New Track Coach Brings Explosive Start to Season

With almost 120 registered athletes, Charlotte Catholic’s spring Track and Field roster is larger than ever. This increase can be attributed to a greater interest in the sport itself and the desire to train under a new sprinter coach. 

Akeem Haynes, an Olympic bronze medalist sprinter who represented Canada in the 2012 London and 2016 Rio de Janeiro games, joined the Charlotte Catholic track family this season. The school has high hopes that his experience will motivate athletes and bring them to the next level. 

Akeem was originally a football player in high school, and his running career began when his high school teacher suggested that he run track to enhance his football performance. From then on he never looked back. After high school, Akeem ran at Barton Community College for a year and a half before receiving a full athletic scholarship to run at the University of Alabama. In 2014, he began his professional career and went on to compete in the Olympics, running the 4x100m relay for team Canada and the Pumas from 2015-2017.

Akeem’s qualifications don't stop there. He also works for a private group called Total Athlete Performance (TAP), which helps athletes from all sports develop skills that enhance their performance. Akeem specifically coaches athletes to gain explosiveness, which is extremely important in track.While it may be his first time coaching high schoolers, he has extensive experience and many ideas that he hopes will benefit the team. 

Coach Haynes has high expectations for his sprinters this season. One of his main goals is for the team to be in the top-5 in its conference. He emphasizes that he wants to implement a different view of track and field, noting that “most athletes think that track is a hobby but it needs to be taken seriously by all athletes in order for the team to be successful.”

Head Coach Evan Georges is thrilled to have Coach Haynes join the staff. He says that this is mainly because Coach Haynes is “very aligned in what our goals for the team are, not just athletically but culturally.” Coach Georges’ assumed the role of head coach this year, succeeding Coach Bolling.

Additionally, Coach Georges is the individual long distance coach. He believes that Coach Haynes will bring much-needed sprinting expertise. Coach Georges mentions that Coach Haynes “understands that to win a championship you need to start by building the culture. Championships can’t come first, culture must.” 

Although the season has just begun, it is clear that both Coach Georges and Coach Haynes hold each other in high regard. Akeem admits that he only decided to coach at Catholic because of Coach Georges. He said that just hearing the way Coach Georges spoke about the team inspired him to join the Catholic family and see what they could do together. 

Already, they have done numbers together. The team has quickly become just as good as last year. Both coaches have big hopes for the team throughout the rest of the season. Georges recognizes that Coach Haynes’ credentials are more off the charts than anyone he's ever worked with and believes that he “makes everyone better by simply being around him”. 

Coach Georges is not the only person who acknowledges the impact that Coach Haynes has already had on the team. Sophomore sprinter MK Phillips, who trains with Coach Haynes, said that she can already tell her form is improving. She said that Coach Haynes “pushes [her] for better technique and emphasizes the importance of warming up before meets.” MK believes that Coach Haynes has fostered the growth of the team as a whole because “he is very good at encouraging everybody, not just the fastest sprinters.” 

Additionally, MK is grateful for the positive outlook he has on life. Although some days are harder than others, MK says that he has helped her “understand that it's early on in the season and [that she is] only going to grow from here”. 

Track athletes cannot wait to see how Coach Haynes will improve the sprinter team as a whole. He has big goals for the team and Charlotte Catholic cannot wait to see all the wonderful things he will do. Coach Akeem is an inspiration, not only because of his many feats, but simply because of the incredible person that he is. He understands that runners and students often are unmotivated and advises the team to “remember the goal in mind because nobody is going to run it for you.”