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09/27/2017 12:00 AMLindsey Hurst began her athletic journey with soccer, veered off into track and field, and then ventured even further away from the pitch by getting into yoga. Now, Lindsey is circling back to where it all began, while incorporating many of the things she learned along the ride, as a new assistant coach with the Guilford High School girls’ soccer squad.
Lindsey, a Madison resident, grew up in Wyoming, where she played soccer and track in high school before earning a NCAA Division I scholarship for track at the University of Wyoming. After graduating and moving to Nashville, Lindsey picked up a new interest by getting involved in the fitness community through teaching yoga and pilates. Lindsey, who then moved to California before coming to Connecticut, currently works at IMX Pilates and Fitness in Madison. This fall, Lindsey is reacquainting herself with the first sport she played by joining the Guilford girls’ coaching staff.
“The opportunity presented itself to me, and I talked to [Head Coach Scott McMahon], and, when I talked to him, he was pumped,” says Lindsey. “I’m the only female coach on the team, and they hadn’t had one in a while. I wanted to bring over to the girls my background as a female collegiate athlete. I want to be a positive role model for them. I try to be uplifting as I can. I’m always about coaching in a positive way with positive reinforcement. I never excelled with rude coaches, so I don’t want to be that type of coach.”
Lindsey wants to use her expertise in the fitness field to the benefit of Guilford’s athletes. She’s already getting great joy from seeing how she’s making an impact in their lives.
“It’s so rewarding to see people adopt something that you taught them and push to be their best at it and see results,” says Lindsey. “I’ve had people come up to me and tell them they can now touch their toes. It’s the little things like that which are rewarding.”
Many of the Indians’ players were new to Lindsey’s ways of training when they first met this summer. Through plenty of positive interaction, Lindsey has formed durable bonds with her athletes, and she appreciates what a great group of girls she’s working with.
“These are rock-solid girls. They are polite with great heads on their shoulders. It was incredible, and I found a community I can jive with,” Lindsey says. “At fitness training this summer, it was many of the girls’ first experience with yoga, and I saw how sweet the girls here are and what a great community Guilford is.”
Coach McMahon says that it didn’t take long for Lindsey to click with the Indians. McMahon feels that Lindsey’s know-how of what it takes to be a well-rounded athlete will prove a great asset at Guilford.
“Lindsey and I met, and there was an immediate connection with her attitude towards soccer and her care for the overall athlete and player. She has tremendous soccer knowledge and a love of the game that matches well with our coaching staff,” says McMahon. “While winning is a great goal by itself, we aim to have our players love the game and give their best effort and help that equate to winning in the end. Lindsey personifies that attitude, while also providing well-rounded aspects of being a true athlete with her professional yoga and pilates instruction, combined with her own athletic strengths and competitiveness.”
As she travels down a new path in Guilford, Lindsey not only wants to help cultivate a skilled roster of soccer players, she also wants them to realize the impact that athletics can have on their lives moving beyond their time in high school.
“I want them to realize that there is life after high school sports. Being physically active and sticking to it is great,” says Lindsey. “It’s about motivating them to be the best they can be.”