 How did you get started in Canoe/Kayak?
I began paddling with my family before I was 5 years old. The rule was that we must learn to swim before we could paddle. My early canoe/kayak experiences were recreational—going out on the Potomac River upstream of Washington, DC for picnics, paddling in the currents and little rapids around the islands, surfing small waves, stalking ducks and geese, looking for turtles, snakes, wildlife tracks, flowers; jumping in to swim in the whitewater.
My dad is a field geologist- we traveled a lot related to his job, and nature was a huge focal part of our lives. We would take canoes and kayaks with us on these trips, and did some canoe/camping/hiking in the Western US each summer. When we were really small, my brother Davey and I would sit in the middle of a 17-foot open canoe while our parents did most of the paddling. Davey and I enjoyed paddling, and also were interested in dragging our paddles or hands in the water to create whirlpools, unintentionally giving our parents a resistance workout. The family compromise was that we could drag our socks in the water—less resistance, but still a tool for learning about hydrodynamics.
My first competition came when I was 9 or 10, in club races with the Canoe Cruisers Association in the Washington, DC area. Some guys in the club designed and built a ¾-size C1 (single decked canoe) which was a bonanza for the kids in the club. Paddling a boat that is your size when you are a kid, it is easy to integrate the boat with your body. These little boats let us be true paddling water creatures, and to learn very quickly. Some of my early racing was in pairs with my dad, who always gave me the option of resting when I got tired. I never wanted to rest. I was motivated to do my share. Most of the active paddlers in this large club participated in a variety of canoe/kayak disciplines, so I was exposed to a buffet of canoe/kayak activity from the beginning.
You went from an athlete to a coach. How difficult was that transition?
I began doing some coaching quite early in my athletic career. My early coaches were club members, and later we did a lot of peer coaching. When I was 16, I worked at Valley Mill Camp, run by the family of Jamie McEwan (Olympic Bronze, ’72), as an instructor in their strong canoe/kayak program. From there I coached regularly in club programs, a national youth development program and always exchanged coaching with my peers. I coached kids’ programs in a couple of other sports.
As a World and Olympic level athlete, I consistently mixed coaching with my athletic career—it was a way to support my athletics, a way to share my love for the sport, and provided invaluable perspective which helped me to improve as an athlete. From the time I won the World Championships in 1979, I also did some limited coaching in other countries. This gave me insight into other programs, which helped me to progress as both athlete and coach.
I created my own major in college, Physiology and Psychology of Athletic Performance, attending Hampshire College, studying with professors at UMass-Amherst, teaching and coaching canoe/kayak, while at the same time training and winning medals at the world-class level.
After the Atlanta Olympics, I studied to become a Feldenkrais practitioner and teacher. This study and practice made me a much more effective coach, giving me a base of knowledge in somatic education as well as tools for helping athletes to prevent injury, to recover and to develop technique.
As my athletic career wound down, I knew that I wanted to coach full-time. I was not hired to coach in the limited available US jobs. While working as a club coach and putting together short-term camps and trips for other entities, I was offered an awesome opportunity.
Out of the blue in the spring of 2003, I got an email from an Italian friend offering me a job as Technical Director for the Italian National Slalom Team. Interestingly, the Italians valued the fact that I was still a competent slalomist, and actually expected me to do some training with athletes in conjunction with the coaching. This was contrary to the message I had gotten about coaching at the top level in the US. In fact, I had prepared well for the Italian job, and it helped me to seamlessly progress from athlete to coach.
By the time I coached (for Italy) at the Athens Olympics, I had little conflict about being on the shore vs. on the race course. I was fully intrigued and engaged in the process of collaboration between coach, support staff and athletes. Despite spoken language limitations, it was extraordinarily easy for me to imagine, sense and communicate the technical requirements demanded of the paddlers. Being an integral part of their process of training and performing was both immensely challenging and satisfying.
Your sport has two different types of equipment (Canoe and Kayak) and two different types of water (flatwater and slalom), what are the requirements in your sport for an athlete to be successful?
In whitewater slalom, a successful athlete will have an ability to work hard mixed with a sense of efficiency. Artistry with the water (reading the water, using the water to one’s advantage, sense of glide) are invaluable in this sport—and are difficult to teach.
