our conversation with shannon taylor
We recently had the opportunity to catch up at Coconino High School with Shannon Taylor, who has been the Cross Country Coach for the past six years. She began as an assistant coach with Andrew Benford and moved into the Head Coach position four years ago. Her ties to CHS, Flagstaff, and the northern Arizona community run deep.
On her father and upbringing:
“My dad ran for Coco in the 70’s. He also ran for NAU and is in the NAU Hall of Fame! He came back to Coco and coached for nearly 20 years. In my upbringing, I watched my dad for so many years and the influence he had on runners. He gets invited to graduations, weddings, and family functions. He is such a good role model. I see what he has done for the community and how highly people talk of him. This is who he raised us to be”
“Being Navajo, we have four clans. We get them from our mom, dad, and two grandfathers. Every clan has different attributes. My clan is Kinya'áanii of Towering House. We are natural born leaders so that’s the expectation we are raised with. They say we are educators and leaders. I am a teacher by trade and work at CHS as a Native American advisor. I work specifically with Native American students, helping get them into college and finding their careers.”
“Coaching takes a lot of time and I’m very hands-on. We have a quarter, almost a third Native Americans from Cameron, Leupp, Bordertown, really all over. My role specifically here is to be the person that parents can talk to. I’m the mediator helping with everything and anything - letters of recommendation, college, summer programs, and class schedules.
On family:
“I started when my oldest son Taylor was a freshman in high school. At the time I was assistant coach with Andrew Benford. Taylor went to State Championships all four years of cross country on varsity and several in track.” He is currently assistant coach alongside his mother with a unique trust and bond between the two. “I have always made him be a leader because I have seen that quality in him. It’s a given in our family. My dad saw the same thing in my sister and myself when we were in high school. It follows a natural progression. I tell Taylor ‘You are capable and have an amazing work ethic.’ I also have two girls. One daughter will be a freshman next year and the other is in fourth grade. Both girls will run for me. They don’t have a choice!” Shannon chuckles. “My sister ran for Coco and was also assistant coach for my dad. It is very much a tradition for our family.”
On COVID and coaching
“I am super cautious and that is the mom in me. I see these kids more as my kids and family. I want to protect them and make sure they have everything they need. I ensure they have masks and hand sanitizer.” Gesturing to her student athletes “the ones out here, I am asking them how is their health, how is everyone in their household, how is their mental well-being? It’s more than just being a coach, it’s the academic part, the social-emotional checking in on them.”
It has been a challenging year. “We haven’t been able to practice 5 days a week so we broke it down to 3 days a week. I trust the kids on off days that they are running on their own.” With so many cancellations including the team camp, a team trip to California, and meet after meet, “the emotional uncertainty and trying to be that level headed calm person” for the kids. “Doing everything I can as a coach and being very transparent that we are going to compete when we can but, first off, we have to be safe. It’s challenging as a coach not to have the certainty of a schedule. Communicating that to the parents is another hurdle. A lot of meets we’ve gone to don’t allow spectators and parents can’t go. I am trying to get pictures, live feeds, all these things I’ve never had to do because parents can’t physically be there.” The usual role of coaching has expanded in order to help parents feel connected. “Parents are grateful and express thanks because they feel so removed.”
On the Flagstaff running community:
“I’ve always heard my dad say there’s something special about Flagstaff and the community here. For the longest time, it was a secret, but now the secret is out! We have all these people coming in. We have friends in Germany who come to train here. And we’ve made great connections.”
“The kids will be out here doing a track workout and see international athletes. I will tell the kids ‘this guy is an Olympian’ and they are like ‘woah!’ We are afforded this special thing for all the kids to see Flagstaff on a global scale. Our community from elementary all the way up to Olympian are able to train here and it is so welcoming. There aren’t many places in which a high schooler has access to the professional realm. It’s amazing to see. I try to bring the little connections I have to come and talk with the team during camp. We’ve seen Alvina Begay and Ben Bruce (NAZ Elite) come talk to the kids. My athletes don’t realize they have all these people surrounding them. It’s a huge runner community.”
On her future:
Shannon definitely sees herself continuing this role for years to come. “I want to coach my daughters. I’m committed to it. As long as I’m effective with kids. Everybody on the team calls me Coach Mom!”