Lincoln Academy indoor track and field co-coaches Ann Mann and Taylor Holmes celebrate at the team awards night on Friday, March 6 in Newcastle. (Courtesy photo)
Lincoln Academy co-coaches Taylor Holmes and Ann Mann were named the KVAC Class B boys Indoor Track Coaches of the Year. The pair guided the boys team to its first-ever KVAC championship on Feb. 6 at Bowdoin College in Brunswick.
The duo teamed up to perform the head coaching duties this winter for both the boys and girls teams after longtime coach Garrett Martin stepped back from coaching indoor track in the winter and outdoor track in the spring. Martin will continue as the cross country head coach during the fall.
For more than a decade, Martin has built a strong, positive culture among running enthusiasts at Lincoln Academy, something that Holmes and Mann have embraced and carried forward.
“Anyone who has been a part of coach Martin’s teams, whether as an athlete or parent, knows he creates a gold star experience for the student-athletes,” said Mann. “Coach Martin has built a strong program that competes at the highest level within the KVAC and Class B, as well as winning multiple sportsmanship awards, so the bar was set pretty high when Taylor and I assumed the head coaching duties.”
Before the indoor track and field season began, Holmes said one of his top goals was to continue the program’s longstanding tradition of sportsmanship. Perhaps just as important to the co-coaches as the boys KVAC championship, the boys team was presented with the Class B Good Sportsmanship Award at the state championship meet on Feb. 16.
“Coach Martin has always made sportsmanship a priority and incorporated that into the core of the team culture,” said Holmes, a 2018 graduate of LA who is in his fourth year in a coaching role for the LA track and field program. “If we make our team welcoming to a wide range of personalities and dispositions and support one another, it’s easy in a sport like track to be supportive of competitors from other teams as well.”
The Lincoln Academy boys indoor track and field team is presented with the Class B Good Sportsmanship Award at the state championship meet on Feb. 16 at Bates College in Lewiston. (Courtesy photo Lincoln Academy)
Holmes shared an anecdote of the type of behavior that wins good sportsmanship awards.
“Caleb McArdle is a fine example of sportsmanship on our team. He’s great at making connections with people from other teams, especially those he competed against,” said Holmes. “At KVAC’s he made space on the podium to make sure two boys from another team could be in the camera shots for their team and parents. At states, he was cheering on guys from our conference that he’d gotten to know well, and they were coming into our team area to chat with him during the meet.”
Each of the co-coaches is quick to point out the strengths of their partnership.
“With Taylor, the athletes get a first-rate strategist with data insight and the X’s and O’s,” said Mann, who coached track and field for 15 years in Massachusetts before relocating to the Midcoast two years ago to be closer to family. “Taylor was a student athlete coached by Martin, so he learned from him and uses a similar collaborative style of coaching where the conversations with the athletes are equally as important as the prescribed workouts.”
The two have different areas of expertise and coaching styles that appear to be a winning combination.
“Ann and I both love track and field a lot and we’re similarly committed to the sport and making a positive impact on those we coach,” said Holmes. “Ann brings a ton of experience from coaching in Massachusetts, so we work well together by combining her years of experience with my knowledge of the Maine track scene. We cover and coach different events, which really helps athletes get more coaching and quality practice reps to help them develop.”
Holmes handles most of the general communications and meet logistics for the team in addition to coaching distance events.
Lincoln Academy indoor track and field co-coach Taylor Holmes (left) encourages a pair of Eagle runners during a meet at Colby College on Jan. 10. (Mic LeBel photo)
“Coach Holmes checks in with each runner about what they are thinking and how they are feeling about that practice or upcoming meet. Nothing is left to chance. Plans are made, as well as a plan B and a plan C,” said Mann. “On the bus rides to meets, Taylor moves through the bus checking in on each athlete ready to calm nerves, go over race plans, or simply to get an athlete to lock in. The ride home includes a personalized reflective check-in. The athletes know they can always count on Taylor to know all of their times and marks as well as what their competitors are doing across the conference. It is faster to ask Taylor than to look it up.”
Mann’s main focus is on the technical events, training the sprinters, jumpers, and hurdlers.
“I love connecting the athletes with a variety of events and then finding out how I can support them to fulfill their goals,” said Mann. “I like explaining the ‘why’ of what we are doing and how it relates to their event. Our practices are varied and busy because there is so much technical work that goes into sprinting and jumping mechanics.”
While the two coaches are thorough in their approach to coaching track and field, it takes a village to guide a successful team to a championship while also maintaining the whole teams’ commitment to sportsmanship and a welcoming culture. The duo was supported this season by assistant coach Andrew Jonash for sprints and throws and assistant coach Monique Boutin for distance events. The team also gets help from parents that volunteer in various roles and from leadership by the more experienced athletes on the team.
“I rely on older athletes to share their knowledge and inspire the younger kids,” said Mann. “I try to create a shared practice environment that eventually becomes our strength. The Lincoln Academy athletes know how to help and support each other at track meets.”
Holmes noted that in addition to the sportsmanship award, a highlight of the season was winning the KVAC boys championship.
“It was the first title in school history and we had a group that was really motivated to make it happen,” said Holmes. “Seeing the boys 4×200 relay win the KVAC race and unexpectedly set the school record was also a really great moment. I am so proud of all the boys and girls that support each other in our program.”
Mann agreed with that the KVAC meet was a highlight of the season.
“So many good things came together at that meet,” said Mann. “The boys came home with the title and the small-but-mighty girls team showed up and did their best and also cheered on the boys team.”
Mann and Holmes will team up again in the spring for the outdoor track and field season, which begins on Monday, March 30.
Lincoln Academy track and field co-coach Ann Mann (right) joins Karen Higgins as she rings the bell after winning the KVAC championship in the 2-mile run. (Courtesy photo Lincoln Academy)
