Triathlon

What is the secret to coaching Olympic champions and Ironman champions? It is like coaching a 100m and marathon runner?

The Art of Coaching: Unleashing Champion Potential

Hey there, Tim at, thanks for that question. Flattering to have a question like that coming from a champion athlete. Like yourself. Of course. I don't know that there's a secret to being a champion coach, you know, when you've worked for a long time, as a coach over 30 years myself, you see a lot of different athletes and you get very good at distilling. What their strengths are, what their areas of needs are and curating a program and a progression. And Measuring a progression, that highlights the attributes of that athlete. And then, of course, experience preparing them for the day and the race and assessing their competition and and giving them hopefully, the confidence to be able to unlock their potential on the course. And I guess the other thing I'd say is one of the roles of the coaches just to be, you know, a steadying force and a bit of a rock. And and that comes with experience to knowing how to handle yourself in high-pressure Championship environment. It's so that's probably just scratching the surface, but hope that's helpful.

There is no secret to being a champion coach. It requires experience in distilling an athlete's strengths and needs, curating programs that highlight those attributes, preparing them for the day and race, assessing the competition and giving them the confidence to unlock their potential. The other role of the coach is to be a steadying force in high-pressure championship environments.

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As a coach with over 30 years of experience, I don't believe there is a secret to coaching Olympic champions and Ironman champions. It's a process of understanding each athlete's strengths and areas of improvement, and creating a tailored program that highlights their attributes. Progression and measuring growth are essential aspects of coaching.

Preparing athletes for their races involves assessing the competition, instilling confidence, and unlocking their potential on the course. Additionally, a coach serves as a steady and supportive presence, especially in high-pressure championship environments.

While this just scratches the surface, I hope it provides some insight into the coaching process.

I’m on the PTO athlete board. What would your top one or two requests that you’d like to see from the PTO this year? Where can we help you the most?

PTO's Potential: Evolution in Athlete Compensation & Branding Opportunities

Thanks for asking for feedback. And first of all, I just want to commend PTO for what they are building and helping me sport to grow and emerge. I can remember the early days of the sport where there was a small handful of athletes who made a living and and that was about it. Whereas I feel like now there is maybe where you call an emerging middle class within our Sports athletes who can at least survive and get by while they pursue their Dreams, but I will also say it's tough. As a coach to go to some of these events and see some really, really good athletes. Dedicated athletes high-quality talented athletes race their hearts out have good, have good performances and not get paid or not, get paid very much and knowing that they're running a deficit because you know, there's only so much of a lifespan for those athletes in the sport before they have to find other career options. So obviously I'm paying a little bit Is an easy answer or more guaranteed. Money for athletes showing up, is a great, easy answer. It would be interesting in a long range to look at an evolution or sport where they're actually tiered levels of professional racing. Much like a Formula, 1 Formula, to Formula Three or in ice hockey as a Canadian. I love ice hockey, NHL AHL Regional, professional leagues, where? And you can see the starting to evolve with these Regional championships with big purses but whether it's actually kind of a senior touring League of the cream of the crop, but there's also a development league which is capped and the top athletes, don't come down and cherry pick, but the developing group or the, you know, aspiring group are battling it out to score points to get into the senior circuit. So I think that would be a positive development for sport and I guess the last thing I would say is continuing opportunities for athletes to To build their brand to have opportunities for digital marketing. Whether it's driving social, eyeballs to their own personal social, or to their sponsor Partners or creating digital branding opportunities within the broadcasts themselves, highlights on that athletes sponsor while they're performing on screen that kind of a thing. So there's my feedback. Hope it goes somewhere.

PTO is doing a great job with helping to grow the sport. It would be great to have more guaranteed money for athletes and also look into having tiered levels of professional racing (e.g. Formula 1, 2 and 3). Additionally, it would be beneficial to create digital marketing opportunities for athletes to help them build their brand.

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Thank you for asking for feedback. Firstly, I want to commend the PTO for their efforts in building and supporting the growth of our sport. I remember when only a small handful of athletes could make a living from it, but now we have an emerging middle class of athletes who can at least sustain themselves while pursuing their dreams. However, it's still tough to see talented athletes give their all in races and not receive adequate compensation. So, my top requests would be:

1. More guaranteed and fair compensation for athletes. It would be great to see increased financial support for athletes who show up and perform well at events. This would help them cover their expenses and ensure they are not running at a deficit.

2. Exploring the possibility of tiered levels of professional racing. Similar to other sports like Formula racing or ice hockey, having a senior touring league for the top athletes and a development league for aspiring athletes could be a positive development. This would provide opportunities for athletes to progress and earn their way into the senior circuit.

Additionally, I believe it's important to continue providing opportunities for athletes to build their personal brands and engage in digital marketing. This could involve driving social media traffic to their profiles or sponsor partners, as well as incorporating digital branding opportunities within broadcasts, such as highlighting an athlete's sponsor during their performance on screen.

These are my suggestions and I hope they can contribute to the ongoing growth and support of athletes in our sport.

How can you display leadership if you’re not in a leadership position?

