Good Attitude is Contagious
Meet Hayley Espelund-Rogers, the long time track and cross-country coach for Warrenton High School. This is her 10th year as a coach at Warrenton.
“My first coaching experience in this area was in Astoria helping with cross country,” she said, after spending her 20’s traveling the world to surf.
Referring to herself as an “avid athlete”, Hayley explained, “I learned to surf in Kauai, Hawaii and I wanted to be somewhere where I could continue to surf regularly, while near my family, who are now living in Seaside.”
When she’s not coaching cross country or surfing, Coach Hayley’s days consist of working from home, as a ceramic artist and a personal trainer/coach. She stays active, runing and biking in the evenings, and occasionally training in Jiu Jitsu.
“I am going to be competing in 40 races in my birthday calendar year, to celebrate my 40th birthday!” exclaimed Hayley.
Hayley also maintains a ‘large’ garden and yard, which she said occupies a lot of her time in the spring. Having seen a lot of the world, Hayley talked about why she loves where she lives: “I love the rain, the sun, seasons and beauty that the Oregon Coast has to offer, there is nothing like it!”
Hayley loves to coach because ‘it gives her an opportunity to give back to a community that gave to her.’
“My coaches changed my life, from the ones who taught me what not to do, to the ones who inspired me as mentors and leaders. I love to see students improve and meet their goals. I love to see them learn to work as a team and learn to be humble when they win, and gracious when they lose. I especially love to see them return to the area and comtinue to pursue their athletic passions, and even turn into coaches themselves. Track and field has always been a favorite for me. It represents so much athletic diversity from distance running to throwing and it brings together so many different types of athletes and unites them in one purpose, competing to represent their community and improve their skills.”
The best advice she has for athletes is, “train in the off season, and know that you will reap what you sow! Work hard and trust your coaches, making sure to communicate with them, and understand they have your interests at heart. They want the best for you! And of course, diet, rest recovery and body maintenance. Ask questions when you don’t understand and maintain a good attitude, as that is contagious to those around you, including your coaches.”
