Shorewood Athletics is excited to announce the hiring of SHS physics teacher, Regina Schindel, as the new SHS girls cross country coach.
“We are extremely excited and look forward to Coach Schindel’s leadership,” says Athletic Director Taz Landry. “She brings great experience and knowledge that will benefit our Greyhounds cross country program, and the students know and love her.”
Schindel has over a decade of coaching experience both in cross country and track, with nine years spent as the head girls cross country coach at Franklin High School, six years as the co-head track coach at Franklin High School and four years as assistant coach for various districts.
“I am so grateful for the opportunity and I have a lot of goals [for the program],” Schindel says. “I’m excited to bring a more coed team feel to the group–collaborating more with the amazing Coach Dom Newman; add youth runs for the Shorewoods community; maintain while also creating more fun team traditions; and encourage all Shorewoods athletes who aren’t in fall sports to try out cross country as a way to be better in other sports and improve in school… Did you know that running makes you smarter and helps promote a positive mental health balance with added blood flow to the brain? There are so many great benefits!”
During this time, Schindel also took on co-head track coach duties at Franklin from 2008-2014, leading her teams to win the Southeast Conference Meet six times and her athletes to win many Conference Relays and Individual Conference titles.
After coaching at Franklin, Schindel served as the assistant cross country coach for the Oconomowoc High School girls team, the New Trier High School track team, and previously was an assistant coach for her alma mater, NCAA DIII’s University of Wisconsin - River Falls. Her recruiting efforts at River Falls led to multiple National qualifiers and champions at the NCAA DIII Track and Field Nationals (2008).
Schindel herself was a student-athlete at UW- River Falls where she was the Falcon’s third finisher at the NCAA Regional her senior year. Schindel’s other notable running accomplishments to date include being the 39th female in the Lakefront Marathon, qualifying for the Boston Marathon in 2007, and most recently winning the River Falls Days two-mile race in July.
While Schindel’s long list of state qualifiers, conference victories, and other running achievements are impressive, it’s the leadership and dedication that’s left the greatest impact on Schindel’s athletes and their families.
Former high school runner Lindsay Fons says, “Coach Schindel made it clear, it is just as important to develop success during the high school years as it is building towards a lifetime enjoyment of the sport and healthy habits. She emphasized strength training, stretching, hydration, team massage, recovery workouts in the pool and nutrition to keep us injury free. I never doubted she was looking out for our best interest. I am reminded of being told to sit out a few races due to a slightly sore knee and coming back with a PR at State to finish 24th!”
Former Franklin co-worker and cross-country parent Patrick Gain adds ”From youth runs to hosting meets to fundraisers to State championships, Coach Schindel’s dedication to her teams and love of running is evident and contagious, as her athletes feed off of her passion for cross country. My daughter, Meghan, was a runner and the seed that had been planted [by Coach Schindel] in the realm of running has been extremely evident throughout my daughter’s life. At UW-Madison, Meghan joined the Club Track & Field team, and after graduation, she has continued to compete in marathons. Running is part of her daily health and wellness thanks to the opportunities she was given and the positive attitude exuded by Coach Schindel.”