Linda Lanker (Head Coach)
Coach Linda Lanker is in her 40th year as a Jr. College and High School coach. She has been with CCS since 1999 as hurdles coach. Linda has coached numerous State high school Champions as well as over 54 NWAC JC All Americans in the sprints and hurdles, and 15 NWAC Conference Champions. men and women. Coach Lanker is a 3 time Hall of Fame Coach who has a love and passion for the sport of Track and Field as well as for her athletes. She has traveled with the US Team to Peru, China, London and Japan. Linda has been sprints/hurdles coach on two men’s US Jr. Teams and Women’s US Head Coach twice for a Jr. and Sr. team. She has been involved as an athlete, coach and official with USATF since the ‘70’s and a pioneer in the 400m hurdles when the event started for women in 1973. She was Jr. National Champion in 1974 and ranked 4th in the Nation over all in 1973-75. Coach Lanker has received over 12 Coach of the Year honors and continues to coach and encourage athletes of all ages in the Inland Northwest.
Linda lives in Idaho with her architect, husband Glen and has 3 grown children and 5 grandchildren.
Coach Darlene Shriner , High Jump Coach
1973 - 1973 -- Asotin, WA Head Basketball, Track and Field/Tennis Coach
1979-1985 -- CHS Head Coach Girl's Track and Field program
1990-1993 -- CHS Asst. XC and Asst Track and Field Jumps Coach
1994-2002 -- LCHS Asst XC and Asst Track and Field Jumps Coach
I have my USATF Level I and Level II Coaching Certificate. During my career, I have been able to personally coach state champions in the high jump, long jump, shot put, mile, 2 mile, 400m, 800m and relay teams. I was honored as a Viking Legend Girl's Sport Coach in 2004 and in 2008, honored as one of the North Idaho Women's Sports Pioneers. I am a North Idaho native having attended school in the Cd'A School District, NIC and the University of Idaho. I am still active within the school district as a mentor to first and second year teachers at LCHS and most recently honored as having received the Idaho High School Activities Association District Distinguished Service Award in 2018. I am currently officiating at The Podium indoor track and field and summer Inland Northwest track and field, in addition to coaching and officiating Idaho District 1 High Jump.
Chris Patterson (Jumps/Sprints)
I am married with three children, two of which are grown, and my youngest will be a senior at Coeur d’Alene High school. In first grade we had an event that would change my life forever. It was an elementary school event called “Field Day”, and that was the first time I ever ran track. I would never look back.
I have been coaching High School Track now for four years, and coached Summer Track for 3 years now. I have helped coach one track athlete to qualify and compete at the USATF National Track meet in the sprints. I am a USATF Level one certified Track Coach, and I am working on my USTFCCCA Level 2 Jumping Specialist Certification. I am currently the Horizontal Jumping coach (Long & Triple Jump) at Coeur d’Alene High School. (In high school, I held the 100M, 200M, 4 X 100M relay, 4 X 400M relay, Long Jump, and Triple Jump school records. I still hold the school record in the Long Jump and Triple Jump 36 years later!!)
My philosophy in coaching is simple, “Have fun, learn something, believe in yourself”. My hope for athletes is when they leave me and go on with their lives that will have learned something about sports and life, and that they believe in themselves more then I believe in them.
Gordon Smith, Distance Head Coach
Summary of coaching philosophies: A. Train the athlete and love the person. B. Every young athlete is a sprinter until proven otherwise. C. Slow is smooth and smooth is fast. D. Respect the sport. E. Train the athlete from the ground up. F The process leads to the prize. "Coaching is a gift, and I love sharing it with anyone who is willing to listen and make attempts at becoming better."
Coach Gordon has been the Head Track and Field Coach at Coeur d’Alene, Charter Academy for 3 years He is USATF certified at Level 1, Level II Endurance, and Level II (Youth). Coach Gordon is also a member of the Tigard Tigers Oregon State XC 3A Championship team circa; ranked #7 in the U.S. during 1985. Coach Smith was the 7th runner on the team with a personal 5K best of 16:05 as a sophomore. He also competed in the 2020 World Ultra Cycling Association North American Champion, 24 Hour Time Trial, 50-59 age group with a distance of 388.7 miles. Coach Gordon is currently working towards running 100 miles in under 24 hours on course with a minimum of 10,000 feet of elevation change.
Coach Gordon has been married to his wife Melissa for 17 years, Dad for 16 years - father of three sons Connor (16), Levi (11), and Asher (10), and one seven year old Pitbull named Sophie. He is also a former Marine and retired U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer with 22+ years of service along with 16 years of service as a Hospital Corpsman and Independent Duty Corpsman serving with the Fleet Marine Force, Naval Special Warfare, and Submarines.
Our club would like to thank Coach Gordon for his service to our country!
Coach Emily Ginter, Pole Vault
I started my pole vault career in 2009, my freshman year of high school. I did not have a coach my first year, so it was a huge learning curve for me.
At a track meet, a nice pole vault coach decided to give me a few pointers. Come to find out, it was Jan Johnson, and he was a pole vault Olympian in 1972. He encouraged me to join his pole vault club, and he became my coach for the rest of my high school career. He was an amazing coach and made a huge impact on my life.
My senior year, the track coach at California Lutheran University (in Thousand Oaks, CA) asked me to be a part of their track team. I competed at the collegiate level all four years at CLU, and would then coach at Jan Johnson’s winter and summer camps during my college breaks.
After graduating with a degree in kinesiology, I went back to school for my Master's degree, and I spent my free time coaching pole vault at a local high school.