The referee screams “go,” and the starter fires the gun. The crowd roars as feet sprint off the ground, alternating with each landing.
For athletes, the commotion of a track and field race must be drowned out as they run. This race in particular is between the runner and the track.
LaTanya Sheffield, a 1988 Olympian who was the first American to run under the Olympic Record, packed her bags and dashed from the deserts of Arizona to Cal State Long Beach with a goal to lead the CSULB track and field team to the NCAA Championships.
When the assistant coach position for track and field became available, Sheffield had already been searching for an opportunity to instruct at the university level. CSULB track and field head coach Andy Sythe, a colleague of Sheffield’s from her undergraduate days at Cal State San Diego, called her about the opening.
“I thought I would try it,” Sheffield said. “I waited for the position to be on the website, filled out the application and went from there. I remember I prayed for the other candidates that they would have the best interviews of their lives because then if I got the call, I would know that I belonged here.”
According to Sheffield’s website, her career rose to the track and field limelight as she captured an American record at the 1985 NCAA Championship, made it to the 1987 World Championships, won a bronze medal in the Pan American Games and won a gold medal in the Olympic Sports Festival that then catapulted her to the 1988 Olympics. She is also a professional motivational speaker and founder of a non-profit organization that is striving to combat childhood obesity through sports and athleticism.
Sythe said CSULB is a very good place to grow for both athletes and coaches. He said that even though he and Sheffield knew each other prior to the position opening, Sheffield was hired because of everything she can contribute to the CSULB athletics.
“Sometimes, if you ask too much from an athlete, they can lose their motivation,” Sythe said. “LaTanya is very good at speaking to [the athlete] and making sure [they] keep that.”
After a long hiring process, Sheffield is now well into her third week of coaching the CSULB athletes, whom she described as “very hungry for track.”‘
“Not everyone will show they are a superior athlete,” Sheffield said. “I was average or probably even below average when I began track, and it wasn’t until someone saw something in me – like a seed.”
Sheffield was referring to her brother and coach, Rahn Sheffield.
“He said, ‘Let’s see if we can plant this seed, nurture it, water it,'” she said. “Through that, I found myself an Olympian. [The track and field team] are those seeds, just like I was. I’m sure there are All Americans there somewhere, but first things first. Let’s get the kids prepared for the NCAA Championships.”
