The Athlete's Platform

Portia Bing speaks up for the first time about her non-selection for the Tokyo Olympics.
Portia is the NZ 400m hurdle record holder after beginning her athletics career as a heptathlete, representing NZ and placing 5th at the World Junior Champs, and 16th at the World Champs in 2015 as a 22-year-old. Since turning to the 400mh she has represented NZ at the 2019 World Champs in Doha. 
Although Portia was within the top-40 in the world for her event, warranting a spot at the Olympics, Portia explains why she wasn’t selected, what the appeal process was like, and what needs to happen to prevent the confusion of the selection process from happening again. We also discuss her moving to France to train with decathlon WR holder, Kevin Mayer, and juggling her full-time athletics career and working full-time in law at the Serious Fraud Office.

Instagram: @portiabing (https://www.instagram.com/portiabing/?hl=en) 
Photo of Portia on Cover Photo: PhotoSport

Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
2:51 Early Career as a Heptathlete
7:27 Why the switch to 400m Hurdles?
10:32 Seeing the Professional Side of Athletics in France
13:45 Moving Overseas for your Sport
19:37 Juggling Working in Law with Training
28:38 Olympics – Why I wasn’t selected
39:16 Motivation to train when it feels like opportunities have been removed
49:46 Outro

Jack Edwards is a young Australian sprint coach based in Sydney. He is an English teacher, who through traveling and his own curiosity developed a passion and desire for coaching. He is currently working with a range of athletes, including 100m-400m runners, hurdlers, as well as rugby league and Australian Football players. 

Below are some links to some webinars Jack hosted around various sprinting concepts, as well as “The Imperfect Leader” blog we discuss during the episode.

Instagram: @MetamorphosisTrackProject

Simplifying Sprinting Webinar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeMnkhepyqI 

Understanding Acceleration Webinar: https://youtu.be/ED92_F9MorU 

“The Imperfect Leader” blog: https://jedwards940.wixsite.com/mtproject/post/the-imperfect-leader 

Timestamps:

0:00 Intro

3:27 Introduction to Coaching

7:21 Resources for Coaching Development

13:03 How to Build a Squad of Athletes as a New Coach

17:27 “The Imperfect Leader” – overcoming doubts

24:28 How to turn Athletes into Coaches?

31:04 Creating Opportunities

32:14 Coaching Knowledge and Advice

38:26 Self-coaching vs. his athletes’ programs

41:24 Outro

Quotes/key takeaways:

Surround yourself with good mentors in whatever field you want to get involved in

“If you’re an athlete who’s had good coaches, I think that the first place [to look for information on coaching] would be to understand what the real positives out of those coaching environments or experiences, collate them and take the best of those experiences and move them forward”

Ask for advice from professionals in your industry of interest – “2 cents to them may be 50 bucks to you”

“I’ve never really tried to convince someone [that I should coach them]. I just unashamedly want to put my perspective on the table, and if it’s something that resonates with them, it resonates, if it doesn’t, it doesn’t. 

“If you are cognisant that you are looking after people, and you are extremely thorough in the process and constantly questioning what you’re doing, then I think you can sleep at night and consider yourself ethical that you’re doing the best for the athlete. You’re actually considering what you’re doing rather than just going through the motions”

Don’t just be the person on the sideline stating your opinion. If you want to see a change, get some skin in the game and be a part of that change

“Coaching should be a side hustle that you treat like the main hustle!”

“I think I get more wisdom from non-athletics coaches and more from those generalist coaches, because I think they have really strong principles which can be applied flexibly across multiple environments”

Select good exercises/drills that are sport specific for your athlete, and develop ways (tests/technical KPIs) to measure if your selections are having positive, negative, or no change to your athlete’s development

Jack programs 3-days of training for short sprinters and 4-days for 400m runners (with accessory exercises on off days) – tailor your training to meet your sport’s/event’s demands

A MUST LISTEN episode for anyone interested in the US Collegiate system.

Chris is currently studying and competing in the US on an athletic scholarship at the University of Central Missouri. He’s a 7.73m long jumper, 7.84m windy, and 15.17m triple jumper. Chris was 4th at the NCAA Division 2 nationals, and the MIAA conference champ.

We chat a lot about the US collegiate system, specifically about the div 2 level, getting recruited by US colleges & why he turned down div 1 universities and chose UCM, the athletic and academic opportunities within the NCAA, putting almost 1m on his long jump since being in the US, and how he stays motivated in the sport after falling short of his previous athletics goals.
IG: @Christopher_Goodwin18
7.84m jump: https://www.instagram.com/p/CObm44OsDm7QS8wjR5GGQWPsLjtXvj-mf9nFvw0/
Photo of Chris in the cover photo: UCM Athletics

Timestamps
0:00 Intro
2:43 Finding out about the US
5:12 What’s the recruiting process like? Why University of Central Missouri?
11:31 Choosing NCAA D2 over D1
14:49 Is transferring schools an option?
16:28 Athletic & Academic Opportunities 
20:24 Want More Info?
20:57 Keys to Success in Sport after your teenage years
36:45 Breakthrough Season 
42:06 Staying Motivated & Bouncing Back after Missing Major Goals
45:53 After College? Dealing with being away from home
51:19 Final Piece of Advice
52:11 Outro