Intelligence, critical thinking and decision-making, ability to react appropriately to minute changes in the water are also important. Applicable strength, appropriate body mechanics and the ability to use the boat and paddle as if they are extensions of one’s body) are essential. Quickness balanced with patience and the ability to control emotion and manage energy are also part of the puzzle. The true greats are capable of inventing and perfecting new technique appropriate to their physical and psychological makeup.
You spent some time in Europe coaching. How does your European experience compare to your US experience?
There are some very significant differences in the systems. There is a very strong tradition of excellence in Italian sport, and no less in whitewater slalom. Italian culture puts social value on the “Renaissance Man (Woman)” model, which in turn produces great slalomists. A mix of intelligence, creativity, critical (even contrary) thinking, curiosity, interest in things that are different, lack of aversion to hard work while seeing the value of efficiency—all of these things are valuable in reaching the top of the slalom world.
Relative to the US, the level of athlete professionalism is striking, with greater funding, expectations, and responsibilities. Italian athletes were expected to perform at their appropriate level in order to move ahead to the next event, especially in the lower national team ranks. All staff, whether paid or volunteer, were expected to embody a level of professionalism. Work and play time were clearly defined, and both were considered essential. Staff mental health/physical activity/relaxation breaks were encouraged and valued. At each level (from junior to Olympic), team members and staff spent a lot of time living together on the road. In the team, we cultivated a strong atmosphere of family, of support and acceptance of individual quirks and personalities. We put big emphasis on meal time, as well as scheduled rest/relaxation, sightseeing, and other diversions. Always the priority was on the quality of training leading to performance, with appropriate balance.
In the area of actual coaching, my lack of Italian fluency was a blessing in disguise. With limited common language, both parties must give some benefit of doubt to each other. The tone of voice and body language are essential cues. I spent a lot of time observing the athletes, at rest, at meals, in training, and realized that I had a lot of information available to me in this way. Now that I am coaching in the US, I find solutions in returning to the situation in Italy. Saying less, communicating more. Observing more, talking less. Not always easy to do, but worth it.
Tells us about your “new” facility in Charlotte. How is it helping your athletes?
USACK is based in Charlotte, NC and the community has been greatly supportive of Canoe/Kayak through the years. The high point of this support was the conception and creation of the US National Whitewater Center, a multi-sport complex in Charlotte, containing the most extensive man-made whitewater course in the world. More details about the USNWC can be found at www.usnwc.org.
The most valuable thing about the USNWC in terms of day-to-day training is the nature of the course. We in the US have very few artificial whitewater courses, and yet virtually all of our important international competition is contested on these courses. The USNWC has in its first year of operation proven its ability to help our athletes perform better on world-wide artificial courses. The location of the Center in a sizeable urban area means that there are schools, jobs and other necessary support essentials in place for our training athletes as well as to provide infrastructure for major events.
A prime benefit of the USNWC is the expanded exposure slalom and the Olympic movement are getting by virtue of being the centerpiece attraction for people coming out to run, walk, bike, climb, raft or eat in the restaurant at the Center. In fact, all of the sports available at the Center will benefit as people in the community become more aware of and involved in these outdoor sports. The largest potential overall benefit will be increased physical activity and improved physical fitness of the local population. As community awareness and support increase, we anticipate elevated business support as well.
What piece of advice would you give to a young coach getting into coaching either in Canoe/Kayak or any other sport?
Find mentors and models to consult and to learn from. Your models and mentors may not always be more experienced than you—in fact, they may be beginners or children.
- Cultivate your own style and keep it evolving.
- Put yourself in your athlete’s shoes and simultaneously strive to have more vision than may be possible from that position.
- Honor tradition and be courageous in striking new ground.
- Be an observer. Move in the direction of possibility more often than conclusion.
- Keep records.
- Reflect critically and creatively.
What is the best coaching book that you have ever read or that you would strongly recommend to another coach?
I currently have 3 favorites:
- VINCERE CON LA MENTE, Guiseppe Vercelli, 2005. ISBN: 88-7928-795-8
- FLOW in SPORTS, Susan A. Jackson + Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi,1999. ISBN: 0-88011-876-8
- PERIODIZATION, Tudor O.Bompa, PhD, 1999. ISBN: 0-88011-851-2
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