Gail Emery

Gail Emery is an American former swimming coach.

Biography

Emery born in 1951 in Lafayette, California. She is a graduate of California State University-Hayward.

Emery was introduced to synchronized swimming in 1959 by her mother, Sue Alf. She initially trained with the Solfettes in Walnut Creek, California, before joining the Howell Swim Club in Danville. Later, the Santa Clara Aquamaids. 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.

Emery started coaching the Walnut Creek Aquanuts, founded by her mother, in 1972. In 1980, the Aquanuts defeated the Santa Clara Aquamaids, marking the start of a decade-long run of national championships.

In 1979, Emery was appointed as the national team's coach, a role she held through four Olympic cycles. She was the head coach for the 1988, 1992, and 1996 Olympics, and a coach/manager in 1984. Athletes coached by Emery, including the Josephson duet and Kristen Babb-Sprague, achieved Olympic medals, with Babb-Sprague winning a solo gold in 1992 and the Josephson pair 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.

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. 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.

Under Emery's tenure, synchronized swimming evolved in technical and athletic aspects. She implemented new training methods and cross-training regimens. Notable athletes coached by Emery include Karen and Sarah Josephson, Kristen Babb-Sprague, among others.

In 1998, Emery became the coach of Stanford University's synchronized swimming program, winning the NCAA National Championship. She left Stanford in 2001.