t push enough. A combination of the two made the practices seem unbalanced to Chiou and others on the team.
“The sprint training wasn’t really good, to be honest. I felt like it was too easy, but then we got a new coach who was really, really hard.” Chiou said, “After they both left, and Amy came, it was a really good balance and we (now) get our workouts done properly and efficiently,”
Tomlinson agrees with Chiou about the changes made from last year’s program. She commented about the practices, “It’s hard, and I’m kind of sore, but it’s not overbearing.”
“I haven’t seen much of what they did before I was there. I am assuming now is very different. I think the team is adapting in a very positive manner and they will definitely be peaking right when they need to,” Galipeau said. “A majority of the athletes are very flexible with the new training program, so far I’ve noticed a very positive impact on all of them. I don’t know what they did before, but based on their mentality I can tell they are tough enough to handle just about any workout I’ve thrown at them.”
Moving forward, Galipeau hopes to see the track and field program grow in years to come and to improve the team mentality. “Ideally, it would be great to win league, but realistically I think my goals are to develop a program that is consistent and that the athletes look forward to… I want them to realize that this is a team sport and I want them to work together. ”Galipeau said, “They have to work together to see results. The biggest challenge for me this season is for them to see this individual sport is actually a team sport.”
