HOUSTON – Years ago, when asked to write down a lifelong dream, Spring Branch Middle School assistant principal Megan Watson said she dared to write, “Track and field Olympic coach. That dream was never spoken or shared with anyone, but it did guide and drive my desire to learn and grow as a coach.”
Now, Watson will join the rest of the world’s athletes in Tokyo for the Summer Olympics to serve as a coach in the Olympic Women’s Distance for the U.S. Olympic track and field.
“This is an exciting time for Team USA Track and Field and I feel so blessed to be a part in serving our U.S. athletes, coaches and parents as a part of USA Track and Field as an Olympic coach,” Watson said. “Growing up watching the summer Olympics on TV grew my passion for track and field. Getting to watch the likes of Carl Lewis, Leroy Burrell, Flo Jo, Jackie Joyner-Kersee was both awe-inspiring and motivational.”
Watson said that despite not being blessed with world-class athletic abilities, “I knew I wanted to be a coach.”
She grew up in the small town of Hesston, Kansas, where she was a four-sport athlete in high school. She decided to attend Baylor University, “because I had read Grant Teaff’s book, ‘I Believe’ as a freshman in high school and just knew that is where I was supposed to go to college.”
Watson ran track at Baylor for Coach Clyde Hart, who has coached nine Olympians, including the likes of Jeremy Wariner and Michael Johnson, producing 13 gold medals.
“He (Hart) had a profound effect on my desire to be a coach,” she said.
Watson has served as a head coach for high school and middle school in the Houston area.
“One of my greatest joys is watching a student-athlete find and develop their potential through their involvement with track and field and their teammates,” Watson said. “This opportunity to be the Women’s Olympic Distance Coach is the fulfillment of a lifelong dream, but it is a greater testimony to those who have taken the time to share their knowledge with me, guide me, and believe in me throughout my career. It is a blessing and privilege to serve our Olympic athletes and Team USA in Tokyo as the Women’s Distance Coach.”