Work Ethic & Culture: Bindel’s Drive Allowed for Incredible Academic, Competitive Success at Wake Forest
12/17/2021 12:00:00 PM | General, Track and Field
Trina Bindel has been selected to the 2021-22 Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame Class.
Trina Bindel's seventh-grade physical education teacher in California, Mr. Jacobs, set up mats with a slightly bent metal bar parallel to the ground and told his class to run in a 'J' and then jump.
"Wow this is a lot of fun," Bindel thought as she completed her first high jump.
That was the start of a track and field career that sent Bidel to Wake Forest, where she was a four-time All-ACC selection and four-time NCAA All-American. She broke nine Wake Forest records while competing in the mid-1990s, and still holds the program record in the heptathlon, and indoor and outdoor high jump.
As one of the most decorated track and field stars in Demon Deacons history, Bindel is now being inducted in the 2021-22 Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame Class. She was in shock over the announcement of her inclusion.
"There's so many great athletes who came out of Wake Forest," Bindel said. "I don't really put myself in these categories. I was honored. Wow, was I that good?"
Bindel's path to Wake Forest began with a phone call from her physical-education teacher, Mr. Jacobs. Her earliest coach just happened to be Wake Forest track and field coaches. He told them about Bindel, who was looking for the perfect university to compete and she was ultimately invited to Winston-Salem for a recruiting visit.
"I was open to going wherever, but I had never really been out of the west coast and had not considered it," Bindel said. "I flew across the country and stepped into a completely different world.
"I liked the campus and city immediately and knew this is where I wanted to go."
The move from the west coast to Winston-Salem was a bit jarring, but also welcome at times for Bindel.
"It was almost a different language," she said. "I had trouble understanding people asking if I wanted paper or plastic at the grocery store. The architecture was completely different. You'd have a hard time finding one brick house where I came from.
"The campus and the people were so warm. It felt like a small town and I immediately felt like family. The other student-athletes embraced me. You immediately felt like you were desired to be part of their family."
It wasn't just that it seemed like a different language to Bindel, it was also a different pace. With the challenges of being a successful student-athlete at Wake Forest academically and competitively, Bindel had to ensure that she was disciplined in her time-management techniques.
"Even in a smaller town in California, everything is go-go-go all the time," Bindel explains. "It's very busy. People don't talk to their neighbors all that often and you don't really know your neighbors. In North Carolina, your neighbors might stop by and bring you cookies. People say hello just walking down the street and not knowing you. That's different and really neat. I miss that, actually."
The demands and challenges she faced both on the field, in training and in the classroom pushed her to the limits — but also helped her become the best version of herself.
"It was challenging and completely different academically than what I was accustomed to in high school," Bindel said. "You feel like you're not prepared, but I loved it. Any athlete who wants to improve and has specific goals, they take those high expectations and thrive on them. Wake Forest is special with that. It was always loving and subtle."
Bindel earned All-American honors in 1993, '95 and '96 in the heptathlon, an event in which she still holds the Wake Forest record. The heptathlon comprises seven events: 100 meter hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200 meter dash, long jump, javelin throw and the 800 meter run. Excelling at such a diverse set of events started when Bindel was a child, essentially stemming from her parents sending her to as many extracurricular sporting activities as possible to positively work out her endless energy.
"I was a naturally-curious, busy child with a lot of energy. That is a nice way of saying I was a bit of a troublemaker in school," Bindel said.
She did gymnastics and swimming, and played soccer.
"I had a ton of energy, so I would come home and play with the kids in the neighborhood," Bindel said. "I never considered myself, even to this day, an amazing athlete, and I think that's because of the hard work I developed. I was somebody who worked hard. As a heptathlete, I was good at the 800."
But her favorite event was the one in which she first started as a seventh grader, the high jump.
"It's amazing that you run then jump and essentially fly for a little while," Bindel said. "That's absolutely my favorite. I have a love-hate relationship with the 800m. Anytime you do something really hard and you do it well and to the best of your ability, you get this satisfaction."
When she competed in the 1996 U.S. Olympic Trials in Atlanta, several Wake Forest coaches traveled south to watch and help guide her.
"For me to see pictures of me in the Wake Forest uniform next to the hurdles emblazoned with U.S. Olympic Trials, I was really proud of that," Bindel said. "I was able to do that and have the coaches there with me. It was awesome to have my coaches and mentors there to watch and even to give me advice and help."
