"It was a hard decision to leave college coaching. There were not many women coaching, and I hated to leave it. However, I was also entering a coaching world that had even fewer women in it. There are only a handful of women who coach post-collegiate groups." - Amy Yoder Begley
"We agree on 90% of the coaching decisions. We each have our strengths and have learned to divide and conquer. That took a couple years to settle out. He is the physiology guy. I am the biomechanics person. He does the budget and apparel. I work with our medical support to make sure the athletes are seeing the massage therapists and physical therapists when needed. I work on mental prep for races. We both work on travel and race plans. He travels more with the team due to my other job responsibilities." |
"I would ask that women be more open to helping other women. I have been disappointed in the women I have reached out to for advice. In my experience, the male coaches and athletes have been more supportive. I think that this is changing as more women are becoming head coaches."
-Amy Yoder Begley
Leigh Daniel Cordes is the Head Cross Country and Track and Field Coach at Lubbock Christian University. She is also the mom of three children under the age of 6! She juggles coaching and parenting along with her husband Nick Cordes, director of Cross Country, and Track and Field at LCU. She began running as a senior in high school, later attending Texas Tech and becoming a 9-time All American in track and cross country. During her college career she won 7 Big 12 Conference titles, and was a 2-time NCAA Champion in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters. In 1999 Leigh won the 10,000 meters at the World University Games in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. Like many women, Leigh's journey has been about finding balance in her life. As a head coach, a mother of three, and a wife, her story is one of courage, commitment, love, and joy. |
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"Well, our life can be a bit crazy. We have a sitter that comes at 5:30 a.m. on the weekdays to watch our kids while we are at practice. Then after practice we divide and conquer getting them ready for school/day care. We have Carsyn(6), Drew(5), and Masyn(2). Their ages make for a lot of chaos. Luckily, we are able to spend most afternoon/evenings together as a family because of our schedule. Nick and I try to get all recruiting, meetings, and planning done while the kids are at school. We both have our roles, and I am blessed to have a very hands on husband. He does everything from laundry to getting the girls' hair done. "
- Leigh Daniel Cordes
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Running and Marie Davis Markham have been together for a long time. For 34 years, from her early days as a youth athlete, Marie has been in love with running and the running world. She started competing at age 8 and remembers laughing through practices, and not running much at all! Her youth coach, Alex Wright, worked with her through high school, along with Lincoln Coach David Bailey, and the remarkable Bob Williams. In high school, her mileage was very low, 15-20 miles per week, concentrating more on form, speed and recovery. Winning six state championship titles representing Lincoln HS, Marie was also a three-time Foot Locker finalist, and a two-time Junior World Cross Country team member. Attending the University of Oregon, she was coached by the legendary Tom Heinonen, becoming a six-time All American. After Oregon, she went semi-pro for the Nike Farm Team. An injury in 2004 closed her competitive running career, but Marie never stopped running, and never stopped loving her sport. In 2017 Marie came back to Lincoln High School as a volunteer coach, and her impact was immediate. Her love of her sport and her love of her high school helped her bring something special and different to the team. Late summer, as a coach, she went to the Steens Running Camp and learned about “Girls Talks” from a former teammate at Oregon, Melody Fairchild. She describes that Steens experience as “life changing”. She brought “Girls Talks” back to the Lincoln XC Girls Team, and amazing things began to happen. The girls began to talk about important running and life issues. Below is her interview, and the story of her love of running and how a coach can impact the lives of her athletes in sports and beyond. --Charlotte Lettis Richardson |