Quotes:
“I just went with my gut, if I’m truly honest. I didn’t even look at my pros and cons sheet, and just called the assistant coach… He screamed!”
“In terms of degree options, I was handed a bunch. I changed my major a few times actually. And the best thing is, they were flexible. They allowed me to experience the programs and settle with what I actually liked”
“I believe that patience has set me up to where I am today. Not burning me out when I was young, letting me enjoy other sports, and letting me enjoy track and field in general. So I owe a lot of my progress now to what my dad did back when I was young”
“I didn’t jump further than [7.51m in the first competition of the season] until outdoor nationals where I jumped 7.68m windy. And at that point I am super stoked because it was the World Uni [Games] qualifier – it was windy so it doesn’t count, but for me to get to that point and if I’m going to progress in track and field my first stepping stone was qualifying for World Uni’s, and to jump 7.60m made me feel so good”
“I always believe, consistency breeds big jumps”
“It might be that my ‘Olympics’ could be the Div 2 Nationals, or my ‘Olympics’ might be the World Uni Games, but there’s no cap on the ceiling. You keep working hard, you keep having fun and see where it takes you”

Alisha Lovrich is the photographer for Athletics NZ who travelled with the team to capture all the special moments at the Olympics in Tokyo, the past 2 World Champs, and the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Working in the creative space, Alisha is a real go-getter and has created multiple opportunities for herself by leveraging her skills, continuing to train as a pole vaulter and putting herself out there ‘networking’.
We talk a lot about creating opportunities for yourself through your participation in sports and how to turn a hobby into a full-time profession.

Instagram: @alishalovrich
Website: alishalovrich.com
Alisha's artwork of Eliza McCartney: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IruvX7rsBH0

Photo of Alisha on Cover Photo: Hamish Graham

Timestamps for main points:
0:00 Intro
2:27 Getting into sports & accidentally into sports photography
9:24 Making opportunities for yourself in an industry with limited openings + networking
14:00 Overcoming social pressures
16:23 Taking big chances to get ahead
19:42 Hobby to Full-time Profession – Selling yourself
27:43 Set yourself apart
32:16 Tokyo Olympics Photographer Edition
36:42 Olympic Nerves??
43:56 Favourite Athlete to Photograph
47:59 Final piece of advice
48:31 Outro

Quotes + key take aways:
“When I was going through school trying to decide what I wanted to do at uni, I actually wanted to break away from sport. I thought it’s cool to have that, but I definitely wanted to expand my horizons and not just be in a sports world”

“If I wasn’t for that [photography being compulsory in first-year design program], I would never have bought a camera”

“The work I do with Athletics [New Zealand], I don’t think there I ever a role, I didn’t fill a role, [I almost made the role]”

“You’ve almost got to treat your work like it’s sport. In sport, nothing’s going to be handed to you on a plate, and I’ve treated my career the exact same way”

“I got criticized a lot when I was going through uni from peers for spending so much time at training… But it’s so much more than just training, it’s a lifestyle thing. But me being there a lot started to help as a marketing and network thing… And I’m still getting work from being there today”

“People want to work with people they’re going to like working with, so maybe it’s because I’m not a dick!”

“I’m more nervous for the athletes, and as a fan of the sport, that’s what you’re nervous about, so I try to harness that into my work and project. Some people say if you’re too into the sport you can’t shoot the same, but I’m so thick into it, it helps me grab those emotional things”

Anna Grimaldi is a two-time Paralympic Gold medalist in the Women’s T47 Long Jump (Rio 2016 & Tokyo 2020). She is also the silver and bronze medalist from the World Champs in 2019 and 2015 respectively, and the NZ record holder in the 100, 200, 400 and long jump in her classification, T47. Anna is also the number 2 ranked long jumper in 2021 in NZ among able-bodied athletes. Off the track, Anna was appointed a member of the NZ Order of Merit in 2017 for her services to athletics.
In this episode, Anna and I chat about her classification, T47, what it means and how Para-athletes get classified. Anna explained the importance of role models and representation for her when she was beginning her athletics journey. There were a lot of comparisons discussed between her Rio and Tokyo gold medals. Anna shared her overcoming of mental and physical setbacks, identity issues, post-games depression, and motivation.

