Tanya Jarrett - Head Coach
Born and raised on the beautiful island of Jamaica. Tanya started representing Jamaica as a Junior Athlete at the age of 13 through her high school years. She continued to dominate on the track in the 400m Hurdles and was named the 1996 World Junior Bronze Medalist in Sydney, Australia.
In 2000, Tanya was a 400m Hurdles Qualifier for the Olympic Games returning to Sydney, Australia for a second time.
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Coach Tanya received a Full Scholarship to the University of Texas at Austin. Training under Coach Beverly Kearney, Tanya learned the ways and skills of a top-notch coaching. During her tenure at UT, Tanya achieved national records in Indoor and Outdoor Championships holds several Big XII Champion titles.
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After graduating in 2001 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Sports Management, Tanya continued mentoring and coaching many athletes that have gone on to receive scholarships at various divisions’ level colleges. She has worked with summer youth track programs in which some of her athletes qualified and moved on to the Junior Olympics. Tanya has a passion for track and sharing her expertise with the athletes she trains.
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Tanya is happily married and the proud parents of sons, Jahmai and Jahmaikel.
Erica Baker - Field/Multi Events Coach
Growing up in a small town in deep South Texas, Erica was active in sports. At age 12, she fell in love with track & field! Finally, a sport where you can succeed without depending on a teammate to pass the ball.
A few highlights from her youth:
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4 time district 32-5A champion in Long Jump, Triple Jump & High Jump
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Set records at her high school in High Jump, Long Jump, Triple Jump, 300m Hurdles
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3 time Texas class 5A State track meet competitor - 2 years in High Jump, 1 year in Triple Jump
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4 time AAU Junior Olympics All-American (top 8 finisher)
This hard work allowed Erica to earn a Track & Field scholarship to the University of Texas to compete in the heptathlon. This is where Coach Erica & Coach Tanya met, and became lifelong friends. While at Texas, the team earned several titles: 5 Big XII Championships, 2 Indoor NCAA National Championships & 2 Outdoor NCAA National Championships.
Erica is listed in the Top 10 performers in UT school history in Heptathlon
After graduation from the University of Texas in 2000, with a Mathematics degree and a Business minor, she stepped away from competition to pursue a career in Accounting / Finance. After getting married, and having two children, Erica found herself back in the sports world, but this time as a coach.
For 3 years at the YMCA, she coached teams for any sport that her kids wanted to try: volleyball, basketball, soccer
In 2018, she teamed up with Tanya once again, to join the Great Esteem Track Club family, making an immediate impact in the field events that were once her specialties.
Anthony Nelson - Throws
Anthony Nelson was born in Shreveport, Louisiana. He lived most of his formative years outside the continent as the dependent of a United States Airforce Officer. Having lived in many states, cities, cultures, and regions of the world; diversity and cultural curiosity are pillars of his personality. Anthony settled in the Greater Austin Area, where he later married his life partner and mother of their two children.
Anthony has spent decades leading teams and coaching adults professionally. The opportunity to shape the experience of young athletes has truly been the catalyst that tips his passion bucket. For him, watching the incremental growth and development of young people is affirmation of life and development. Leveling the playing field to empower and increase intersectionality through the lens of athletics and personal performance is a critical philosophy and guiding principle. Disruption is an agent of growth and change. Coaching is disruption with the goal of facilitating success. The quest is the goal. The results are the road signs.