As a high school athlete, Jackie Gallagher had the world at her feet. She was in a unique position where she was excellent at any distance from 100m to 800m. She broke Queensland and National records and was regularly selected for State and National teams. Jackie was selected for the Australian Youth team to compete at the World Youth Championships in Canada as an U18 along with the Australian Junior Commonwealth Games and the Youth Olympics, before making the U20 Australian team to compete at the World Junior Championships in Italy and China.

“I loved feeling fast and powerful and winning,” reminisced Jackie.

“I loved training and everything about running. This was my thing; I knew I was good at it and it made me feel strong and powerful. I loved it because it was mine.”

Jackie was well on her way to the 2008 Beijing Olympics, but the desire got the better of her. She went against the advice of her coach and her father and started to overtrain and developed tendinopathy in her achilles. With her body overcompensating for the pain, Jackie tore her quad muscle, and her Olympic dream and promising running career was over.

“I tried to come back from the injury, but I had so many setbacks it was frustrating and heart breaking, it got to the point where I couldn’t even look at the sport,” reflected Jackie.

“It was devastating. I had an identity crisis. Everything that made ‘me’ was gone. I was such a different person as an athlete to what I am now. You don’t compete against others in life, so I had to reassess who I was and my values.”

She focussed on completing her Bachelor of Secondary Education majoring in English Literature and Physical Education at the University of Southern Queensland. In 2011, Jackie was asked to coach at Fairholme College which worked well with her studies, and she thoroughly enjoyed it until her graduation in 2013. With her qualifications complete, Jackie was quickly snapped up by The Glennie School as an English and PE teacher and athletics coach and after twelve months accepted a similar role at Toowoomba Grammar School.

“TGS has supported me, given me the opportunity to follow my athletics path and encourage me to do things that I was nervous to try,” Jackie said gratefully.

“It took quite a few years to find myself again, but I realise how much I love coaching and teaching and being a positive role model.”

And the passion, determination and drive that she possessed as a competitive athlete hasn’t wanned as a coach. She’s committed to learn more, attend courses and gain qualifications that will assist her athletes to be the best they can be.

With that philosophy, Jackie has attained a Master's Degree of Sports Coaching (University of Queensland), she is a Team Coach for the Australian under 18 Oceania Team and a Team Coach for the Australian under 23 Team, she is a Queensland Academy of Sport supported coach for 2022-2024, she was selected for the Australian Institute of Sport Coach Elevate Course run in conjunction with LaTrobe University and has been selected for the Athletics Australia Women in High Performance Coaching Program. On top of all that, Jackie has also just started to study Sports Psychology through the University of Adelaide aiming for a Graduate Diploma in Psychology.

“I always want to be ten steps ahead, so I need to take up every opportunity that I can,” Jackie stated.

“Participating in High Performance workshops and other programs from Athletes Australia really helps improve my skills and qualifications. They have some great mentors who are internationally successful coaches. I love it, I want to do everything I can to be the best I can for my athletes.”

Jackie currently has 30 athletes under her wing, along with coaching the Toowoomba Grammar School Track & Field team. She stepped down as the TGS Director of Athletics at the end of last year (2022) to concentrate on her high-performance coaching.

“My priority now is mentorship,” said Jackie.

“I learnt so much from my experiences and I can recognise my personality traits and behaviours in some of my athletes, so that’s really beneficial in guiding their training so that they don’t make the same mistakes that I did.”

She has the added experience of competing internationally, the pressure of representing her country on the world stage, the impact of travelling, nerves, race tactics and the politics involved with high level sport.

“I feel like I can offer my athletes everything,” Jackie said.

“I know how hard it is to find a good coach and how special that relationship is. I appreciate that massive commitment; it’s so much more than just running fast.”

In her short time coaching, Jackie has already experienced success with promising young athlete Jai Gordon (TGS Old Boy 2019-2020). He won his first Australian title in March 2022 and was just 0.01 second off the Australian U20 100m record and was ranked eighth in the world for the U20 100m. Jai was selected in the Australian World Junior Team and Australian Open Relay Squad, and they are preparing for the 2024 Olympics.

“I’m so proud of Jai and his achievements,” beamed Jackie.

“It’s what I’ve always wanted, and I am so very fortunate to have an athlete who has the talent and is so coachable.”

But it’s not all about reaching the pinnacle for Jackie. Her main aim is to create a safe space for her athletes.

“I want to encourage them to come to training because they love the environment,” said Jackie.

“I make sure they know how to get along and support each other. I want to create a culture where it’s safe and people want to come whether they’re elite athletes or not; they come because they feel valued, safe and respected.”

