“Sometimes the thing that bonds a team… is salamanders.”

That’s what Georgia Martin discovered while coaching Girls on the Run at Riverside Elementary School in Princeton. A junior at Princeton University and a three-season coach, Georgia brings boundless energy, empathy, and a splash of humor (even if her GOTR girls don’t always get her jokes).

Before she was Coach Georgia, she was a GOTR girl herself—running with the team at Hammond Elementary in Maryland, where she formed deep friendships and learned values that still shape her today.

“Some of my lifelong friends are GOTR alums,” she says. “The program gave us a foundation of shared values and confidence that stuck with us all the way through high school.”

At Riverside, she’s found new joy in helping girls form those same friendships—sometimes in unexpected ways. During the Fall 2024 season, her team became obsessed with catching salamanders at their practice site. Salamanders became such a symbol of their team spirit that the end-of-season awards were decorated with drawings of them.

"It was so nice to see them bond over more than just GOTR activities,” she recalls. “Especially because our team includes girls from different schools and homeschool communities.” 

That sense of team connection was especially powerful at the Spring 2024 5K. Though Georgia had gone home to Maryland for college break, she made the trip back to surprise the girls at the big event. “I was devastated to miss the end of the season, but I got to run around with everyone during the 5K and support them as they challenged themselves,” she says. “That day really reminded me why I coach.”

Georgia loves seeing girls grow in confidence over the season—especially at a site like Riverside, where teammates come from different schools and backgrounds. “It’s incredible to watch them open up, support each other, and become little leaders,” she says. One girl, once shy, has become a standout leader in spirit and strength. “Her parents told me they saw the change too. Knowing GOTR had a ripple effect beyond practice—that meant everything.”

Outside of coaching, Georgia’s life is a whirlwind of creativity and campus comedy. She’s a Linguistics and Computer Science major, Executive Producer of All-Nighter (Princeton’s late-night show), and Editor-in-Chief of the Princeton Tiger satire magazine. “Though I don’t think my GOTR girls appreciate my humor,” she jokes. “Am I old now?”

Looking ahead, Georgia hopes more GOTR alums return as coaches and that the program continues expanding across New Jersey.

“Afterschool programs like GOTR are essential for social and emotional development,” she says. “I’d love to see even more girls get access through scholarships. Empathy and compassion matter so much—and GOTR teaches that beautifully.”