06/09/2026
In the state final, she went from 6th place at the 10 meter mark to 1st place, crossing the line in 11.85. We left an 11.5 on the table.
This was by far one of her worst block starts. However, we practiced different scenarios and were beyond prepared to handle any situation. I made sure her body knew how to react and respond under pressure. It didn’t happen by accident. It took months and months to get her to the level I knew she needed to reach to become a state champion.
I did my homework as a coach. I knew how to prepare her and what was needed. I knew who was going to do what, when they were going to do it, and how to counter it. Most importantly, she was confident in her race plan and strategy, whether her early acceleration went well or not. Last year, she couldn’t do this.
There are so many things people don’t understand or see behind the scenes. I’m incredibly proud of Emerson for trusting the process and staying patient. She works so hard. Her mentality is different. She approaches training and this sport like a professional. I told her what it was going to take, and she answered the call and got straight to work.
I wish more young athletes had her approach and discipline. Everything I asked her to do, she did: nutrition, workouts, prehab, recovery, and all the little things that nobody sees.
People only see the State Champion. They don’t see the early mornings, the late nights, the sacrifices, the setbacks, the doubts, the haters, the people who gave up on her, or the people who wrote her off. They don’t see the people who didn’t even know her but still wished for her downfall, or the people close to her who smiled in her face but talked behind her back. They don’t see the consistency it took to get here. They don’t see the months of preparation that built the confidence to stay composed when things didn’t go according to plan.
State Champion. 11.85. 🏆
The work was done long before the gun went off.
