Gail Emery

{{Short description|American synchronized swimming coach}} {{Use mdy dates|date=June 2025}} {{Infobox college coach | name = Gail Emery | fullname = | image = | image_size = | caption = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1951|6|30}}<ref name=faculty/> | birth_place = LaFayette, California | death_date = | death_place = | height =  | weight = | alma_mater = CSU-Hayward<ref name=WP/><ref name=faculty/> | player_team1 = Solfettes Walnut Creek, CA Howell Swim Club Danville, CA Santa Clara Aquamaids Coach Kay Velen (Aquamaids) CSU-Hayward | player_years1 = 1959-1972 | player_positions = synchronized swimming | player_team2 = | player_years2 = | coach_team1 = Walnut Creek Aquanuts <ref name=emery/> | coach_years1 = 1972-1998 | coach_team2 = U.S. National Team | coach_years2 = 1979-1996 | coach_team3 = U.S. Olympic Team Coach/Coach Manager | coach_years3 = 1984-1996 | coach_years4 =1982, 1986 1991, 1994 | coach_team4 = U.S. Team World Championships | coach_years5 = 1998-2001 | coach_team5 = Stanford University | overall_record = | bowl_record = | tournament_record = | championships = 10 U.S. National Championships (Aquanuts) {{nowrap|NCAA Team Championship (Stanford)}} | awards = Women's Sports Hall of Fame 1991 International Swimming Hall of Fame Elvira College Hall of Fame 2000 | coaching_records = }} '''Gail Emery''' is an American former synchronized swimmer and a Hall of Fame synchronized swimming coach for both age-group and collegiate programs. In an unprecedented achievement, Emery coached her primary team, the Walnut Creek Aquanuts to 10 consecutive national championships beginning in 1980 and served as a member of six U.S. Olympic coaching staffs.<ref name=transform>{{cite web|url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2017/03/25/gail-emery-helped-transform-synchronized-swimming/|title=Gail Emery Helps Transform Synchronzed Swimming|website=mercurynews.com|access-date=March 5, 2025}}</ref> In elite international competition, she served as coach of every U.S. world championship team from 1982-1998, winning seven of the available 18 gold medals.<ref name=emery/>

==Early life== Emery was born in 1951 in Lafayette, California, about 20 miles Northeast of San Francisco, and 4 miles West of Walnut Creek.<ref name=faculty>{{cite web|url=https://faculty.elmira.edu/dmaluso/sports/hallsoffame/gailemery.html | title=Gail Emery, Elmira Hall of Fame }}</ref> She is a graduate of California State University-Hayward.<ref name=WP>{{Cite web |title=washingtonpost.com: Gail Emery |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/sports/olympics/longterm/synchro/emery.htm |access-date=2023-12-07 |website=www.washingtonpost.com}}</ref>

===Competitor=== She was introduced to synchronized swimming in 1959 by her mother, Sue Ahlf.<ref name=emery/> Emery initially trained with the Solfettes in Walnut Creek, California, before joining the Howell Swim Club in Danville. Later, she trained with the Santa Clara Aquamaids, under Hall of Fame Coach Kay Vilen, the club's first Head Coach. While competing with the Aquamaids, she won a national team championship in 1972 and was part of a demonstration team at the Munich Olympics in the same year. Synchronized swimming did not become an Olympic event until 1984, due significantly to the efforts of Emery.<ref name=emery/>

==Coaching== Emery started coaching the Walnut Creek Aquanuts around 1972, shortly after they were founded by her mother Sue Alf, and continued at least through 1998.<ref name=emery/> In 1980, the Aquanuts defeated the Santa Clara Aquamaids, marking the start of a decade-long run of national championships.<ref name=emery/>

In 1979, Emery was appointed as the U.S. national team's coach, a role she held through four Olympic cycles.<ref name=emery/><ref name=WP/> She was the head coach for the 1988 Seoul, 1992 Barcelona, and 1996 Atlanta Olympics, and a coach/manager in 1984. In 1996, Emery's Co-coach for the U.S. Olympic team was Chris Carver, who would serve as a head coach for the 200 Games.<ref name=emery/><ref name=WP/> Athletes coached by Emery, including Karen Josephson, twin sister Sarah Josephson and Kristen Babb-Sprague, won Olympic medals, with Babb-Sprague winning a solo gold in 1992 and the Josephson sisters earning a silver in 1988 and a gold in 1992. In the 1996 Olympics, five of Emery's athletes were part of the team that won a gold medal. In 1984, working with Head Coach Charlotte Davis, Gail helped coach Tracie Ruiz to the gold medal in the solo event and to a second gold medal in the duet event with Candy Costie. Ruiz won the silver medal in 1988. <ref name=emery/>

Emery coached the U.S. team in international competitions at the World Championships from 1982 to 1998, during which her teams won seven gold medals.<ref name=emery/> In FINA World Cup competitions, her teams won 25 gold and four silver medals. Her athletes also won various years of gold medals in the Pan American Games.<ref name=emery/>

Under Emery's tenure, synchronized swimming evolved in technical and athletic aspects. She implemented new training methods and cross-training regimens.<ref name=emery/><ref name=transform/>

In her long career, she has coached 15 Olympic gold medalists, and three silver medalists. She has developed training and coached over 50 international champions and more than 100 national event winners.<ref name=Stanford/>

==Stanford University== In 1998, Emery became the coach of Stanford University's synchronized swimming program, winning the NCAA National Championship in her first year of coaching, 1998-1999.<ref name=emery/> In 2000, Emery's team included Shannon Montague, the Collegiate Athlete of the Year, in addition to six All-Americans and six Academic All-Americans. Two of Emery's athletes, Lindsay Wigginton and Katie Norris, became the first Stanford synchronized swimmers to secure a place on the United States' World Championship Team. Emery left Stanford in 2001 to spend more time with her family.<ref name=emery>{{cite web|url=https://ishof.org/honoree/honoree-gail-emery/|title=International Swimming Hall of Fame, Synchronized Coach, Gail Emery|website=ishof.org|access-date=March 5, 2025}}</ref><ref name=Stanford>{{cite web|url=https://gostanford.com/news/2001/05/17/gail-emery-resigns-as-synchronized-swimming-coach|title=Stanford University Online, March 5, 2005, Gail Emery Resigns as Stanford's Synchronized Swimming Coach|website=gostanford.com|access-date=March 6, 2025}}</ref>

===Honors=== She became a member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame around 2000, and was honored as a new member of the Women Sports Hall of Fame in October, 1997. She was admitted to the Elvira College Hall of Fame in 2000.<ref name=faculty/><ref name=emery/><ref name=transform/>

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== * [https://ishof.org/honoree/honoree-gail-emery/ International Swimming Hall of Fame, Synchronized Coach, Gail Emery] * [https://faculty.elmira.edu/dmaluso/sports/hallsoffame/gailemery.html Gail Emery, Elmira Hall of Fame] * [https://gostanford.com/news/2001/05/17/gail-emery-resigns-as-synchronized-swimming-coach Stanford University Online, March 5, 2005, Gail Emery Resigns as Stanford's Synchronized Swimming Coach]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Emery, Gail}} Category:Living people Category:1951 births Category:Synchronized swimming coaches Category:International Swimming Hall of Fame inductees Category:Stanford Cardinal swimming coaches Category:College swimming coaches in California Category:Olympic coaches for the United States Category:21st-century American sportswomen Category:20th-century American sportswomen