Former world 1500m finalist nonetheless likes to drag on his racing spikes when he isn’t main coaching periods, lecturing, occasion organising, asserting or commentating
On the peak of his observe profession James Thie was a world, European and Commonwealth 1500m finalist. Now a senior lecturer in sport administration and efficiency at Cardiff Metropolitan College, in addition to head coach for Coopah, he’s a a number of masters world champion and coach to a profitable group of athletes that features present and alumni college students from each Cardiff Met and Cardiff College.
Along with his core coaching group, Thie additionally hosts a midweek ‘run membership’ – an open observe night time for runners of all skills inside the local people – and is a revered occasion organiser, announcer and commentator.
How did you get into teaching and who did you be taught from?
I used to be fortunate to have some wonderful college and membership experiences by means of numerous coaches after I was creating, however I used to be pretty distinctive in that for many of my grownup aggressive profession I used to be self-coached.
Mark Rowland coached me for round 18 months in 2001 and I realized an enormous quantity in that point. I rapidly realised that there was no simple path to success, no magic wand.
I began my very own teaching journey in 2008 whereas I used to be nonetheless competing [as a senior athlete]. The Scottish athlete David Bishop was seeking to enhance his 1500m time and he requested me if I may assist him run 3:45 to get a scholarship to the US. I’d by no means coached anybody aside from myself, however I bear in mind pondering: “Let’s simply do what I’ve been doing and tweak it”. It labored as a result of he hit the time and bought the scholarship. He was my first cost and it was good as a result of it went full circle – when he returned to the UK I coached him to the Commonwealth Video games in Glasgow in 2014.
James Thie (Mark Shearman)
I started taking care of college college students at Cardiff Met across the identical time as working with David. I ended up teaching athletes who different folks wouldn’t coach, or those that didn’t have coaches. I felt so lucky to have these athletes as a result of, though they didn’t realise it, I used to be studying by means of them. Each coach has to start out someplace, and by teaching somebody. It’s a type of issues; you solely ever be taught by means of observe, you be taught by means of folks and truly very often you solely be taught by means of errors.
At first I had foreign money as being an athlete so folks had been coming to me due to that. Though I’ve by no means stopped being an athlete, they’re now coming to me as a result of they consider me as a coach and that’s a pleasant feeling.
Reputations are exhausting to construct up, however I wish to suppose that the proof is within the environments you create. If athletes get pleasure from what you’re doing, and in the event that they’re bettering or experiencing success due to it, you then’re doing one thing proper. When you create an setting that’s not pleasurable however individuals are having a great deal of success, the second that success begins to hit just a few highway bumps then teams crumble. It’s the identical the opposite method; if folks benefit from the coaching setting however they’re not bettering or getting success, then these teams can crumble, too.
James Thie, Clare Elms, Andrew Ridley
What’s your teaching philosophy?
I’ve all the time liked serving to individuals who ask for assist, and that’s on the core of my philosophy. I feel it goes again to being self-coached; I need to be the coach for others that I might have needed for myself.
Finally it’s about being there for my athletes, supporting them to be one of the best they are often whereas additionally ensuring they’re wholesome, joyful and having fun with the game.
Teaching student-athletes can current totally different challenges to these skilled by membership or skilled group coaches. What challenges have you ever confronted and the way have you ever navigated these?
It’s an enchanting one and I’d wish to suppose I’ve principally bought it proper. When athletes come to school right here they typically have their very own coaches [at home], in contrast to within the US the place their school coach turns into their coach. The concept of our group in Cardiff is that anybody can soar into periods, however there’s not an assumption that I’ll coach an athlete simply because they’ve moved right here.
Piers Copeland [2019 European U23 silver medallist] is an efficient instance. On the time [he came to Cardiff Met] I used to be teaching Jake Heyward [2022 European silver medallist and Welsh 1500m record-holder] and folks assumed Piers would come to me, however he was joyful together with his “house” coach Bob Smith who’s good, so he would simply soar in each few periods with us. That’s a win-win as a result of he had his personal set-up that was working rather well, however he felt like he might be a part of our group and will take part on coaching periods with us, too.
Piers Copeland beats Callum Elson and Adam Fogg (Getty)
It’s a little bit of a rotating door with college college students. You don’t personal any athletes. Athletes may come to Cardiff Met or Cardiff Uni then go off to do a Masters within the US. After they come again I’d find yourself selecting them again up, or they find yourself going someplace else, but when they’re nonetheless working, nonetheless progressing and nonetheless having fun with it – and if I’ve been a part of that – then that’s nice.
