Johanna Lisle Newbold

Johanna Lisle Newbold is proudly recognized as Nashua PAL’s Coach of the Year for 2024. Johanna’s remarkable dedication and leadership have revitalized and transformed the Nashua PAL/Gate City Striders youth Track and Field program.

Three years ago, Johanna was attending a planning meeting for the Gate City Strider when they asked for a volunteer to help revitalize the youth Track and Field program, which had been on a 2 year hiatus due to the pandemic. Johanna raised her hand to ask what was involved and soon found her characteristic enthusiasm and determination taking on the challenge of recruiting coaches, learning sign-up software, and relaunching the program in the spring of 2022. Although her initial motivation was to involve her own children, Johanna quickly caught the “coaching bug” and began embracing the fun of coaching and teaching kids about the sport of track and field.

An avid distance runner, Johanna embraced the opportunity to learn about the 12-16 events in youth track. She has been a constant presence at practices and meets, managing registration, communications, equipment purchases, and other administrative tasks. Under her leadership, the program has grown significantly, with 85 youth participants in 2024.

While holding a full-time job as a chiropractor and no longer having her own children in the program, Johanna remains fully committed to coaching and managing the program. She is known for her tireless support, from setting up at meets and providing extra snacks to cheering for every runner, jumper, and thrower athlete with her PAL jersey and big red bow. Johanna even ran the Boston Marathon last spring to raise thousands for track and field equipment.

Johanna’s dedication, hard work, and unwavering support make her an extremely deserving recipient of the 2024 Coach of the Year award. Congratulations, Johanna, for your exceptional contributions and commitment to the Nashua PAL track and field program!