Coach of the Week: Augustus Olutoyin
Olutoyin “Toyin” Augustus is known on campus for her enthusiasm, compassion and energetic nature. Before being appointed the PEA Track and Field assistant coach and Girls’ JV Soccer coach in 2011, Toyin had a long history of hurdling: she represented Nigeria at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, competed in the African Championships in 2006 and 2008 as well as the 2007 All-African Games, where she earned two golds and a silver in the 100m hurdles.
“I think that I still have room to grow and develop. But I’m pretty happy with what PEA has enabled me to do both in and out of track,” Toyin said.
Aside from earning a successful career as an international athlete, Toyin received a minor in logistics, though, admitted business was not her path. Instead, she pursued her love for working with kids. Toyin embodies her passions in many areas of her life both as an educator and as a mother.
Recently, Toyin aided the formation of ESSO Diversity, a club that promotes cultural and racial awareness and inclusion in primary schools around Exeter: “It’s kind of bringing two of my passions together--not just working with little people but also working in areas that involve inclusion and equity for people,” Toyin reflects.
Toyin’s sense of leadership and responsibility carries over into her position of Track coach, and she feels that the coaches have a duty to foster a constantly positive environment for the athletes. She says, “We have to be the example. I honestly feel that the coaches lead intentionally and unintentionally. Our personalities that we bring to that space plays a huge role.”
Being the role model for over a hundred athletes in Track is not an easy job, however, according to Senior and co-captain, Hannah Brown, she is fulfilling her role well. “We all sort of aspire to be like [Toyin] and I hurdle so she has like perfect form and it’s great seeing her perfectly execute what I’m trying to do.”
Senior and co-captain Rajrishi Das agreed, adding “I’m not a hurdler but she [Toyin] affected my track & field career here on a similar magnitude as [the other coaches]. She’s always there for you, both as a coach, but also as a mentor and those two [qualities] kind of blend together. You can feel the care she has when she motivates you and makes helpful corrections.”
Apart from her responsibility of being a positive role model, Toyin stresses the importance fostering a supportive team atmosphere: “Everybody can be successful here--you don’t have to go to Nationals to be a success on this team, or for people to cheer you on and recognise that you’re improving.” She hopes that nobody comes into the sport and leaves without getting better.
Coach Toyin holds the team to consistently high standards, which in turn, strengthens the team’s core values. Brown explains, “[The Track coaches] definitely hold high standards but they also make them very clear – hard work, good sportsmanship, being on time and being enthusiastic and ready to go; do your best and no matter how fast you are, if you’re working hard, you will be respected on the team.”
Both Brown recounts some lessons that Coach Toyin has taught them over the past 4 years, stating “[She’s] taught me to learn a lot and be held accountable for my body. I am somebody who suffers from chronic shin splints and injuries in general… This is definitely something I’ll carry with me.”
Das shares some of the lessons that he’s learned from the Track coaches: “People are going to work their hardest when they know that they’re loved and that they’re appreciated. For me, I’ve never done track before Exeter before my Prep Winter.
Das shows his appreciation for Coach Toyin and the other five Track coaches, saying “I remember how they believed in me, and I could see how much they believed in me as well as everyone else on the team to the point where it made me realize that when you really appreciate someone and know them not just as fellow athlete but as a teammate, it really pushes them to the best they can be both as a human and an athlete.”
Toyin has a similar attitude as her students: “I often talk to students about how they discover themselves, and they grow up here in a way that is really significant, kind of coming of age, really defining, and I feel like that has definitely been the case for me too.”
Toyin describes her past seven years at Exeter as ‘life’: “it’s life--it’s been tumultuous, it’s been amazing, it’s been frightening, it’s been annoying, it’s been everything.” She is thankful for the opportunity to work at Exeter: “I am privileged to have access to here from working with young people to creating and innovating different clubs and different programming and working with some adults to try and make space for voices.”
Outside of her track coaching career, Toyin simply enjoys what she does, saying “I want to share just how kind of novel it is to wake up and be happy about where you’re going to work everyday.” She also remarks on the experiences she has had at Exeter, stating, “I think that I still have room to grow and develop. But I’m pretty happy with what PEA has enabled me to do both in and out of track.”