Anna's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annakategrimaldi/?hl=en
Photo of Anna in Cover Photo: PhotoSport

Timestamps for main points:
0:00 Intro
2:50 What is T47? Can you cheat the system?
6:53 Becoming a long jumper
12:23 Importance of representation/role models
13:47 Rio Gold vs Tokyo Gold
20:04 Overcoming mental setbacks
23:30 Identity struggles
27:34 Post-Games depression
34:15 Maintaining motivation
38:58 How to help Para-sports grow
43:46 Outro

Quotes + key bits:
“As a kid, and going through into high school as well, sports was kind of my safety net. It was one of those places where I didn’t really feel disabled… It was that safe space where I could really be myself. I was quite shy about having one hand in everyday life as a kid, and so when I went on that netball court there was no hiding, I couldn’t hide, but I also didn’t really want to either”
“It was cool that [Holly Robinson and Jess Hamill] lived in Dunedin and I could kind of see the pathway of getting places. Without being able to see where you can go and see that people have done what you want to do, it can be a bit more tricky”
“I struggled a little bit when I got home [from Rio], because I didn’t necessarily feel I deserved it, or that I was the best in the field… and feeling like I had to prove that I was good enough”
“I was in a funny place. My identity was hung up on that I was the gold medallist, that’s how people knew me, and I couldn’t even do any form of running”
“I spoke to a lot of people and had some pretty average thoughts and conversations where it was ‘poor me’, but I was lucky to have people who were okay to listen to that and show me why I was feeling like that”
“Obviously jumping big was the end goal, but having small goals outside of jumping along the way that weren’t just ‘win in Tokyo’”
“Before Rio I chose to focus on my performance a lot more than seeing friends or going on holidays, and I don’t regret that because it got me to where I am. But it took that break to realise that I was ‘Anna the friend, the sister, the daughter, the student’, so making sure there was time in my week for those things were important”
“I wouldn’t keep going if I felt like I didn’t have bigger jumps in me… and it doesn’t feel like the end”
“This is the first season I’ve felt like a real long jumper, so I don’t feel like it’s been enough for me to figure out my full potential”
“At the end of the day, I just want to be seen as an athlete. I do happen to only have one hand, and I get my own opportunity to represent my country, but I put in the hours just like everyone else. And I think that’s something that isn’t necessarily understood”
“I didn’t know about the Paralympics until I was about 16, and if I’d known about it when I was 6, and been able to see people jumping with one hand, what a difference that would have made to my confidence and making me feel like I’m not the only one like this”

Hamish Kerr is a New Zealand Olympian in the high jump. He holds the NZ record with a jump of 2.31m, he’s the Oceanian Champ, 6x National Champion, he’s competed at the World Champs, Diamond League meets, and a really strong contender for a Commonwealth medal next year as well as global medals over the next few cycles. 

In this episode we chat about the positive impact of diversity in training, what brought Hamish back to the sport after a couple of years away, goal setting, mental preparation and, of course, Olympic chat. An extremely insightful chat with a guy who has his head screwed on!

Photo credit for Hamish’s headshot in cover photo: Alisha Lovrich

Timestamps for main points:
0:00 Introduction
3:27 Youth sports & training diversity
10:03 Stepping away from high jump
17:56 2.14m high schooler to 2.31m NZ record holder
22:18 Goal setting
24:49 Olympic chat
30:47 Building trust & comp advice
35:41 Mental preparation/development
41:42 Final piece of advice
42:40 Outro

Quotes + key bits:

“I love getting the competitive juices flowing and jump into events I may not be as comfortable with” … “I like to prove people wrong and show them that to be world-class in any event, you have to be a world-class athlete”

“The cross over between events is quite strong. The physical components might be slightly different, but the mental side of it and how you conduct yourself in the competition crosses over. You can learn a lot (from competing in other events and against other athletes)”

“The physical attribute all the top guys have are next level. Being an amazingly physically gifted athlete just gets you in the door (on the world level)”

“When I came back into the sport, that was my decision. No one told me that I had to, and no one pushed me into it, I made that decision. That’s what I hold on to when the going gets tough and when I have hard times. I know what life is like without my sport.”

“Work out whether you’re doing it for you, or if you’re doing it for someone else.”

“If you have any cracks or chinks in your armour when you get into that pressure situation, they will get exposed.”

“My main focus going into the Games was making sure I was in a great headspace with my relationships with my family and friends and understanding who I am – my flaws and what I’m great at.”

“It’s just a high jump bar at the end of the day and you have to remind yourself of that… If you don’t have your life together before the Games, you’re not going to after”

“One of my massive values in life is trust. Behind the scenes, in training and preparation with Terry and others in my team, I’m quite controlling. It’s about developing a system which will work when it’s under pressure.” 

“I feel a lot of pressure and I’m very hard on myself when no one is watching and in training because those are the times that make the difference. Then competition is the time to have fun, nothing’s going to change what happens”

“I know I could bomb or could do amazingly well. They’re still going to love me. I could win Olympic gold and they’re not going to love me any more. I could no height and they’re not going to love me any less. That’s what gives me the freedom”

“Be happy with who you are as a human before you’re happy with who you are as an athlete”

Welcome to The Athlete's Platform! I'm your host, Aaron Booth, and this is a short episode to give you a brief introduction to who I am, what The Athlete's Platform is, and my plans for it in the future.

I'm extremely excited to begin this journey and create a community within sports in NZ where we can promote and educate athletes, and discuss topics that athletes, coaches, and yourself want to see changes to.


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