for fun

Jersey told me at training last week he ran a 10 something on grass.(he times all runs). He wanted to know if it was possible. He remembers what it felt like, I said if you try and run the same way your base time will be quicker.

Barb coached her tonight, Allen said she improved with the 5 balloons 20m runs. He thought I was funny when I said last weeks training is responsible for this weeks pb

Seb’s mum rang Barb yesterday.
Seb is dropping out of school and wants to be a full time athlete.

Putting it bluntly he is a boy in a mans body, because of his family lifestyle his physical makeup has always been strong.
It was easy to teach him the events.

He needs to start training seriously.
He needs an education.
He is capital lazy.
A normal kid growing up.

i am a coach to him, his mum has been told they need to sit down and talk.
She has to listen to him.
He has to listen to her.

I am one of the coaches and none of the parents

The law states.
He doesn’t get to vote until he is eighteen.

Olivia Tauros mum “swapped her athletics career for her education”. Private school and personal coach.
I spoke to one of her teachers in the Kings Sport Store not long back. “she was always training and never learning at school”
Ran into Liv at Mingara track while coaching Zac.

I was a bit taken back when she asked if I coached when she was about nine. Said yep, gave you some drills to do under dad’s supervision and you took them to Cherrybrook in Sydney. when you came back at 12 I trained you again and you won your races. When your mum had a car accident on the way to training I organised for you to train with Warren Medcalf. You could walk to training.
I wisher her luck and suggested she goes back to training for the 100. "don’t forget you won your first National 400 training for 100.

Mark, Jersey, Helen, Zac, Peter, Alexander and Nikki.

Mark ran his first ever school carnival friday. Came 2nd in the 100, he was pleased with himself.
Jersey won 100 and ran a pb.

Mongoose 4 forward and 2 back, peanuts 4 forward.
6x 50m buildups.
Session used to learn how to run on overspeed pulley. 2 then 1 with 800 walk between.
Zac finished with starts.

When they start walking and exploring a small percentage climb trees and become involved in lots of activities using upper body as well as the lower body. These kids are generally referred to as gifted, sometimes genetically superior.
The purpose of the ktf drills is to exercise upper and lower body as one exercise. As we progress we isolate groups of muscles with different drills.

Mark, Jersey, Helen, Nikki, Zac, Harry and Jack.

Normal drills, 5x 70 Zac and JJ. 4x 70 Helen, Mark and Nikki.

Harry, Jack and Nikki hurdle drills 6 hurdles 2 forward 1 back. Jj, Helen, Mark and Zac hj.

Helen had a bad calf cramp and Harry groin problem ( grown 25mm in a week).

JJ ran 8.1 for best 70. Zac jumped a pb. Must have been impressed with himself, could hear him 50m away and I am deaf.

Peter and Mark training with Aaron, cardio.

Zac at Glendale
Training with Des, KTF Academy throws coach.
Me starts and hurdle drills.
5 hurdles 2 forward 1 back.

Desmond J Pollock mentored under Keith Bennett, another KTF Academy coach, (former athletics australia throw coach). Ben Harradine started here.
Tarquin Pollock won 5 aust underage discus titles and on the way he broke all Ben Harradines records, car accident at 18 then retired.
A couple of other state and national winning athletes in juniors.
Rudolf Sopko (former athletics australia throws and later multi event coach) was a mate of Des’s.

He is coming out of retirement if I can get him having fun coaching again.

I first asked Des 10 months ago to help out with Seb, who no longer trains with us, “moving on”.

Zac has the work ethics, if he didn’t DJ would not waste his time.

I wished Seb luck at whatever he does either sport or work. I dont mean to sound cruel but he is someone elses kid,

Amy, text from dad at zone

More than 160 runners, Amy finished 37th think we need balloons,Haha

Monah, one of the hj girls broke school hj record at the same height she jumped at LA’s state, 1.58 about her height

Weekend back in Newcastle, watched the grandson (12) play soccer. Had a chat with a father of one of the linesman (15 years, rep player on contract with an A league club).

He seemed frustrated that the junior coaches put too much emphasis on running fast and kicking the ball hard when they should be taught the basics of soccer. I knew nothing about soccer and after a 20 minute talk I could understand what he was saying. Guess it is all sports that being accepted as part of a group is more important than knowing what you are doing.

Wedding Saturday night, Jared (former national junior) married Christine. They are beautiful people and I wish them well. Jared left athletics because of work commitments. “money pays bills, glory doesn’t”

Breakfast at their parents home before training at Glendale.

Was talking to a person who was at the same school as I was in the late 60s early 70s. That same person now runs the sport side of a school and we were discussing a coaching position at the school. It is not important for a coach to know what they are teaching, what is important is for a coach to get on well with the kids.

Nikki won the 100, 200 and 400 at school carnival. She started training with us after the school carnival last year when she came 2nd in the 200. She said she wanted to train for the hj and lj for next year. Nikki has an asian background and I have been asked why waste time on someone who will always be short.

MY answer is because she is willing to do the work to get what she want’s and I train for fun.

Wow!! That’s shocking.
Good on you, that’s great to hear your response.

Just society these days, could have used the words black, white, wog, leb or even Aussie.

Some need to get of their high horses, not my problem.

School, won 100, 200, 800, lj and discus, second in hj and shot.

Mum told me last Sunday he broke the LA club 60m record last comp day. Won his sprints at school.