Get documents about "Train them young_ says Lydiard
Document Sample
page31sportright.qxd 9/06/2004 3:50 p.m. Page 1
Te Waha Nui, June 2004 sport 31
Train them young, says Lydiard Maori colts
coach takes
by Peter White need to teach them the right method – weight is greater than adults, so every morning and every night and do
the proven method he used to coach 18 there’s no reason at all why a 12-year- a full day’s teaching as well,” says
When the Olympic Games open in Olympic champions.
Athens in August, sports fans will “This involves developing stamina
remember New Zealanders in black by running long distances to build
old boy can’t run 20 miles. That’s why Rogers.
the Africans beat us. They are run- Aside from coaching methods, the
ning when they are young, building up major contributing factor to New
Zealand’s lack of athletic success
on Indian
singlets winning medals and attaining conditioning, strengthening leg mus- strong ankles and spring.”
glory on the athletics track.
This time, it is
unlikely there will be
cles by running up hills, and develop-
ing maximum anaero-
bic capacity by adding
Lydiard has battled with adminis- internationally has been the loss of
trators over the years but now has our best talent to American universi-
supporters at Athletics New Zealand. ties.
rugby team
any competitors trying interval-type speed The new administration is determined Rogers’ strategic plan is to get the
to emulate the middle- training. Building the to have another golden best out of this ‘‘miss- by Sudesh Kissun
distance running feats base conditioning is era, and hold him in ing talent’’. Fifteen
of Halberg, Snell, the key,” he says. high regard. “There’s no reason at all endurance athletes
Walker, and Dixon, but Lydiard knows it Rogers, a former why a 12-year-old boy who have represented Kiwi John Wright’s success with
takes dedication and a Lydiard trained elite New Zealand, and India’s cricket team has been noticed
that may change in the can’t run 20 miles. by the Indian Rugby Football Union.
near future. Athletics
New Zealand opera-
consistent work ethic
to challenge for titles,
athlete, has played a
part in Lydiard finally That’s why the Africans over not others made
30
have quite
who
An Aucklander has been appointed
tions manager, Tony but does not believe getting life member- beat us...” the selection criteria, coach of the Indian national rugby
Rogers, is working on a our younger athletes ship last October. are currently in team, currently ranked 91 out of the
strategic plan to re- are prepared to put in Rogers believes America on universi- 95 rugby-playing nations.
establish our interna- the hours needed. coaches need to be exposed to ty scholarships. Former Maori colts coach and cur-
tional reputation and “We can produce enhancements made to the Lydiard Rogers is instigating camps with rent Maori selector Willie Hetaraka
core values. another Snell or system, and agrees many of his high-performance coaches and an on- was appointed earlier this year and is
Arthur Lydiard
Our most successful Walker but need to bal- philosophies are used world-wide in going support network for top athletes based in Ahmednagar.
coach, Arthur Lydiard, says poor ance all training aspects over a long endurance sports. He says young ath- like Adrian Blincoe and Nick Willis. Hetaraka is eyeing Indian players
training methods are the major reason period of time to peak on any given letes are not prepared to put the same The goal is for Athletics New Zealand from this part of the world to increase
we have not won an Olympic track day,” says Lydiard. effort in that he did under the Lydiard to be far more pro-active, assisting the strength of his current side, and to
medal since 1976, as we still produce “The best time to start the pro- system. athletes while they are overseas and improve India’s ranking.
talented athletes. gramme is pre-puberty as their ability “When I was an elite athlete, stu- encouraging them to pursue their He says the current Indian side is
The 86-year-old legend says we to use oxygen compared with body dents could not believe I would train goals when they return home. mainly made up of Indian army offi-
cers.
Rotorua agent Trevor Albert says
Hetaraka was interested in anyone
Questions raised over University
PHOTO: KEITH NG
with Indian blood and an interest in
rugby.
“Now that they are planning to go
Games points scoring system out and play international games the
coach needs to build up a team with
by Tiana Miocevich adapted from Australia three years greater depth.
ago. “The system is bizarre in terms of “We are looking for anyone who can
At the recent University Games what is awarded for a win. They are trace their roots back to India.”
held at Otago University over the rethinking the system, but they Albert says Hetaraka is eyeing
Easter break, Otago won nine events haven’t got there yet,” he says. props and locks for his side.
and AUT won nine events. So just how Arsel Aslam, team manager for Albert, who is the president of
did Otago become University Games Otago, says that the participation Rotoiti Rugby Club in Rotorua, says
champions? Was AUT ‘robbed’? points will always favour the home he is confident that Indian rugby play-
Bruce Meyer, sports and recreation team or the neighbouring team ers will be found in New Zealand.
co-ordinator at AUT, was also AUT’s because they are able to send a bigger In neighbouring rugby-crazy Fiji,
team manager at the games. He says team to the games, but that this Indians make up 43% of the popula-
it is a complicated process in identify- advantage will not skew the results tion but have never embraced rugby.
ing the overall winner, and is based on overall. Fiji is New Zealand’s arch rival in
a couple of aspects — the number of “Rowing is an unfair example,” Mr world sevens rugby and is ranked
participants in the sport, and the Aslam says. “No matter where the 12th in the world.
number of universities participating games are held, Otago will always In an interview with The Sunday
in the sport. have a strong rowing team of over 90 Express newspaper in India recently,
“The more people in total playing a participants.” Hetaraka says his month-long camp
sport, the more points are awarded for Mr Aslam says that although both with Indian army officers was promis-
the sport,” Mr Meyer says. AUT and Otago won nine events, AUT ing.
