• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Click here to download the  free ebook of Alberto Juantorena’s  detailed training workouts leading up to the 1976 Montreal Olympics

SpeedEndurance.com

Success in Track & Field ... and Life

  • Home
    • About
    • Contact
  • Track & Field
    • 400 meters
    • 800m & Mile
    • 1/2 & Full Marathons
    • Long & Triple Jump
    • Hurdles
  • Training
    • Weight Training
    • Abs & Core
    • Injury Prevention
    • Shoes & Spikes
    • Masters
  • Coaching
    • Freelap Friday Five
    • Interviews
    • Sports Nutrition
    • Sport Psychology
  • Archives
  • Shop
    • My account
    • Checkout
    • Basket

Loyalty & Patriotism, Who do you Root for?

You are here: Home / Coaching / Loyalty & Patriotism, Who do you Root for?
0
SHARES
FacebookTwitter

November 16, 2009 by Jimson Lee 3 Comments

I often wondered…

What happens when you coach International athletes?  Who do you root for?  Your own country, or your own athletes?

Going back to the Rome 1960 Olympics, when Elvin "Ducky" Drake at UCLA coached both Rafer Johnson AND Yang Chuan-Kwang of Taiwan in the Decathlon, who was he rooting for?  During those incredible two days, what was going through Drake’s mind?  Obviously a 1-2 finish, which of course happened.

How about Dan Pfaff of USA who coached Donovan Bailey of Canada?  In 1996 Olympics, who was he rooting for?  His fellow countryman or his own athlete?

Daniel Bailey of Antigua & Barbuda is coached by Glen Mills of Jamaica, who also coaches Usain Bolt?

I could go on and on, like the Energizer Bunny.

I am in a precarious position where I am Canadian at birth, living in Italy, and coaching athletes from all over the world.

I have to give credit to Stephen Francis of Jamaica.  He is brutally honest when it comes to his feelings and emotions over his athletes.

From http://www.world-track.org/?p=6477

 

“The truth of the matter is that I don’t have the best interest of the Jamaican team members at heart. What I do have is the best interest of the people that I coach at heart.

 

“I have in the past strongly believed that people who coach a number of athletes, especially non-Jamaicans in a private capacity, should not be accepting positions on a national programme primarily because, well for me, I am really interested in how the athletes who I coach perform.

 

“And if I coach an athlete from Trinidad or from Bahrain, I am going to want my athlete to beat any Jamaican that I do not coach as a result of the whole athlete-coach thing.”

READ  Mechanical Determinants of 100m Sprint Running Performance

  • Bio
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Latest Posts
Jimson Lee

Jimson Lee

Coach & Founder at SpeedEndurance.com
I am a Masters Athlete and Coach currently based in London UK. My other projects include the Bud Winter Foundation, writer for the IAAF New Studies in Athletics Journal (NSA) and a member of the Track & Field Writers of America.
Jimson Lee

@speedendurance

Jimson Lee
Jimson Lee
Jimson Lee

Jimson Lee

Jimson Lee

Latest posts by Jimson Lee (see all)

  • Jana Pittman – 400mH World Champion, Bobsleigh, and now Doctor - December 8, 2020
  • Autogenic/Parasympathetic Breathing Techniques for Recovery & Regeneration – Episode 3 - May 22, 2020
  • PART 2: Viewing the Bio-Motor Abilities of 400m Hurdlers Relative to 800m Runners - May 13, 2020
Jimson Lee

Category iconCoaching,  Track & Field Tag iconDan Pfaff,  Olympics,  Usain Bolt

About Jimson Lee

I am a Masters Athlete and Coach currently based in London UK. My other projects include the Bud Winter Foundation, writer for the IAAF New Studies in Athletics Journal (NSA) and a member of the Track & Field Writers of America.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Dave Goodger says

    November 16, 2009 at 11:33 am

    I bet most coaches would go with the athletes they are coaching. It’s the whole involvement, investment of time and interest in the individual and for the coach a measure of how successful their programme has been.

    For me I’m always more interested in the athletes I’m coaching regardless of where they are from, albeit that for me it’s club versus club; region versus region rather than national pride at stake.

    Reply
  2. Fred says

    November 16, 2009 at 12:07 pm

    Stephen Francis is 100% correct. I’d have to go with the athlete over the country if I were a coach. In fact, in track and field it is more engaging when a favorite is competing regardless of the country she or he may be from. Personally, when it comes to World Cup or international soccer, I root for Italy over all countries including the U.S.

    Reply
  3. Jimson Lee says

    November 16, 2009 at 5:28 pm

    @Fred – Now that I’m in Rome, I *HAVE* to root for Italy during World Cup or else I may suffer bodily injury!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Primary Sidebar

Follow Us

  • E-mail
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Shop Our Store

  • Bud Winter (9)
  • Championship Productions (6)
  • Clyde Hart (2)
  • Derek Hansen (1)
  • Electrical Muscle Stimulation (2)
  • Jim Hiserman (5)
  • Jimson Lee (3)
  • Uncategorised (0)

Articles by Category

Products

  • SpeedEndurance Products Jim Hiserman - Developing Distance Runners Volume 2: A Systematic Approach to Developing Individual Success within a Dynamic Team Culture $34.95 $29.95
  • Feed-the-Cats-Clinic-3-Pack-701 'Feed the Cats' Clinic 3-Pack $64.99
  • Tony Holler's Feed the Cats": A Complete Sprint Training Program Tony Holler's "Feed the Cats" Complete Sprint Training Program $49.99
  • Bud Winter and Speed City presents Arthur Lydiard 509x716 Bud Winter & Arthur Lydiard MP3 [Download only] $9.99
  • Globus SprintCoach LE Electrical Muscle Stimulation Globus Electrical Muscle Stimulation SprintCoach SPORT $849.00
  • Globus SprintCoach LE Electrical Muscle Stimulation Globus Electrical Muscle Stimulation SprintCoach SPORT Limited Edition (LE) $949.00

RECENT POSTS

  • Jana Pittman – 400mH World Champion, Bobsleigh, and now Doctor
  • Autogenic/Parasympathetic Breathing Techniques for Recovery & Regeneration – Episode 3
  • PART 2: Viewing the Bio-Motor Abilities of 400m Hurdlers Relative to 800m Runners
  • Remembering Mike Agostini (1935 – 2016)
  • Remembering CharlieFrancis Forum (10 Years later)
  • Microstretching vs PNF vs ELDOA: Live Zoom Chat (Episode 2)
  • Viewing the Bio-Motor Abilities of 400m Hurdlers Relative to 800m Runners (Part 1)
  • A Systematic Approach To Developing Individual Success Within A Dynamic Team Culture
  • How to do Repeat 100m Strides with No Marks or Measurements
  • Testing for Speed, Power, Strength, & Endurance [VIDEO]

Copyright © 2021. SpeedEndurance.com is owned and operated by Aryta Ltd. Privacy Policy