From the Olympic podium to the halls of Heritage, Cross Country Coach Chryste Gaines is dedicated to making an impact on the people around her.

As she enters her second year of coaching at Heritage she hopes she can leave a mark on her student athletes’ lives through training and her past experiences.

“I just try to keep them fresh and encourage them when they aren’t going as fast as they like to, to keep going that will make them successful,” Gaines said.

Coach Gaines was a college athlete and she continued her journey into the 1996 Olympics where she took home a gold medal.

She believes her students can learn from this success.

“Having been a professional athlete… I have seen and gone through some of the toughest workouts that people can ever go through. And I try to share that with them and show my student athletes what is to come,” Gaines said.

However, her desire to influence her students goes beyond the field.

“In addition to your academic load, you are going to have your athletic load, and I try to teach them to balance the two now,” she said.

Through the hard work she puts into teaching her kids to balance the two, her students believe she has exceeded this goal.

“She pushes you. She makes me want to be a better athlete,” sophomore Hunter Chamblee said.

“Yeah she guides us a lot and we’re definitely on the right track,” sophomore Evan Shatto said.

Coach Gaines said she is looking forward to watching her students and athletes grow this year through her advice and encouragement.