Dedication, athleticism serve to inspire those who work with athletes
As a strength and conditioning coach, there is an expectation that you inspire athletes. This inspiration doesn’t come from your own personal achievements, but how you stoke the fire within each athlete, motivating them to find their own inspiration.
But every once and a while you get to be a part of something special and you find that your athletes inspire you. This season, I have had several of these moments and I can’t help but be in awe of our athletes at the Alberta Sport Development Centre — Southeast.
Most recently, on March 24, Medicine Hat hosted the RBC Training Grounds at the Family Leisure Centre. This event saw more than 75 athletes from southern Alberta show up to test their athletic ability. They did not disappoint. The athletes from Medicine Hat did outstanding and it was exciting to watch and cheer for our ASDC athletes. One of the most impressive efforts I witnessed was Sophia Nowicki from Lethbridge setting the national record for the shuttle run, beating the previous record by hitting Stage 13.1. Sophia made the majority of the beep test look easy. And when it got hard, she pushed; she pushed until she couldn’t take another step.
It is rare to truly see an athlete perform a maximal effort. Somewhere along the way, the brain gives up before the body. This was not the case for Sophia. In fact, her brain thought she could keep going and she thought she could’ve done better. Her resilience and drive was more impressive than the outcome.
At the end of the day, I walked away from this event hoarse from cheering and incredibly proud of each athlete. It was one of those moments that reminds me why I love my job.
The success and inspiration doesn’t stop there. This season we have had athletes not only represent Medicine Hat in the Alberta Winter Games, but win gold medals. Athletes have qualified for national championships, set records, and the bantam AAA South East Athletic Club Tigers made the playoffs for the first time in years.
Although the success of these athletes is impressive, it is not the outcome that is inspirational. It is the effort and dedication that these young athletes put in that inspires me as a coach. How many 14 year-olds show up to train at 6:30 a.m. twice a week before school? I can name seven that have shown up all year long. Twice a week, every week.
There are days when I would love to stay in bed, and I’m sure they would like to as well, but their dedication inspires me and not only do we all show up, we bring our best selves. I’m inspired to be the best coach I can be, because they put the effort in to be the best athletes they can be. The success that all these athletes have had this year is just a bonus, but I’m excited and grateful to be able to witness it. Thank you for the inspiration.
Alex Graham, corrective exercise specialist, is a strength and conditioning coach at Alberta Sport Development Centre’s Performance Enhancement Team and can be reached via email at agraham@mhc.ab.ca.