Unleashing Leadership Potential Without the Title

Being appointed to a leadership position doesn't necessarily mean that someone innately has those leadership characteristics or qualities. And when I think about some of the amazing athletes and teammates over the years who were great leaders or other coaches that I look up to and aspired to be like the three characteristics for me were mentorship, role, modeling and inspiring. And those things are all the net sum of how someone carries himself. Day in and day out at practice and in professional environments. So the athlete who shows up ready to work, but sir work boots on. Always brings a positive attitude. Doesn't externalize any - talk or verbalize. Anything that maybe takes energy away from their teammates pushes through a pretty sad and and keeps their head down and keeps going that's, that's really inspiring as well. And then somebody who actually, It's the time to altruistic lie. Just help somebody who is up-and-coming whether that's an up-and-coming coach and in my case or an up-and-coming athlete in the case of being a great teammate and takes that time just to answer questions, make suggestions and provide just great guidance.

To be a great leader, one should show up ready to work and with a positive attitude, have a selfless attitude by helping those who are up-and-coming, and take the time to provide guidance and answer questions.

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Leadership is not limited to holding a formal leadership position. It's about displaying certain characteristics and qualities that inspire and influence others. Three key ways to demonstrate leadership, regardless of your position, are through mentorship, role modeling, and inspiring others.

Mentorship involves taking the time to guide and support others, whether they are up-and-coming teammates or colleagues. This can include answering questions, providing suggestions, and offering valuable guidance.

Role modeling is about setting a positive example through your actions and attitude. Show up ready to work, maintain a positive mindset, and avoid negative talk or behaviors that drain energy from the team. By consistently demonstrating dedication and perseverance, you inspire others to do the same.

Inspiring others involves motivating and encouraging them to reach their full potential. This can be done by consistently pushing through challenges, staying focused, and maintaining a determined mindset. By displaying resilience and determination, you inspire those around you to keep going and strive for excellence.

Remember, leadership is not solely tied to a title or position. It's about how you carry yourself day in and day out, positively impacting those around you through mentorship, role modeling, and inspiration.

Did your athletic successes always correlate to periods of happiness in your life? When did they not? 

Athlete success and happiness: A coach's perspective.

I can speak to observation of many, of the athletes that I've coached over the years. As a coach. I've always had one cliche in. That's a happy athlete is a fast athlete, and I'm always trying to create an environment where athletes can Thrive can work hard and be serious and focused but also have a little bit of fun and being a good environment and that trickles over into their life as well. But I've also seen many athletes have great success when there. Under other life. Stresses and they either have a great skill to be able to partition life stress away from practice stress and racing stress or The Angst, anger sadness gets re channeled into extra hyper-focus in training and racing. So they may not be performing from a place of personal strength, but they're able to channel That Emotion into the onto the race course.

As a coach, I have seen athletes perform well when they are happy and thrive in an environment that is enjoyable. However, some athletes have been able to channel their emotions into extra focus and use it as a motivation for success.

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In my experience as a coach, I've observed that a happy athlete tends to perform well. Creating an environment where athletes can thrive, work hard, and have fun contributes to their success. However, I've also seen athletes achieve great success despite facing challenges in other areas of their life. Some athletes have the ability to separate life stress from their performance, while others channel their emotions, such as angst or sadness, into extra focus during training and racing. This may not necessarily come from a place of personal strength, but it can still lead to strong performances on the race course.

Hi Lance! Tell people about your background, expertise, and how you can help.

30-year Triathlon Coach Lance Watson: Olympic Gold, Ironman Champions, and Life Sport Breakthroughs

Hi, I'm coach. Lance Watson. I've been coaching Triathlon for over 30 years, including working with athletes, in five different Olympic Games. I managed to coach a gold medal along the way to. I've also worked with over 20, Ironman Champions. And currently, I'm one of four Iron Man Master coaches worldwide coaching. Education is a big part of my career. I've written Triathlon level for for Canada. And right now my business is life sport coaching. We are a network of coaches across North America who Add ourselves in helping athletes of all abilities, have their own personal breakthroughs.

I'm Coach Lance Watson and I've been coaching triathlon for over 30 years. I've worked with athletes in five different Olympic Games, helping them win a gold medal, and I've coached over 20 Ironman Champions. I also wrote Triathlon Level 4, and am currently one of four Ironman Master Coaches worldwide. My business, Life Sport Coaching, is a network of coaches across North America who specialize in helping athletes of all abilities have their own personal breakthroughs.

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Hi there! I'm Coach Lance Watson, and I have a wealth of experience in coaching Triathlon for over 30 years. Throughout my career, I've had the privilege of working with athletes in five different Olympic Games, even coaching a gold medalist along the way. I've also had the opportunity to work with over 20 Ironman Champions, and I currently hold the position of one of four Ironman Master coaches worldwide.

Education has always been a significant aspect of my coaching journey. I've written Triathlon level for Canada, contributing to the development of the sport. Currently, I run LifeSport Coaching, a network of coaches across North America dedicated to helping athletes of all abilities achieve their personal breakthroughs.

With my extensive background, expertise, and passion for coaching, I am here to support and guide athletes in reaching their full potential. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned athlete, I can provide the guidance and knowledge to help you achieve your goals in the world of Triathlon.

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