The Renton track team has sent many athletes to leagues, districts and state this year. But behind these amazing athletes are some amazing coaches. The coaching team consists of 5 coaches,  Keith Eager (throws/ women’s head coach), Kylie Eager (throws coach), Lance Winmill  (distance coach), Micheal King (jumps/men’s head coach) & Jaden Eisma (sprints/hurdle coach).  

The newest member of this coaching team is coach Jaden Eisma, who also graduated in 2020  from Renton and was an athlete on the track team. He was a volunteer coach in the 2021-2022  season, but this year he has decided to fully commit and become a coach at Renton. Coach Eisma has helped take many athletes to leagues and districts, with some who qualified for the State championships.  

1. Why did you decide to come back to Renton to coach? 

*I decided to come back to Renton because I heard that there wasn’t a sprint coach available and I thought that I knew enough to at least help the kids learn the basics of sprinting. But I also  thought that it was a good opportunity to give back to the community that helped me fall in love  with track and field* 

2. When did you first decide to join T&F and why? 

*I first started in 6th grade at Dimmitt middle school because I didn’t do any other sports but I  knew I liked to race people and because all of my friends were also joining.* 

3. Who is your inspiration and why? 

*My inspiration is Ron Atkins, who is the head coach of Kitsap fliers. He is my track and field coach, he coached me through my highschool club track career and kept me pursuing track and field after highschool. Apart from that he’s also a masters athlete and I think that is inspirational to anybody who wants to pursue track and field and not just those who were lucky enough to get a collegiate scholarship. He also taught me that track and field is a lifestyle and not just a game* 

4. Do you think RHS track has changed since you were there? If so, for the better or for the worse? 

*I hope that it has changed, so that kids feel comfortable enough to come and run but to also feel like they are in an environment where they can push themselves to compete with other schools.  During my current year, my second year, I wanted to establish a culture of track and field that allows kids to develop into sprinters that they can be proud of and to be in an environment that  they can reap their awards.* 

5. Do you think that being a student-athlete in high school has helped you through college?  If so, how?

*Yes, it’s helped me because it really challenged me to be more mindful of my time management,  especially because I was doing club track and running start with school track. So, I was forced to juggle multiple responsibilities, this has made it easier for me to manage all of my classes now. On top of that I’m also an open athlete, while coaching Renton and being an assistant coach on the kitsap fliers, so I have to be mindful of how I allocate my time and resources. And  being a student athlete has planted a seed for all this to be possible.* 

6. Did you always want to be a coach after high school? 

*I never planned on being a coach, during covid I thought that my affiliation with track and field was done apart from supporting my brother, but I always knew that I wanted to come back as an athlete since I didn’t get my senior season. One day, me and Coach King were talking about  Renton’s track team and how they were doing and he said that there wasn’t a sprint coach and I  ended up offering to come help whenever I could. But opportunities kinda just lined up and I  ended up quitting my job in order to coach at Renton.* 

7. What do you think success is and what does success mean to you? 

*I think success is about self-development and being better than you previously were. It can mean anything in terms of time for track or getting better grades than you did last year or just being in a better mental state than you were a month ago. Success can be as noticeable as a huge breakthrough in your sports performance or as little as being happier in your day-to-day life. I  think success can be found in anything we do but we just get caught up in the noticeable breakthrough and we don’t stop and notice the small achievement that we gained. Success to me  means to be happy and content with whatever I put my heart and effort to.* 

8. What are your motivations as a track athlete and coach? 

*As an athlete my motivation is just being fast, just being faster than I was before. Whether it was being faster than yesterday or three years ago, track is one of my passions in life and just the improvement I can gain is my motivation. As a coach my motivation is to develop track athletes, whether they are coming to me as someone who doesn’t really partake in sports or someone that knows their fast, my motivation is to just get them to a point where they are faster than they were when they first came to me. I think at the base of it all that’s what motivates me as a coach, not the winning or the championships, because I know that will come in time.* 

9. How do you manage college, sports, coaching, and free time? 

*It’s hard, it’s hard to balance all the aspects of my life right now. Juggling all of it is hard but on one hand I still want to complete my bachelors and I don’t wanna give up cause i’ve already gone so far, but also i’m living my passions and I don’t wanna give both up. At a lot of times I’ve had to give up personal time to pursue what I want, but I’m grateful for having a circle that supports that.*

10. What are your goals for the next 5 years? What do you want to achieve? *My goals in the next 5 years are to get a masters degree in healthcare, represent team Philippines in an international competition and to win a state championship with the Renton track team. I just recently got accepted into UW Seattle, school of public health, and should be receiving my bachelors in about a year, which already puts me on track with my first goal.* 

I hope this has inspired people to join a sport or to just be more involved with the RHS  community. Thank you so much, Coach Eisma, for letting me interview you. Good luck to Coach Eisma in his future ventures.