One other problem for student-athletes is shifting away from house and the transition to dwelling alone. As a college coach it’s one of many hidden points we’ve got to take care of. With coach training we speak about programming, planning, all of that, however pastoral care is essential and goes again to my philosophy of caring for athletes and looking for them.
We’re fortunate to have an important group in Cardiff and I wish to suppose that new college students really feel a part of one thing right away. I maintain them on the grass for so long as potential and we attempt to keep away from the observe within the first few months as a result of it’s a bit too prescribed. I simply need to maintain athletes wholesome and joyful in that first block as a result of there’s nothing worse than selecting up an damage within the first two to a few weeks of college.
Merthyr Mawr (Mark Shearman)
We go right down to Merthyr Mawr sand dunes close to Bridgend [made famous by Steve Ovett] virtually religiously each October, just a few weeks after the scholars begin college. After the session the athletes fiddle within the sea. I bear in mind years in the past one of many college students mentioned to me: “That is one of the best factor I’ve carried out since I began college”. She nonetheless runs now and that sticks with me. It’s the change of setting, you’re out of Cardiff working barefoot on the sand. I used to like happening there myself and it actually made me take into consideration the influence of that have, particularly for brand spanking new college students.
It may be exhausting as a coach since you need to maximise a runner’s potential. I may throw 100 miles per week in any respect my athletes, however just a few would succeed. I feel I’m typically responsible of under-cooking folks however that usually results in them having an extended profession within the sport they usually get pleasure from it extra. It’s about ensuring that they’ve all the time bought someplace to go, that there’s all the time room for development.
What, if something, has modified in teaching because you first bought concerned?
The basics haven’t modified, however I’m continuously studying. The Norwegian double-threshold, the impact of tremendous sneakers. You must evolve, it’s important to change, or in any other case you’re carried out for as a coach.
James Thie in Budapest 2014 (Tom Phillips)
What’s one of the best piece of recommendation you’d cross on to new or aspiring coaches?
Coaches, or individuals who need to coach, must get out and get teaching expertise. There are such a lot of totally different teams on the market that want volunteer coaches they usually don’t survive with out them. Individuals have this unrealistic expectation that you just’re going to stroll straight right into a paid job or a paid teaching function, however there are so few paid alternatives on the market.
I look again on the time after I was teaching college students as an “unknown” coach and there was no strain, no expectations. I really bear in mind in 2010, two years after I’d began teaching, I out of the blue had this large group and I mentioned to my spouse: “I by no means deliberate for this to occur.”
It was by no means my objective to have such a giant group or the driving pressure for my teaching, however the group simply grew organically. The athletes had been the voice of the group they usually grew to become the recruiters, reasonably than me.
It’s additionally essential to have a great help community round you – mates, companions and so on, and to make use of mentors. Teaching is time-consuming, so these closest to that you must perceive how difficult it may be.
James Thie (Paul Stillman)
What’s essentially the most priceless lesson you’ve realized in your teaching profession?
It’s a rollercoaster of feelings however the highs are unbelievable they usually maintain you going by means of among the decrease moments in sport. Finally that you must get pleasure from it and that you must keep genuine to your self.
Don’t ever put success as absolutely the driver. When you create the correct setting and also you get pleasure from what you do then success will come from that, but it surely shouldn’t be to the detriment of the athletes, their well being, your well being or your loved ones’s well being. You need it to be long-term so that you must have a stability to make it sustainable.
Lastly, although teaching may be all-consuming, there’s all the time time to coach! I nonetheless run [and compete] as a result of I like the game and I feel that’s a great instance to set to my youngsters and the athletes I coach.
I really feel actually lucky that athletics has given, and continues to present, my youngsters a constructive expertise, even unknowingly. My daughter Bella now involves our open observe night time each Wednesday with a few her mates. I mainly simply blow a whistle they usually run, however there’s a pleasant collective of individuals – up-and coming younger athletes, dad and mom and their youngsters – and it’s only a good method of giving one thing again to the group. For me, it’s additionally time with Bella and meaning loads.
» This text first appeared within the November concern of AW journal. Subscribe to AW journal right here, try our new podcast right here or signal as much as our digital archive of again points from 1945 to the current day right here
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