WOODBURY – This year, Nonnewaug staff, as well as head coach for boys track Deborah Flaherty, is taking a different approach to coaching: a unified approach that bridges talent, gender, and unique events across track and field.
“Different teams and different schools coach differently, some are separate- boys train then girls train and they train-and that’s how it was in the past. For indoor we trained cohesively,” Deb Flaherty said.
And for Flaherty, cohesive is an essential part of how this season’s team will look.
Even though their titles say “boys coach” and “girls coach,” both Joe Flaherty and Deb Flaherty are coaching the teams in unison.
“Based on how indoor went, the girls coach for outdoor that has been hired is the same coach for indoor (Joe Flaherty) who has already been on the coaching staff so he moved from being an assistant coach to the head coach,” said Deb Flaherty.
So far, just a week into the spring season, the collaboration between both teams is going just as planned.
“It went fantastically and we’re planning on that in the spring,” Deb Flaherty said. “That doesn’t mean there won’t be times when the girls and boys break off from each other in a specific workout or for example if we’re doing a workout on the track and then everybody has bench marks. Having their own individual bench mark to meet but still doing the same workout at the same time.”
Within specific events, Joe Flaherty will be able to utilize his knowledge and work in small groups to train NHS athletes.
“For throwing, even though we are working collaboratively, we’re still going to have levels of expertise,” Deb Flaherty said. “ Coach Joe is still going to be the person who teaches the three throwing events, I’m still going to be the person who teaches high jump, long jump, triple jump for example. I know where my specialties lie, but I still want to have my hands in all aspects of track- so that all of my kids feel seen by the head coach while getting to know what they’re doing and get to know them as athletes. That way all the athletes get to know all the coaches.”
For the Flaherty’s athletes, this spring season is primed for success.
“I think the season is looking really good,” said senior Ella Quinn. “We saw a really strong group of girls and during the indoor season that’s only going to grow when outdoor starts.”
Finding success for NHS track isn’t easy, as the team’s roster is historically large, a challenge that doesn’t seem to phase either Flaherty.
“I think change is hard no matter what,” said Deb Flaherty. “Whether you like the change or you miss the old stuff, I think change is hard and kind of formulating under a new way of doing things takes time. I really think we got good feedback from the indoor girls team that they liked what we were doing.”
Over the years, Flaherty has made fun awards to give each athlete for the week. The spring track season can feel especially long and tiring, replete with afternoons in the sun and full Saturdays spent at meets.
Deb Flaherty has created a few unique awards to keep her athletes engaged as the spring rolls on.
“A couple years ago it was coach Langle who brought the ‘Chief chain’. It’s like a big Mr T level plaque with a silver chain on it- it’s obnoxious but we love it,” Deb Flaherty said. “So what we did was every week, the chief chain would be awarded to someone else. Whoever gets it, they now have a vote for who gets it next.”
In the past, the ‘Chief chain’ was for the boys track team. This year during indoor track the girls came up with a similar idea.
“This year, the girls came up with Jimmeny the Turtle,” Deb Flaherty said. “It’s the same idea as the Chief Chain, so the girls choose girls on their team to award it to, and we also have them discuss its not just based on performance but also on dedication, if you are a good teammate to someone else or really anything- there are a million different ways someone deserves the chief chain, or Jimmeny the turtle.”
Sophia Garguilo, a senior on the girls track team, adds to coach Deb Flaherty on how the turtle is used.
“The turtle is passed to a new person each meet,” Garguilo said. “It’s for someone that performed well and I think it really connects the team.”
For both boys and girls track athletes, these awards add a memorable element to the long season.
Flaherty also makes an effort to have fun games to not only have a fun break from the hard work, but to help the athletes build more of a connection between each other.
“During outdoor last year, I always tried to instill some fun because that’s where the sense of team comes from,” Flaherty said. “For the boys, I would always have goofy prizes. We would have tennis ball relays, giant tic tac toe and they would have to run to do it to see who can get it first.”
The games also helped with practice and prepare for their track events while having fun.
“We also had Head, shoulders, knees and would have to grab the baton once I called out ‘baton’, Just fun games to help with practicing for real meets. The girls didn’t partake in those as much, and they did this year indoors and we had a blast.
The athletes agree.
“There is so much more unity this year, especially because of our coaching staff.,” Quinn said. “They focus a lot more on the team functioning more as a whole and having the boys and girls trained together for specific events which is something new and has really helped us a lot.”
“I like to think of us as a whole team, we are the track and field team,” Deb Flaherty said.
