National speed climbing coach Rob Moore and athletics track coach James Mortimer, along with diving coach James Hardaker, put their respective athletes through their paces in the cross sport practical learning part of Kia Manawanui which has proved incredibly popular and beneficial.
For Rob, with two of his athletes – Julian David and Sarah Tetzlaff – already confirmed for Paris, the hosting was a surprising but valuable endorsement that he is doing a good job as a national coach. “I was very nervous going into the session and also felt really privileged to have so many awesome coaches watching me do my stuff,” says Rob.
“The support from the group is invaluable as previously I’ve felt a little isolated from my coaching peers.”
Rob put six of his high performance squad through their paces at the Mount Maunganui climbing centre including Julian and Sarah. “While a lot of the focus is on our Paris athletes, I’ve also got two more World Cups before the Olympics which are important for my climbers who are targeting Los Angeles in 2028.
“Our goal is to gain enough points this year to secure a place at the 2025 World Games which will feature the first ever speed climbing relays, something I very much want to be part of.”
Like Rob, sprint and hurdling coach James Mortimer has his focus on Olympic preparations for his superstar athlete, sprinter Zoe Hobbs, and is still working to qualify two to three more athletes for Paris.
James’ hosting session was a great example of cross sport learning. The two athletes he coached in his session were one of Rob’s up and coming speed climbers and a member of the Bay of Plenty rugby Under 20 development team.
“It was exciting to showcase what I do, how I operate, the level of detail I get into and the very hands-on approach I adopt,” says James. “An interesting outtake from the debrief session was a realisation from many of the group that sprinting is a very technical sport. There’s a lot sitting behind running fast.”
A highlight of the three days for James was a session with HPSNZ Te Tūāpapa Coach Accelerator lead, Christian Penny.
“Christian talked with us about how to handle difficult conversations, using role playing as a key learning tool,” says James. “Increasingly this subject is becoming very important and Christian helped me understand how to be mindful of our athletes’ needs but also our own welfare.”
A final session for the inaugural Kia Manawanui group is being planned for 4 -5 September following the Olympics and Paralympics.
