Taylor Makes It To State With Dad As Coach
Coach Shane Taylor Has Coached Three Daughters
The Taylor daughters not only share a dad but a coach as well. Track and Field coach Shane Taylor has coached all three of his daughters throughout their time in high school. Sophomore Katy Taylor is his youngest daughter, the last one that this physics teacher is coaching in throwing. And this weekend, she competed at state, finishing 11th overall in Missouri Class 5.
Coach Taylor said coaching his daughters has been an interesting experience, as he noticed both differences and similarities between his children as athletes.
“It’s enlightening to see how similar they are in some cases,” coach Taylor said. “Also, you see a lot of differences in a lot of cases.”
Because Ali Taylor, Katy’s oldest is the district and school record holder for discus and was a Division One thrower, and the other, Lexi Taylor, her middle sister, was a high school thrower, Katy has a high standard to live up to.
“She’s extremely competitive and motivated to be the best Taylor thrower,” coach Taylor said.
Though Katy recognized that she does well in the sport, she said it helps that her dad is empathetic when she is not feeling her best.
“He won’t be devastated if I’m having a hard day,” Katy said. “He’s able to read that well. He understands that just because I am good at what I do doesn’t mean that he needs to be hard on me.”
Another benefit both mentioned is the way it has strengthened their bond. Coach Taylor said that though he was already close with his daughters, the time spent together made a difference in their relationship.
“My middle daughter was just a 5’2 little kid,” coach Taylor said. “I think the reason that she threw at all was to hang out with me. Katy and I have grown a lot closer because we share that common love.”
Katy agreed it was a valuable chance for her and her dad to connect.
“Pretty much all year round whether we’re working out together, lifting, throwing, we’re spending like two hours together,” Katy said. “It’s a fun father-daughter bonding experience.”
Coach Taylor recognized how hard Katy worked, though he acknowledged she has had to work to build up her strength, he emphasized her skills.
“She’s really kinesthetically aware,” coach Taylor said. “She knows when her hand is in the wrong place, when her feet are. She just knows where she’s at in the ring.”
Coach Taylor said that since this was the last daughter he would be coaching, he felt a bit more pressure to make sure she learned all she needed to be successful.
“She’s my last one,” coach Taylor said. “There’s maybe a little more urgency to try to make sure she gets everything she needs as far as throwing goes.”
***Correction: This article was corrected to say that Ali Taylor was a Division One thrower and Lexi Taylor was a high school thrower. It previously said Lexi Taylor is a Division One thrower.
Liz Taylor • Oct 10, 2022 at 10:38 PM
Go Coach Bro