Sapong returns from Land Down Under

Athletics coach Robin Sapong recently returned after taking part in a coaching course hosted by the IAAF Regional Development Center in Brisbane, Australia.

Sapong took part in the Jump and Throw Bridging Course, which was held from Nov. 18 to Nov. 24 at the Queensland Sports and Athletics Center.

“The main focus of the course was to help coaches create well-planned training programs for their athletes for jumping and throwing events,” Sapong said during an interview yesterday. “Creating a plan is not just what to do for the day…the one-day plan is the easiest, but as a coach, you got to create a plan for the year, and the main thing there is for coaches to focus on the quality of training instead of quantity.”

“You can have a very well-planned training program, but the thing is does it work? You have to look at strength, speed, and endurance, and you’re basically teaching yourself to be a disciplined coach and have your athletes peak in terms of performance when they need to. You have to see when is the right time for them to peak,” he said.

Lecturers for the course were Debbie Strange, who coaches women’s world discus champion Beatrice Faumauina of New Zealand, and Fletcher McEwen, the former head coach of Athletics Australia and former director of the IAAF RDC in Brisbane.

Sapong explained that he and all the other coaches that participated were tasked with creating plans, presenting it to each other, and critiquing each other.

“We critique each other openly, and that really helped a lot of us out,” he said. “It’s important because we need to see what works, and even then, when we come home, we need to see which is best for our athletes. Coaches are responsible for proper training, and the key is to train year round and not just a couple of weeks before the competition. Training year round and also getting more competition and also competition at a high level is needed.”

Sapong, who coaches under Northern Marianas Athletics, said taking part in the event has introduced him to many things that will play key roles in the development of local athletes.

“The athletes are going to benefit. A lot of what I learned can be applied to not only the jumps and throws, but also running events,” he said.

Sapong explained that his goal as a coach is to improve the level of athletics in the CNMI, and said the sport is already growing before our eyes.

“We’re there, but we just have to step up to the next level,” he said. “In terms of not only performance, but in the last three years, athletics has been really growing in number of participants and popularity. Hopefully in the coming years, we can attract the competitors in the Masters category, and with events like the [Micronesia Athletics Championships], the 6th Micronesian Games, and the 2008 Oceania Under 18/Open Track and Field Championships held here, I have a good feeling the sport is going to continue to grow.”