“Furthermore, a sport must have a gained points for only seven. AUT won He says the army has huge poten-
minimum of four campuses competing the aerobics and rugby, but neither tial in strengthening rugby in India.
for it to be awarded any points at all.” counted because three other universi- “Rugby suits a soldier, it has phys-
Although AUT won both netball ties did not compete in these sports. ical contact, aggression, team work
and basketball quite convincingly, “All the universities knew which strategies and the like,” he told the
they were awarded only 11 points for sports would not be awarded points newspaper.
each first place because there were before the games, so it is just unfortu- But he pointed out that Indians fell
only about 60 participants in each nate that AUT lucked out this time,” short when it came to coping with the
sport. Rowing, on the other hand, had Mr Aslam says. “I guess the participa- physical nature of the game.
380 participants in total, which means tion system should be reviewed but I The top teams in the world boast
that Otago was awarded 14 points for don’t doubt that AUT will take advan- average weights of 95-100 kgs and
first place. tage of it next year.” average heights of six-feet and more.
“The argument then is that win- Mr Aslam is referring to the recent Hetaraka points to the success of
ning the basketball is less valuable confirmation of AUT as host of the Japan and says while size does mat-
than winning the rowing, so why University Games next year, which ter, the right game plan can do won-
should we bother at all? Many people will give AUT a much-needed boost in ders.
want to see the sports equally valued,” team numbers. “Rugby is a physical sport and size
Mr Meyer says. Mr Meyer is confident that AUT does matter but India is in the Asia
He says the points system was will have a strong team next year. AIRTIME: Mountain bike action at the Uni Games region and play Malaysia, Singapore,
Thailand and Japan.
“So given the right game plan and
South Auckland man invents new form of football with the genetic size of Indian players
you can play at speed.
“Take for example, Japan, who per-
formed brilliantly against France in
venue and the next step was to find met with an instant ban. the goals,” says Mr Davies.
by Owen Hembry the World Cup.
some teams. Mr Davies says this difference was The 2004 season will have five
sponsors, 45 referees, 3000 players, Hetaraka coached the Maori colts
A new sport invented by a South “For three months that’s all I did – crucial in opening the game up to new
270 teams playing in four divisions at side from 1998 to 2001.
Auckland man and played by mixed send faxes to companies. I said: ‘Here players, and with three point goals
pitches in the Auckland Domain and He was appointed Maori selector in
teams of men and women has been is my PO box number, and one point scoring
Seymour Park, and with each team 2002.
quietly growing in Auckland. With send me money’, and boards each side, Mr
paying $495 to join it is becoming a In 1994 he coached the Thames
more than 3000 people taking part in they did!” Davies says scores
big business. Valley NPC side and his side won the
the 2004 season, it is about to get Mr Davies such as 20-16 are not
“I had no idea it would grow as big Air New Zealand third division
kicked into the big time. says the original partici- unusual.
as it has. What started as a hobby has provincial title the following year.
Sub football is a non-contact game pants were all from a Teams are prima-
become a full-time job,” says Mr Hetaraka was nominated for the
similar to soccer, played seven-a-side soccer background and rily from companies
Davies. coach of the year award.
on smaller pitches with unlimited sub- wanted to play the same around the Auckland
He says the next step is to grow the Hetaraka’s wife Stephanie says her
stitutions, allowing for large groups of way. Domain area playing
game throughout the Auckland region husband left for India recently and
mixed-ability to play as a team. “They wanted after work, and the
and to get more involvement from will remain there during the rugby
Puketutu Island resident, and to fight and abuse the mixed team competi-
local councils. season.
Everton United fan, Bill Davies, says referees, and I didn’t tion is twice as large
However with recent interest from According to the IRB website,
the idea came to him one night and he want that.” Bill Davies as the men-only game.
the New Zealand Football Association India has 28 clubs and 6,500 regis-
immediately wrote a fax to New With the focus on skill, “Everybody from
wanting to affiliate sub football, he tered players.
Zealand sporting great, and then players are not allowed to slide tackle, the MD to the office boy is playing.
says he is keen to keep it independent. Anyone interested in joining the
mayor, Les Mills. shoulder barge, or use any physical They have a totally informal relation-
To enter a team, visit the Sub foot- Indian rugby team can contact Albert
With the support of Mr Mills the strength to win the ball from an oppo- ship in Sub football—the office boy
ball web site www.subfootball.com. on 07-3620816.
Auckland Domain was selected as the nent, and any rough play or abuse is becomes the superstar as he scores
