What you may not know about Cane Bay High’s T&F coach Aleen Bailey
SUMMERVILLE, S.C. — “Be humble in victory and gracious in defeat.” These words were the best advice Aleen Mae Bailey (40) was ever given during her athletic career, and ones that have certainly come to define who she is.
Many Cane Bay residents may know Aleen Bailey as a track and field coach at Cane Bay High School. Aleen coaches both male and female ages 11 to 18, and they also have a few middle school students on their team.
But what you may not know about Aleen, is that she is a track and field sprint specialist, competing internationally for Jamaica. At the Athens 2004 Olympic games, she received a gold medal in the sprint relay for team Jamaica. She is also a World Champions gold, sliver and bronze medalist as well. Aleen has spent 30 years competing in Track and Field, and has been very successful during her athletic career.
During her academic years, Aleen competed at the following schools: Vere Technical High School (1999), Barton County Community College (2001), and the University Of South Carolina (2006). And for all you Gamecocks fans out there, Aleen is in the USC Hall of Fame.
There is so much Aleen loves about the sport of track and field. She cherished being able to travel the world and being able to compete in some amazing places. She also added: “It allowed me to have a positive impact on others, I love the self-discipline it taught me, and I love food so being able to sample different countries food was heaven for me.” As a Jamaican, it is also fitting that her pre-game ritual involved listening to Bob Marley. Before each completion, Aleen would meditate and listen to his song “Could You Be Loved” on repeat while shadow boxing and dancing.
Her personal goals and dreams in track and field were ones she was blessed to see come to pass. Aleen shared that she simply wanted to: “Represent my country at the Olympics and win a medal, make my country and family proud, to be an inspiration to others that no matter where you are from or you circumstance that you and be and do remarkable things.” Her positive attitude and perspective has certainly continued to inspire others working towards their dreams.
As we all know, goals and dreams don’t come easy. We all face challenges along the way, especially if we set out to do anything worthwhile. For Aleen, her biggest challenges were staying injury free and mentally tough, which she went to therapy for both during her career. She also had a nutritionist, because she understood that what you put in your body helps it heal and keep you healthy.
Aleen has a lot of great wisdom to share from her decades of competing, especially when it comes to being a part of a team and working with a coach. Being part of a team taught her how to work with others, as well as understanding each other’s differences. This is vital for a team to succeed and work together, and is now something she can teach the students she coaches. A mistake she shared making while competing actually involved not fully trusting in her coach. She shared: “I thought I knew more than my coach. But I learned to listen to him because he knew my ability and what I can achieve.” Overcoming her mistakes and trusting in her coach ultimately made her a better athlete. A piece of advice that she hasn’t forgotten from a coach was this: “Stay focused on your goals and never allow anyone to define who you are, always be humble and kind, pain is weakness leaving the body.” By staying focused and humbled over the years, Aleen saw great success and was able to keep pushing through various challenges.
Outside of track and field, Aleen enjoys reading, spending time with her family and friends, going to concerts and she loves to cook. She is also the Vice President for the Berkeley County Exchange Club and Director of Excel Club. “I don’t just want to be a positive influence on my athletes but also my home away from home,” Aleen shared. “Being involved in those clubs allows me to be of service to the community.” Aleen moved to Summerville with her coach who is the head women’s coach at CSU. Later she tore my hamstring, which although was difficult it became a blessing in disguise– she met some amazing people who she now calls family and fell in love with the city and decided to stay.
A word of advice for anyone training or working toward a goal Aleen would like to leave you with is this: “Write your goals down and do your best to achieve them and schedule regulate weekly meetings with yourself to make sure you are on task, always give yourself grace. Be patient and kind to yourself nothing comes easy it will take demanding work; it is only considered failure if you did not learn from it. Bust most importantly trust the creator and the process.”
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