Olympians Look Forward To Helping A New Generation Of Athletes; Theisen-Eaton Is Assisting With The Sprinters At The High School; Decathlon Champ Is Coaching With The Youth Program

By Carmen Mantalas for DyeStat

Photos by Tim Healy/Image of Sport

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Former professional track and field athletes Brianne Theisen-Eaton and Ashton Eaton are living legends. For the uninitiated, Brianne is a two-time Olympian and bronze medalist for Canada in the heptathlon at the 2016 Rio Games. Ashton is a two-time gold medalist in the decathlon (London 2012 and Rio) and former world record holder.

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Ten years after hanging up their spikes, they are back at the track and working with young athletes.

After taking time away to start a family and get involved in their community of Sherwood, Ore., just outside of Portland, Brianne has joined track and field coaching staff at Sherwood High, while Ashton coaches with Sherwood’s Youth Track and Field program.

This dynamic duo, who began as teammates at the University of Oregon, has just made Sherwood ground zero for developing the future stars of track and field.

“Coaching was never a part of my long-term plan,” Brianne said. “When I was an athlete I had always said that I would never want to coach, because I didn’t think I would be patient enough. I think having kids of my own has not only improved my patience, but it has given me a different perspective, one where I want to pass on my knowledge and experience to the next generation.”

That wealth of knowledge spans covers practically every event. 

“I’m surprised at how similar the transition from elite competitor to coach feels," she said. "I have that same intensity, drive, and commitment as I did when I was an athlete. I have to remind myself that the kids I’m coaching are in high school and have a life outside of their daily track practices.”

Full Hayward Circle

The transition from athlete to coach, from training to becoming the trainer, is undeniably a full circle moment. Last weekend, the former Duck returned to historic Hayward Field in Eugene – stepping into the stadium at her alma mater with a new team.

Her new group of sprint athletes competed at the Oregon Relays against top high school athletes from as far as away as Chicago and Long Beach. 

Returning to Hayward for Brianne “felt like coming home” although the stadium is much bigger and bolder than it was when she competed. She was excited for her athletes.

“I get so much joy from positively impacting these high school kids' lives and seeing their faces light up when they get a PR and start to realize that all of the uncomfortable and painful workouts are paying off, especially when they get to experience the magic and how supportive and electric the atmosphere is at Hayward.”

In the weeks leading up to the Relays, Brianne was hyper-focused on helping her athletes prepare and work on their technique by tuning into their bodies.

“I think a very under utilized tool in coaching is to explain something to an athlete as a feeling, versus in a visual sense. For example, if an athlete is struggling with block starts, I will often think back to what it felt like in my body when I did it, and try to get them to replicate that feeling, instead of how it should look,” she explained. “This is something Ashton and I figured out while training together post-collegiately. If one of us was struggling with a technique, sometimes having another athlete, who is doing it correctly, explaining how it feels in their body, can unlock something.” 

Brianne is using that communication technique with her athletes.

“I try to ask my athletes how a rep feels, before I tell them what I would like them to fix," she said. "That way, they begin to take ownership of their success instead of having to always rely on a coach.” 

Passing the Knowledge Baton

The pressure from competing at such a high level in track and field armed Brianne with a unique set of tools that she hopes to pass along to her athletes. A study entitled, “Prevalence of Stress Amongst High School Athletes,” found that 91 percent of high schoolers experience sports-related stress, with 58 percent experiencing moderate to extreme stress.

When Brianne was training she did a lot of work with a sports psychologist. When athletes struggle with expectations or pressure they might put on themselves, Brianne now tries to help them put things into perspective as she learned.

“Sometimes an upcoming meet can feel like the most important thing in the world. But when you’re able to subjectively zoom out and look at things as a broader picture, an entire training block, an entire season, or an entire high school career, it tends to take a bit of the pressure off of that one specific moment,” she said. 

Brianne continued:  "Another thing I often explain to them is that when it comes time to compete, all of the hard work is done, or ‘the hay is in the barn’ as my coach used to say, and their only job is to relax and have fun!”

Building a Legacy

Brianne isn’t the Eaton with a clipboard and training plan. With two young kids in tow, and one beginning their first year in track, Ashton was thrilled at the opportunity to help coach with Sherwood’s Youth Track and Field program. 

Ashton, similar to Brianne, didn’t think he would coach following his professional career. But this opportunity has shifted his mindset.

“The reason I'm getting into coaching is because I remember being that young athlete, and being a kid from a small town who didn't necessarily have dreams of being an Olympian or being a professional athlete, but was trying to get better and essentially searching for what I could become,” Ashton said. “It was the coaches, and my family, who believed and saw something and tried to help me realize it.” 

Ashton looks forward to the “responsibility and privilege to help other people try to find that, and so that's really what I'm trying to bring to Sherwood track.” 

For Ashton, building the youth program and working with young athletes is more about instilling the fundamental principles of trying to become something better. He explained that the expectation is not “because they're getting coached by an Olympian, they're going to turn into one. It's more just, how can I help young people believe in themselves.” 

Ultimately, for the new generation of athletes, Ashton hopes to be a mentor. 

“(I want to) help guide them to that future, or on that journey of trying to figure out what they can become, and using the vehicle of sport and the vehicle of track to do that,” he said.

A New Starting Line

And as Ashton continues to work on building the younger group of future track stars this season, Brianne will be focused on having a great season with her sprints group, starting with Saturday's T. Smith Need for Speed Invitational.

The event is one of the largest high school track and field invites in the state, hosting more than 40 track and field teams, with an estimated 1,500 athletes competing at Sherwood.  

“Now that we are starting to compete, seeing how excited and proud my athletes get when they have a great performance is what motivates me the most. Over the next five years, I look forward to continuing to learn, improve, create a hard-working, but fun sprint culture at the high school,” Brianne said. 

The structure, intensity, and camaraderie of being an elite track athlete is tough to replace. For Brianne and Ashton, coaching this next generation of athletes offers them a way back to ignite that passion — one that channels their lived experiences into mentorship and a way to build that new legacy within their community. 

And who knows, maybe they will become part of someone else’s journey to the world stage.