Another Athlete's Georgetown Experience (#5)

Every experience is unique and every athlete is different. Through my

experience at Georgetown, I learned this from my coach, Mike Smith. If anyone

understood this concept, I truly believe it was him. Through countless meetings and

talks I had with Coach Mike, I learned that he wanted to help each athlete not only to

be the best they could be in their running career, but also to have the best

experience they could at Georgetown. So with this investigation, I wanted to share

my experience and what I witnessed on the Georgetown track and field team.

Whether it was through individualized training logs or personal meetings in

his office, Coach Mike knew each athlete worked differently and took the time to

understand us. Personally, I witnessed Coach Mike go above and beyond his job title

as “Head Women's Cross Country Coach/Assistant T&F Coach” many times. He

wasn’t just a track coach, but somebody that took the time to listen to me no matter

what the issue was about (running, personal, etc). I witnessed Coach Mike help

many athletes through injuries and through ups and downs and helped them

overcome the challenges and push forward. I also witnessed Coach Mike helping

many athletes through personal matters. I truly believe Coach Mike cared about us

as people first and athletes second.

I think the real question here is: Was Coach Mike fair? In general, running is

not a fair sport. It is performance driven and you can’t take it personally. I learned

this through disappointing races, but Coach Mike never gave up on me. He stayed in

his office multiple times until late evening to talk to me when he could’ve left hours

earlier. He continued to push me in workouts to my potential and always motivated

me to be the best I could.  From what I witnessed, Coach Mike had the open door

policy for anyone who wanted to come to his office and talk about her experience

just like he allowed me to do any time I wanted. He encouraged us many times at

practice to come to his office and talk to him about running or about life. He wanted

to build that relationship with all of us, but it was also a two way street. I never

witnessed Coach Mike treating an athlete unfairly. I think what matters the most to

Coach Mike is having a positive attitude and contributing to the team in a positive

way.  He wants to protect the positive team culture we had because he knows this

will lead the team to having the best experience at Georgetown and I believe he is

right. The greatest thing about the Georgetown team is the culture. It’s so much

better running for something bigger than yourself and running for your teammates.

 Personally, I couldn’t have imagined a more caring coach, and I respect

Coach Mike tremendously. I knew being on the Georgetown team that I was part of

something very special and every day at Georgetown I knew it was a privilege. I am

very thankful for my coaches and I do not believe they acted in a racially bias

manner. I truly believe Coach Mike wants to build the most successful team in the

country with the most positive team culture.