Roberts to aid young athletes

Posted on February 03, 2015

Roberts, an Olympian athlete and medal winner at the Commonwealth Games, decided to plough back the experience she had gained by competing internationally to the benefit of young athletes at the High Performance Centre (hpc).

According to Roberts, she has noticed an imperfection in the coaching structures for South African junior athletes and would like to help rectifying it.  

“My new job involves coaching, as well as the coordination of training at the junior triathlon academy of the Tuks Sport High School of the High Performance Centre (hpc) in Pretoria.  My plan is to offer hands-on coaching to elite junior triathletes between the ages of 13 and 20.

“My initial goals are to recruit eager, motivated and willing juniors and expose these young athletes to the many opportunities that sport can offer them and then, later on, expose them to international competitions such as World Championships, Commonwealth Games, Youth Olympics and, ultimately, the Olympic Games. 

“The trademark of South African sportsmen and women is our mental toughness and commitment, which certainly helps us to go a very long way.  However, our downfall is that we live in a third world developing country and that we don't necessarily have the finances required to fund our sporting structures and programmes. This is where it would be helpful if corporate companies could get involved and assist us.

“And, like anything in life, I am conscious that as a coach I won't be an overnight success. I will first need to gain experience, become a leader of a team, and be patient and willing to put in the required time and effort. 

“I am also aware that I cannot train my athletes in exactly the same way that I was trained.  I will have to adapt to other coaching styles as well because there are many coaching methods that can lead to an athlete’s success. However, the basis is a hard work ethic combined with dedication, persistence and a good attitude for coping with the demands of the sport. 

“Please feel free to get in touch with me by contacting me through my website:
www.kateroberts.com, or my e-mail address: [email protected].

- Author Wilhelm de Swardt

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