Madeline Chamber's Georgetown Experience

First off, I would like to thank you Chelsea for sharing your story.

As a recent graduate from Georgetown University I have taken some time to think about my time spent on the Georgetown cross-country and track and field team as a student-athlete. I honestly do not know if I have the right words to express the amazing impact my Georgetown track coaches and teammates have had on my life. I am very aware that everyone has different experiences being on the Georgetown track team and I do not want to discredit those feelings. However, the recent racially bias accusations against my coaches and team have truly struck a chord in me and I wish to share with you some of my experiences on the team. I just want to share a few thoughts / feelings I have about two of my coaches, whose integrity as people have been recently put up to question.

Being on the team from 2010-2015, I have seen a lot of changes take place. One of the biggest changes was back in the fall of 2012; when my coach Chris Miltenberg took another coaching position at Stanford University. That was a huge blow to our team. At that point, I had not worked very much with Coach Henner because he typically coached the men. However, the day Coach Milt left, Coach Henner pulled all of the girls together and told us that we were going to get through this... and you know what. WE DID. Anyone on our team could have quickly up and left Georgetown to transfer to another school. Even though any one person on the team was free to be released to another school, not a single person left or even attempted to leave. We all stayed because we trusted Coach Henner and knew he was going to do everything in his power to keep our team momentum going and keep us happy, healthy and focused on achieving our goals.

A week or two later, we were introduced to our new head women's cross country coach, Mike Smith. I actually do not have words for the impact that Mike Smith has had not only on my running career at Georgetown, but the impact he has had on who I am and who I want to become as a person. Being a female Division I track athlete comes along with enough pressure and stress as is. But, then adding in attending an academically challenging school like Georgetown on top of juggling all other aspects of your life with family, friends, etc., well there can be a lot of emotions, stresses and plenty of ups and downs as many DI athletes can probably relate to. Mike Smith has received the brunt of many of these emotions (and probably many more emotions from the 20 plus other gals on my team). I do not know how he does it. But he always puts aside all else he had going on in his life in order to focus on, wait for it... how to make me a happy, healthy, PERSON. I never once felt that I was just a time, position on a roster or "machine" as some would call it. Mike never once made me feel that I would lose his approval or respect if I did not hit a certain time or place. But you know how he did make me feel? He made me want to be honest with myself both on and off the track. I had some frustrating injuries and terrible races at Georgetown. (Side Note: Fact: After I did not finish my race at the 2012 NCAA outdoor 5,000m final, Pat Henner gave me a hug. Yes. He was not upset and never once made me feel bad. He told me that he was proud of me, I would get past this rough race and wanted to make sure I was okay. THAT… is a coach who cares about you as a person, not just as an athlete.) Rough races and periods of injuries and set backs left me feeling sad, disheartened, and honestly not like myself. The conversations that I had with Mike after some of those races were not easy. Sometimes, I had to admit that I got scared in the middle of a race and psyched myself out. Let me tell you. It is not easy to admit (especially to your coach) that you get scared in a race and doubt yourself. But you know what? Mike never once made me feel ashamed or less of a runner for admitting to being scared or making mistakes, because he knew I was being honest with myself and with him. He was still going to hold me to a high standard and push me to race my best but also do it in a way that was healthy and beneficial for me.  I always, always, always left those conversations feeling better about myself as a person and determined more than ever to get back out racing, even though it was still scary.

One unique aspect about Mike, that many people most likely do not know and possibly many of his athletes do not realize, is that he is never your superior, but rather your equal. Every conversation I have ever had with him in his office, he has never once stayed behind his desk, distancing himself and exhibiting his coaching superiority over his athlete. He always makes a point to bring a chair around his desk and be at even eye level with whomever he is talking with, not talking at. This may seem like a very odd detail to bring up, however it is something that I really admire about him. He takes the time to be your equal and work with you to be a better person and runner, versus a coach who is just telling you what to do from a position of power.

I cannot speak for anyone but myself. But, my experience as a Georgetown track and field student-athlete has been greatly influenced by Pat Henner and Mike Smith. These only detail a very few ways in which these men have helped me to grow into the person I am today. I want to stand up for what I believe and feel is right and I feel that these men have done nothing to make me feel they have acted in an unjust or racially bias manner. I cannot thank them enough for all they have done for the Georgetown track program and myself.

Madeline Chambers