This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
06/02/2016 12:00 AMSheridan Bauman has traveled a few different avenues in the world of running by not only competing on one of the sport’s biggest stages, but also by helping Westbrook boys’ outdoor track become one of the Shoreline Conference’s budding programs.
Sheridan, a Westbrook resident, grew up in East Lyme and then attended Purdue University, where she majored in political science. In 2011, Sheridan qualified for the Boston Marathon and she’s finished the race every year since. After coming aboard the Westbrook boys’ team’s coaching staff four years ago, Sheridan has put her vast track experience to use and even branched out into unfamiliar territory by working with the Knights’ high jumpers this spring. The transition has gone smoothly and Sheridan has helped several Westbrook athletes qualify for the Shoreline and state meets, plus the Knights finished fifth at the Shoreline Conference Championship on May 25 with Turner Davis finishing second in the high jump.
“[Head Coach] Tim Marshall decided to put me in charge of the high jump because he knew I would study obsessively about the event. But it’s cool to learn a new thing. It was frustrating at first, yet to see it come into fruition, it’s a challenge I’m grateful for,” says Sheridan, who has triplet daughters that compete for the girls’ team in freshmen Avery, Carolyn, and Ingrid. “It’s one of the most challenging things I’ve taken on as it’s a leap of faith, literally.”
Sheridan’s coaching feats even reach outside Westbrook as she recently helped 63-year-old Beth Borden qualify for nationals in the 400 via her performance at the Nutmeg Games. Sheridan says that every athlete she works with is a unique case study and she takes great satisfaction in helping them maximize their potential.
“I’ve enjoyed coaching so much. I love finding every athlete’s special gift and what truly drives them,” Sheridan says. “I also enjoy letting them know that they either qualified for a postseason meet or broke their previously personal-best time in an event. I really cherish each runner.”
Marshall says it was an easy call to include Sheridan on his coaching staff considering her extensive experience and desire to help athletes improve.
“She is passionate about the sport of track and field. She always tries to learn new events. Even though her strong point would be distance running, she has started to coach the high jump and has done a great job learning a new event,” says Marshall. “She has run the Boston Marathon many times and, for that, among many other reasons, she is an inspiration to our distance team.”
Sheridan loved running in her first Boston Marathon so much that she’s been driven to get back to the event in each subsequent year. She discusses some of the circumstances that have powered her through the 26.2-mile course all the way to the finish line.
“It really is the pinnacle of running. I’ve run my whole life and knew I wanted to be there one day. It’s a magic carpet ride. I wish I could run the course and thank every person that cheers for us,” says Sheridan, who’s also a member of Everyone Ride and Run Against Cancer Everyday. “I just kept training harder and faster after [her first time competing in the event]. The next year in 2012, it was 85 degrees and warm, but I just never let negative thoughts come in and didn’t let the heat get to me. The mind is an incredible thing because I never felt hot that day. My mother is my No. 1 spectator and she passed away from ovarian cancer right around when the bombings in 2013 happened, so I just kept everything at arm’s length. I was sick early in 2014 and then I went for a run without a watch and, from there, I started training again. Everyone wanted to be at Boston that year and honor those people we lost and help the city heal. I also try to show the kids I coach that hard work does pay off. As a coach, I love the kids and hope they carry the lessons they learn from us throughout their lives.”
As Sheridan was new to the complexities of the high jump this spring, she approached things with a open mind and honest words while guiding her pupils. Everything has come together nicely to form a foundation for the Knights to move up the ranks of the Shoreline Conference.
“I told them the first day that I didn’t know much about the event, but that we were all going to figure it out together. It’s all about approach and physics with the high jump. When you run into the curve, your body naturally unwinds as you go into flight. And every athlete has their own approach with different stride lengths,” says Sheridan. “Understanding consistencies is also very important. It’s great for Westbrook because we are so small, but I tell the kids that we are small, but mighty. I want other teams to see us as a thorn in their paw when they compete against someone in a Westbrook tank-top. To be competitive in a conference with a huge talent pool, I feel very proud. We all share in a positive-oriented coaching staff here and I’m already thinking about next year and how we can improve.”