Full Circle: From Lifter to Coach

Today I embark on a new Journey. I am heading to the USA National Weightlifting Championships, NOT as an Athlete, but as a Coach.

I have been to many National Championships in my home land, South Africa. I have been to several National Masters Championships in the United States as an Athlete. This is the first time I will be attending National Championships for the sole purpose of being a Coach, and I couldn’t be happier or more excited.

I keep thinking I am going to be nervous about being around all the top level Athletes and Coaches, but the truth is I am not. I look at some of the names of the coaches that will be backstage when I will be there with my athlete and its easy to be mortified. National Coach, Smalcerz. Drechsler, McCauley, Fleming, Cohen and Greg Everett. These are the top coaches in the Country.  I have Greg's book at home, I idealize these coaches. The National coach Smalcerz will be backstage, along with some of the most well know and accomplished coaches in the USA. I am Honored to be in their presence. I am looking forward to introducing myself to them as a coach for the first time. The first time, I believe, for many years to come.

 

Most of these top level coaches have many decades of experience in the coaching game. I will be the newbie in the group, without a doubt. I am OK about that. I am still very young in coaching circles. Even though I have over 25 years’ experience as a lifter, I have only been coaching for just over 3 years now.

Of course none of this would have happened without the amazingly talented lifter Ted D’Amico.

Since Ted has been training with me he has surpassed and superseded even my greatest expectations of him. I am already so proud of him, and yet this is only the beginning of the journey. You see this years National Championships wasn’t even on our radar a few months back. We had always planned on, and focused our attention this year on Ted’s performance at the National University Championships later in the year in September. He just accelerated and blew away every periodization schedule I had him on. Which has lead him to competing at the National Championships in Salt Lake City this Week.

Seeing as though I have always told Ted what the plan is, and what the goal is, we are not expecting any records on Friday. He will be there at the National Championships, lifting in the “A” Session as a 21-year-old man to gain experience of top flight competition. Experience that will be invaluable to him in the future.

We are both young in our respective positions as a Coach, and a lifter. I know how talented Ted is. He has more talent and potential than I ever had as a lifter. I know that with a few years of hard work he can achieve anything he puts his mind to. I know that with many years of hard work, I can be attending the National Championships with an entire team of successful athletes.

These are our respective dreams. I do not have one doubt in my mind that we both shall attain the greatest heights in our respective roles, as a Coach, and an Athlete.

Today the journey begins for both of us.