Bindel currently works as a property manager of a California real estate company and also sells real estate. She coached track at Eureka High School for nearly 18 years, with part of that time also spent at Humboldt State University, where a pair of high jumpers finished first and second in the 2017 NCAA Division II Championships.
"Wow this is a lot of fun," Bindel thought as she completed her first high jump.
That was the start of a track and field career that sent Bidel to Wake Forest, where she was a four-time All-ACC selection and four-time NCAA All-American. She broke nine Wake Forest records while competing in the mid-1990s, and still holds the program record in the heptathlon, and indoor and outdoor high jump.
As one of the most decorated track and field stars in Demon Deacons history, Bindel is now being inducted in the 2021-22 Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame Class. She was in shock over the announcement of her inclusion.
"There's so many great athletes who came out of Wake Forest," Bindel said. "I don't really put myself in these categories. I was honored. Wow, was I that good?"
Bindel's path to Wake Forest began with a phone call from her physical-education teacher, Mr. Jacobs. Her earliest coach just happened to be Wake Forest track and field coaches. He told them about Bindel, who was looking for the perfect university to compete and she was ultimately invited to Winston-Salem for a recruiting visit.
"I was open to going wherever, but I had never really been out of the west coast and had not considered it," Bindel said. "I flew across the country and stepped into a completely different world.
"I liked the campus and city immediately and knew this is where I wanted to go."
The move from the west coast to Winston-Salem was a bit jarring, but also welcome at times for Bindel.
"It was almost a different language," she said. "I had trouble understanding people asking if I wanted paper or plastic at the grocery store. The architecture was completely different. You'd have a hard time finding one brick house where I came from.
"The campus and the people were so warm. It felt like a small town and I immediately felt like family. The other student-athletes embraced me. You immediately felt like you were desired to be part of their family."
It wasn't just that it seemed like a different language to Bindel, it was also a different pace. With the challenges of being a successful student-athlete at Wake Forest academically and competitively, Bindel had to ensure that she was disciplined in her time-management techniques.
"Even in a smaller town in California, everything is go-go-go all the time," Bindel explains. "It's very busy. People don't talk to their neighbors all that often and you don't really know your neighbors. In North Carolina, your neighbors might stop by and bring you cookies. People say hello just walking down the street and not knowing you. That's different and really neat. I miss that, actually."
The demands and challenges she faced both on the field, in training and in the classroom pushed her to the limits — but also helped her become the best version of herself.
"It was challenging and completely different academically than what I was accustomed to in high school," Bindel said. "You feel like you're not prepared, but I loved it. Any athlete who wants to improve and has specific goals, they take those high expectations and thrive on them. Wake Forest is special with that. It was always loving and subtle."
Bindel earned All-American honors in 1993, '95 and '96 in the heptathlon, an event in which she still holds the Wake Forest record. The heptathlon comprises seven events: 100 meter hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200 meter dash, long jump, javelin throw and the 800 meter run. Excelling at such a diverse set of events started when Bindel was a child, essentially stemming from her parents sending her to as many extracurricular sporting activities as possible to positively work out her endless energy.
"I was a naturally-curious, busy child with a lot of energy. That is a nice way of saying I was a bit of a troublemaker in school," Bindel said.
She did gymnastics and swimming, and played soccer.
"I had a ton of energy, so I would come home and play with the kids in the neighborhood," Bindel said. "I never considered myself, even to this day, an amazing athlete, and I think that's because of the hard work I developed. I was somebody who worked hard. As a heptathlete, I was good at the 800."
But her favorite event was the one in which she first started as a seventh grader, the high jump.
"It's amazing that you run then jump and essentially fly for a little while," Bindel said. "That's absolutely my favorite. I have a love-hate relationship with the 800m. Anytime you do something really hard and you do it well and to the best of your ability, you get this satisfaction."
When she competed in the 1996 U.S. Olympic Trials in Atlanta, several Wake Forest coaches traveled south to watch and help guide her.
"For me to see pictures of me in the Wake Forest uniform next to the hurdles emblazoned with U.S. Olympic Trials, I was really proud of that," Bindel said. "I was able to do that and have the coaches there with me. It was awesome to have my coaches and mentors there to watch and even to give me advice and help."
Bindel currently works as a property manager of a California real estate company and also sells real estate. She coached track at Eureka High School for nearly 18 years, with part of that time also spent at Humboldt State University, where a pair of high jumpers finished first and second in the 2017 NCAA Division II Championships.
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