With the start of the new school year, Pinewood has welcomed new assistant cross country and strength and conditioning coach Noelle Reyes. 

   Prior to starting at Pinewood, Reyes majored in psychology and kinesiology. She also served as a personal fitness trainer, leading classes with older clients and summer camps with kids.

   Throughout Reyes’ coaching and training career, she has developed a philosophy to help young athletes. She said she finds the potential in every individual and constantly tries to bring it out of them.

   “ I go by a saying that sounds cheesy, but it’s important to believe in the athlete more than they might believe in themselves,” Reyes said.

   Reyes said that athletes have to let go of bad habits such as outdated goals. She believes making these tough choices can ultimately lead to growth and improvement.

   “I try to look at everything like plants or like life, and you know things are growing and there are times where sometimes you have to cut some branches where it looks like you are going backwards, but sometimes going backwards can propel you to go further than you initially were,” Reyes said.

   Freshmen Benjamin Bowman and Howard Kent are members of the cross country team, and they describe Reyes as a great coach who pushes them while also connecting with them on a personal level.

   “She definitely pushes you, but she is a really kind person, and one thing that I really like was that she came on the runs with us,” Bowman said. 

   “She wants you to do better, and her coaching philosophy is really sophisticated,” Kent said.

   Several of Reyes’ goals for the Pinewood community are to increase fitness, instill good habits, and build confidence in athletes.

   “My main goals for Pinewood are one, to get us more athletically fit, but then also to do that without injuries, and then also to build confidence,” Reyes said. “So building fitness, maintaining fitness and good health, and overall becoming a confident athlete.”

   Reyes said she customizes her training plans to suit the needs of her athletes, which can lead to enhanced performance. 

   “My cross country runners are not going to be doing bench presses like the basketball players are, so everything is definitely tailored to what the specific sport needs,” Reyes said. 

   So far, Reyes is thrilled with the progress she has been seeing in her athletes.               

   “What excites me the most is the result in the end and seeing what we work on in practice come to fruition at our matches or tournaments or games,” Reyes said. “I was super proud at our first cross country meet where we all ran great races.

   Reyes said she understands that exceptional performance relies not just on training but also on fueling the body with healthy food and allowing your body to rest.

   “I always go back to the plant references—a plant can’t grow without water, good soil, sunlight, and nutrients,” Reyes said.