Long-serving local coach Peter Ashton reflects on a
coaching career which has spanned four decades, at the
McMillan Hockey Turf earlier this week. Photo by Stephen
Jaquiery.
Long-serving hockey coach Peter Ashton is just one of
those blokes who is always there in the background helping out.
Whether that is to explain the rules, provide some technical
advice or just offer a friendly word of support, the
62-year-old has been there to chip in whenever needed for the
past 40 or so years.
A fine player in his own right, the University Club stalwart
was selected in the New Zealand squad which prepared for the
1972 Olympic Games in Munich.
He never got to go, though. He "screwed" his knee while
playing a social game of rugby. He should have known better,
of course.
Many years earlier, his coach at Macandrew Intermediate
School had warned him he had too much potential to risk
throwing it all away with an injury on the rugby field.
That was 1960 and Ashton fell in love with the game and has
never stopped playing. Last year he joined three of his mates
- Warren Leonard, John Daniel and Robbie Green - in the New
Zealand grand masters team (60-plus) at an international
tournament in Cape Town, South Africa.
When you have played as long as Ashton has, passion, drive
and the will to push yourself to the limit are just givens.
But off the field it is the people who have kept Ashton
inspired and involved as long as he has been. And, arguably,
that is where he has made his greatest contribution.
"I don't rate myself as a great coach. Other people seemed to
do so, but I think I'm more of a people person," Ashton
replied when asked what he gets out of standing on the
sideline year after year.
"It is the people, it's the encouragement, it's getting a
team together and getting them up. I thoroughly enjoy that
side of it."
Ashton's long coaching resume includes stints at national
level and in the National Hockey League. He has assisted with
the New Zealand Universities team, and, with four children,
he had his share of coaching school teams. But it is his
beloved University Club which brings a twinkle to his eye.
"It is club stuff which is the backbone and where the most
interest is. You're here [the McMillan Hockey Turf] week in
week out - standing out here until 9 o'clock at night and you
can feel the frost coming up through you. That's the real
tough coaching.
"If you have a team for a tournament you can get them all
keyed up for it. But the club tournament goes for 20-25 weeks
and you have so many different personalities to encourage and
get the best out of. Winning a competition like that is such
an achievement. It has probably been the highlight."
A fit man, Ashton's drive to compete is never far from the
surface.
"I like to see who can handle the last five minutes of a
final - that's what I love. I love a 1-all game with 10
minutes to go. I love playing in them and I love coaching in
them."
Ashton said he had great coaches such as Graham Haase and
Barry Berkeley who had helped inspire him. They helped plant
a seed in his mind, and giving something back to the sport
and passing on his knowledge is what drives him to turn up
night after night.
"I guess you hope that someone might remember that the sport
had a bald-headed coach in Dunedin who gave a bit of
encouragement," he said.
Hockey guru
- Peter Ashton
•
Age:
62
•
Sport: Hockey
•
Roles: NHL co-coach 2006 and 2005, has assisted with
New Zealand University teams, and too many representative, club
and school coaching roles to list.
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