My Name is Coach Emily and I have been a coach at Athletics Academy since 2023. I grew up in Waterford, Ireland where my family ran an athletics club - Ferrybank AC. I was never given a choice - I was a member of the club from the moment I could walk and I was always the first one on the track regardless of the weather and the last one to leave. From a young age, I was competing in every event available to me. My favourites have always been high jump and hurdles (you may have noticed that one at training) athletics was a team sport as much as an individual sport. I competed in athletics at county, province and national level as well as international competitions during my younger years.

When I started secondary school I started to play basketball and of course being the highly competitive person I am, I eventually ended up injuring myself during a basketball game & breaking my ankle in 3 places! That’s when competing came to a halt for me & when I took up coaching. I coached basketball in school for a few years when I couldn’t play. I loved it and my team made it all the way to national finals! It was such a thrill.
In university I joined the university athletics team and also took up rowing. Rowing with a team, in the icey cold water of the River Corrib in Galway on a freezing winters morning brought a different meaning to sports. I loved being a part of teams, regardless of being able to win or not.

I hope in the future, all our athletes can look back on their time with Athletics Academy and remember our training sessions with the same love as I look back on my experience with athletics, basketball & rowing. Sport is something we should all have in our lives.