To hear Jackie talk so passionately about coaching and her future dreams, it’s hard to imagine that she could have ever given up. There’s a buzz that radiates from within and she lights up with enthusiasm. In hindsight, that fateful and devasting injury wasn’t the end of her running career after all. It just set her on the path for a different, and possibly more fulfilling role, but she was always going to make it to the top!

Jackie Gallagher with star athlete, Jai Gordon

Latest Blog

Sports & Activities
/
Thursday, 05 June 2025

Pioneering Excellence: Launching TGS's Athletic Development Program

Our Athletic Development Program represents a paradigm shift in how schools nurture sporting talent—combining cutting-edge technology, evidence-based practices and a whole-person philosophy that prepares young men for success beyond the scoreboard.

Read More
Character & Wellbeing
/
Thursday, 29 May 2025

Reflecting on the Past, Walking Forward Together

This week is an important time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures and achievements, and to reflect on how we can each contribute to achieving reconciliation. The theme for NRW 2025, 'Bridging Now to Next,' calls on us to honour the past, acknowledge the present and actively build a better future. It reminds us that reconciliation is not a destination, it is a journey guided by reflection, respect and a shared commitment to walking together. As we look back on the…

Read More
Blog Thursday, 22 May 2025

A Bright Start to our Rising and Leading Series

More than 150 members of the Toowoomba and Darling Downs community joined us to hear from leading demographer and data commentator Simon Kuestenmacher, whose presentation sparked fresh thinking about the decade ahead.

Read More
Grammar 150
/
Thursday, 15 May 2025

Women of Grammar Luncheon

A Tribute to the Heart of the School Originally scheduled for International Women's Day but rescheduled (thanks, Cyclone Alfred!) to the eve of Mother's Day, the timing felt serendipitous. It was a day to honour the women—past and present—whose quiet strength, tireless support and enduring love have shaped the School's legacy and the lives of its boys for 150 years. The marquee was beautifully appointed for a day of merriment

Read More
Old Boys
/
Thursday, 08 May 2025

Lachlan Stuart's Marathon Feat

Mr Stuart will return to TGS again for the event held on Wednesday, 28 May to support the Year 12's significant fundraising G150 Gift Run event. The boys are running 1500km in a relay format to honour a 1968 TGS Interact Club fundraising project that will help upgrade the original School gates on Herries Street, along with raising funds for the Nerve Connection Foundation.

Read More
Old Boys
/
Thursday, 01 May 2025

Remembering Private Colin Stirling, a TGS Old Boy (1899-1900)

This was the headline that screamed out on the pages of the Toowoomba Chronicle and Darling Downs General Advertiser on Thursday, 15 August 1901. With ANZAC Day just last Friday, this week we continue to honour many of our Old Boys who gave the ultimate sacrifice including Private Colin Stirling, a TGS Old Boy (1899-1900) and our first former student lost in the Boer War. The story began with: “News was received on Tuesday afternoon that in an engagement at Kopjesfontein, on the 6th instant,…

Read More
Community Engagement
/
Thursday, 24 Apr 2025

Honouring Tradition: Toowoomba Grammar School and ANZAC Day

This year marks 98 years since TGS and the 13 Army Cadet Unit (Toowoomba Collective Unit) first participated in ANZAC Services in Toowoomba. The School's commitment to these services is a testament to its deep-rooted military traditions and the enduring spirit of remembrance. Mounties out the front of School House in 1908. A Legacy of Service Toowoomba Grammar School's military traditions date back to its early days. The School's Cadet Unit, formed in 1892, has been a cornerstone of its…

Read More
Character & Wellbeing
/
Thursday, 03 Apr 2025

Outdoor Pursuits and Activities Week - Developing Good Character Beyond the Classroom

We offer a range of enrichment activities for our boys, but the last week of Term 1 is a very special opportunity for all of our Senior School students. It's Outdoor Pursuits and Activities Week, which provides age-appropriate physical challenges in a safe, well-supervised environment. Activities on the various camps may include ropes courses, rock climbing, bodyboarding, surfing, mountain biking and canoeing. The aim is to foster a love of the outdoors and an appreciation of the environment.…

Read More
People
/
Thursday, 27 Mar 2025

Stories behind key TGS staff helping shape our students

It was my great privilege to join TGS as Head of House - Boyce Boarding in 2024. The opportunity to lead these young men of character on their TGS journey carries great weight but is also enormously exciting. Embarking upon this project alongside my wife Meg as Boyce Boarding House Manager strengthens the team further. I am hopeful that we will demonstrate to the boys how positive relationships can foster a warm and supportive environment. I know that many of our boys are familiar with strong…

Read More