Photo: Randall and Vashti Cunningham
Vashti Cunningham’s coach has been there for every step since herfirststep.
The track and field athlete, 23, cleared 6 feet, 5 inches (1.96m) and secured her place on Team USA for theTokyo Summer Olympicsafter placing first in the high jump event, which serendipitously fell on Father’s Day this year. It made the moment all the more special for her coach and dad Randall Cunningham.
Randall and Vashti Cunningham
The former Philadelphia Eagles and Minnesota Vikings star has trained his track and field athlete daughter since she started the sport in fourth grade, and says he’s loved seeing her shine throughout the years.
“I’ve watched her go from in high school to turning professional, from a young girl who’s like, ‘Look at me,’ with bright eyes and bushy tail to like ‘Okay, Dad, I’m beginning to understand. I get it now.’ The maturity level, it’s kicked in,” Randall tells PEOPLE of how their unique coaching connection has strengthened their relationship, adding that Vashti’s health and safety on the field have remained the priority.
“The biggest thing that I learned from that track meet was him telling me to just trust God,” she says. “That’s something that I’ve always thought about and used in the seasons to come after 2016.”
George Gojkovich/Getty
In his own approach to coaching, Randall cites his 16-season career in the NFL as an incredible influence, calling strength and circuit training the fundamental building blocks of his program for Vashti.
“It’s basically a lot that I did in the NFL plus what I’ve learned from East Germans and the Russians, a lot of those from the Eastern bloc when I studied their techniques and their plyometrics and things like that,” he said of the philosophy. “And we’re very, very hardcore when it comes to training, but the ‘rest’ part is very important for us. The massages, the icing, the ice baths, nutrition, it’s very important, the eating habits.”
In fact, Randall pointed out that the bar on wellness has really been raised in athletics today, as compared to his own professional days.
“I’d go to a game and in the morning, I’d go and have a hamburger before the game!” he joked of how times have changed. “And I could do that, but nowadays, things are a little bit different [for athletes.] Taking care of the body, there’s less body fat and things like that. Back in the day, we were just all hardcore.”
When it comes to the connection between playing quarterback and competing in high jump at the Olympic level, the former NFL star said he’s hoping to teach his daughter the gravity of opportunity itself.
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“There’s a connection with being a quarterback because the leadership qualities that I had in the NFL. I had a whole team, a billion-dollar team, and they handed me the ball,” Randall said. “And that’s the mentality I put in my daughter. I’m like, ‘Look, this is your career. And you can either be the best or you can be one of the rest, or you can be a GOAT. You can become the greatest of all time at some point in your life. It depends what you want.’ "
“I’m lucky, I’m blessed, actually, to be able to have my coach there. And so, I do get to keep a part of my family when I’m going there,” she says.
When the time comes, the high jumper relies on a two-part, pre-competition ritual before her event to get into the zone and laser focus.
“The night before the competition, I watchKill Billand then the pre-competition is just me and my dad doing a Bible study before I go out and get ready for warm-up and jump,” she says.
“Everything is really focused on God. I know that it’s not about us, but it’s about what He wants to do through Vashti,” Randall says. “It’s just very simple. Just keep the focus.”
To learn more about all the Olympic hopefuls, visitTeamUSA.org. The Tokyo Olympics begin July 23rd on NBC.
source: people.com
