Noted coach still on track

Christina Ashton
Christina Ashton
Competing in a  star-studded 100m field at the Caledonian Ground in 2002 are (from left) Cory...
Competing in a star-studded 100m field at the Caledonian Ground in 2002 are (from left) Cory Innes, Chris Donaldson, Andrew Moore, Dallas Roberts and Lachie McLachlan. Brent Ward coached all five sprinters. Photo by Peter McIntosh
Liz Wilson
Liz Wilson
Andrea Miller
Andrea Miller
Anna Grimaldi
Anna Grimaldi
Andrew Whyte’s personal-best in the 400m is 46.25sec, which is the Otago senior record and sixth...
Andrew Whyte’s personal-best in the 400m is 46.25sec, which is the Otago senior record and sixth-fastest time in New Zealand history. Photos from ODT files.
Brent Ward at the Caledonian Ground recently. Photo by Gregor Richardson.
Brent Ward at the Caledonian Ground recently. Photo by Gregor Richardson.

Brent Ward might have coached athletics for more than half his life, but he has no plans on giving up any time soon. Robert van Royen caught up with him at the Caledonian Ground to see what makes him tick.

For 37 years, Brent Ward has been doing what he loves - coaching.

During that time, he has coached some of New Zealand's best athletes, including hurdler Andrea Miller and sprinter Chris Donaldson.

He does not know exactly how many athletes he has coached in almost four decades, but he usually has 20-30 in his squad at any one time.

His current crop of 22 includes 400m runner Andrew Whyte (21), talented hurdlers Christina Ashton (18) and Maddy Spence (18), sprinters Caitlyn George (17) and Rory O'Neill (18), para athlete Anna Grimaldi (18) and masters runner Liz Wilson (52).

Ward, who was born in Dunedin and educated at Otago Boys' High School, works with his athletes six days a week for about 15 hours.

That includes gym and track sessions, writing programmes, catching up with them individually and meeting carded athletes (those supported financially through High Performance Sport New Zealand) and their support crews.‘‘I like it because it has that real extra challenge,'' Ward says.

‘‘It's got to be one of the hardest sports, where every time you have got a stopwatch or a measuring tape there.

‘‘In a game of football or rugby you can tick over and no-one would know if you have a bit of a toothache or something, but on the track it stands out.''

Ward has plenty of talent to work with. Wilson is a 100m, 200m and 400m world champion in the 50-54 years section, while Whyte is one of the fastest 400m runners in New Zealand history.

Ashton is one of the top 100m hurdlers in the country, and won the junior race at the national championships in Wellington earlier this year.

Grimaldi boasts a stack of national para records and recently won bronze in the long jump at the para world championships in Doha, while Spence and George have won medals at national championships and Oceania junior championships respectively.

Some of Ward's former charges have soared to greater heights on the world stage.

Miller was the most notable, winning bronze in the 100m hurdles at the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games.

She transferred her physiotherapy degree from Auckland to Dunedin to train under Ward a few years before the games, and arrived with ‘‘a lot of back problems'', Ward said.

However, he changed Miller's training regime and focused on her technique, which also led to her winning bronze at the World University Games in Belgrade in 2009.

Miller still holds the national 100m hurdles record (13.10sec), set in Switzerland in 2009.

Ward also coached Donaldson, who unexpectedly reached the finals of both the 100m and 200m at the 1998 Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games.

Donaldson still holds the national 200m record (20.42sec), and has clocked the second-fastest 100m (10.17sec) in New Zealand history behind Gus Nketia (10.11sec).

Ward still keeps in touch with Donaldson and said Donaldson was like a brother to the three daughters - Josie, Kerry and Gemma - he has with wife Sandy.

Donaldson now works as a fitness coach for the Black Caps, and he and Ward share training tips. Sprinter Dallas Roberts, originally from Timaru, also competed under Ward at the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games.

Roberts failed to make the final, but won 100m and 200m silver medals at the 1996 junior world championships in Australia. He was also a regular in national relay squads in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Other athletes Ward coached who competed in Commonwealth Games were sprinter Zion Armstrong and hurdlers Rowena Welford and Grant McNeill.

Former Olympic selector and Otago Boys' head of physical education Ossie Johnson got Ward into coaching when he was still a pupil at the school.

‘‘A young chap came to school and he [Johnson] wanted me to help him,'' Ward reflects.

‘‘I didn't know about this coaching stuff. He just said to do a warm-up with him. From there, I went to courses and things like that.''

Back then, Ward was still competing himself. He tried most events before settling on the 400m and 800m as a junior.

However, Ward decided he wanted to get into coaching in his first year in seniors, which meant he had to give up competing.

‘‘I realised I couldn't do both. It's one of those things: the more you put into it, the more you get out of it, by a country mile.''

Ward got stuck into coaching and eventually became a carded coach, which means he gets support from High Performance Sport New Zealand.

‘‘There is support there if you want to keep going through courses and various things,'' Ward says.‘‘But at the end of the day, you have just got to keep doing the work. It's a small world as far as information goes now.

‘‘Some people I like working with around the world have got good ideas and [I] follow their programme. But I try not to go with change with new fads.

‘‘I've been lucky enough to see all around the world and meet some amazing people. That always keeps you going, which is good.''

In addition to coaching, Ward works part-time for Sport Otago as a skills-to-swim co-ordinator.

Like most sports, the number of people competing in athletics has taken a hit in recent years. Various factors are behind this, including the fact there are more sports available (futsal is one example).

Ward says people think twice before signing up to sports that involve commitment, something athletics requires a lot of.

‘‘It's the hardest sport.‘‘There are talented ones there, but those that are very good stay because they are getting their milestones.

‘‘For a lot of others, they can look at some easier sports or recreation things and get enjoyment out of that.‘‘I think track and field has got so much to offer.''Ward and his athletes have plenty to look forward to this season.

The national track and field championships, which double as an Olympic qualifier, will be held in early March.

There are also the national masters track and field championships, Otago secondary school championships, Otago-Southland secondary school championships and South Island secondary school championships.

Ward will be working hard with his athletes to ensure they peak for the crunch part of the season, the time when

the hard work hopefully results in medals.

Winning medals and representing New Zealand on the world stage is something Ward's athletes have made a habit of.

 

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