Coaches key to future success

The two bronze medallists - long jumper Taylor Stewart and 200-metre runner Aaron Brown - were pleasant surprises.

But Athletics Canada is searching for ways to be more competitive on the global stage. While training and competition facilities, such as the new stadium in Moncton, are vital, personnel and expertise are also key parts of the equation.

"One weakness we have is the [lack of] educated, qualified coaches," said Les Gramantik, senior programs coach with Athletics Canada.

That's why Athletics Canada set up a week-long coaching seminar, in conjunction with the world juniors, to help train the sport's future leaders. They brought in some of track and field's top minds, including Vitali Petrov, who coached Russian pole vault-great Sergey Bubka, and Gary Winckler, who used to train world-champion hurdler Perdita Felicien.

There are 22 young Canadian coaches -- from all regions -- and eight more from the U.S. and Caribbean, hoping to learn a few tricks of the trade.

"It's a rare opportunity to get to get to work with coaches from other countries, as well as our national team coaches," said Alanna Boudreau, 27, who coaches long and triple jump at the Winnipeg Optimist Track and Field club.

The coaching seminar had three main components.

There were classroom sessions, where experts would give lectures on various topics. Participants also had access to the warm-up area at the Moncton Stadium, giving them a close-up look at athlete preparation and coach-athlete interaction. Finally, there was a tutorial where the participants reported back to the panellists about what they learned.

"I think it's the most important part of the whole seminar," Gramantik said of the warm-up track observations.

"It's an opportunity to be behind-the-scenes and connect how the preparation before the race goes on and how they're going to race, and draw a conclusion and understanding from it."
 
Athletics Canada was able to pull together the resources to bring in experts from around the world, Grammantik said. Having it tied to the world juniors made it an easier sell for everybody involved.

(British sprinter Jodie Williams doing some drills on the warm-up track. She won gold in the 100 metres. Photo: Mavis Dzaka) 

Gramantik, who has coached Canadian Olympic teams in the past, said Canada must take steps to professionally train its coaches of the future in order to improve the team's performance at major games.
 
Many of the coaches are volunteers, but we're asking them to do professional-quality work, he said.
 
The old days, where coaches used to come mainly from the school system, are behind us.
 
"It's a different generation," said Martin Goulet, Athletics Canada's Chief high performance officer.
 
"It was a different ballgame in the 1970s. People were coaching [track clubs] after their classes, and the bottom line is we're not there anymore."
 
Another challenge Athletics Canada faces, that most European countries don't, is the regional disparity across the country. There are pockets where there are lots of trained coaches, and areas where there are none.
 
"We want to create hubs and operational centres where groups work together," Gramantik said.
 
Step one is bringing a group together for a coaching seminar, allowing them to network and make connections in the field.
 
"If I have a problem with an athlete that I can't figure out," participant Kurt Downes said, "I'll fire an email."
 
"Maybe they have a videotape or book or some sort of insight that can help me get that athlete over the hump," said Downes, who coaches sprints and hurdles in Windsor, Ont.
 
Everyday, the coaches were immersed in material, usually specific to the events they coach, but also highlighting areas of overlap. There was expert analysis of biomechanics, as it relates to various running, jumping and throwing positions.

"We just spent an hour or so, looking at foot placement of hurdlers. I [coach] a 400m hurdler, so that's something I can take back and use with her," Downes said.

But the observational experiences at the track seemed to be the biggest hit with everyone.

"We need to support [coaches] more than just telling them 'okay, you're going to hold that stopwatch, you're going to go there.' It needs to be something that attracts the young and solid people that want to do something and contribute to sport," Goulet said.

While that might mean finding a way to pay more coaches, instead of asking them to volunteer -- providing opportunities for professional development is certainly part of that solution.