An Unforgettable Experience

This summer, Maryland Track & Field Associate Head Coach Danielle Siebert had the opportunity to expand her track and field managing experience at the highest level with Team USA at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. 

“I was looking for opportunities and ways to get involved more in the sport at a higher level,” Siebert said. “USA Track and Field makes those opportunities available to coaches to get involved in that system, and to work your way through it from different avenues.” 

Prior to these Olympic games, Siebert served on a number of international team’s staff, including Team USA at a number of competitions. 

While at the Tokyo games, Siebert served as an event manager, which allowed her the opportunity to provide help to athletes as they prepare for the biggest competitions of their lives. 

"Event managers do most of the logistics, like checks and balances, problem solving, troubleshooting, making sure the athletes are successfully getting to the competition venue," said Siebert. "Once they’re at the venue, making sure they get to the call room, and mitigating any issues along the way in that process. I like the ability to be able to help athletes in this role, and do the more behind-the-scenes type work.”

While at the games, Siebert made a lot of great memories on and off the job and emphasized that nothing truly compares to the magnitude of the Olympics. 

Although she has worked at a number of international track and field competitions, including the 2017 World Championships, the Olympics had a different feel to them.

“It’s really hard to pick a favorite moment,” she said. “I feel like the experience in general of being at an Olympic Games is such a different feeling than any other major competition I’ve ever been at or been a part of. It was something really special I’ve never experienced before. I could feel that from the staff, all the way through to the athletes and how everyone carried themselves.”

Siebert was impacted the most by being able to witness all the hard work and preparation that is needed to be successful at the Olympics. She shared that learning the stories and hardships of athletes who compete at the Olympic games was incredibly inspiring.

“A highlight would be being able to get to know some of the athletes a little better, and seeing that unique perspective of these athletes competing at the highest level in our sport and also understanding what some challenges and ups and downs in their lives have been,” Siebert said. “It was really inspiring, especially coming off of this weird year where everyone had been through so much. I feel like this Olympics was also really special for that reason”

As Siebert explained, being able to witness an Olympic games from another perspective created a very rewarding and eye-opening experience. 

“It's a different perspective, being a part of the Olympic Games as opposed to just watching them on TV,” she said. “We all have this expectation of wanting to see people get medals and wanting to see these great performances, and from the other side it's crazy to just witness the enormous amount of pressure that is on everyone to perform at that level. There’s a lot of work that actually goes into that happening.”

Not only did Siebert get to help out with Team USA at the Olympics, but she was also able to catch up with former Terp Thea Lafond, who was competing in her second Olympic Games for Dominica in the Women’s Triple Jump. Siebert had served on the Maryland coaching staff while Lafond was competing for the Terps in 2014.

“I saw Thea a couple times in the village and then I got to watch both of her competitions in the triple jump,” she said. “That was really exciting just to have another Terp competing”

As for the future, Siebert plans on staying involved with Team USA and certainly hopes to be back, helping athletes succeed and take steps towards reaching their dreams.

“I'd definitely like to stay involved and I'll definitely put my name in the hat for when the next selection process comes along.”