 Want to be a
 Coach_
National
Accreditation
Scheme
Coaching Topics
Thanks Campaign
Elite Coaching
Events & Courses
|
|
Frost doesn't settle
on mediocrity
editor's note - Doug Frost has not coached
Ian Thorpe since September 2002
This is not a story about Australia's international swimming sensation Ian Thorpe.
There is no doubt that Thorpe, with his often record-breaking form in winning a world
championship gold medal, four Commonwealth Games gold medals, three Sydney Olympic gold
medals and titles such as World Swimmer of the Year and Sports Personality of the Year, is
a household name.
No, this is a story about Australia's other international swimming sensation, Doug Frost
... Thorpe's highly acclaimed, although not-as-widely known, coach.
In May, Thorpe took a back seat as he watched Frost, the unassuming
57-year-old who has coached him for the best part of a decade, accept the title of World
Swimming Coaches Association (WSCA) Coach of the Quadrennium.
The award, which is international swim coaching's highest honour, recognises Frost's
achievements with Thorpe in the past four-year Olympic cycle. He is only the third winner
of the award. It was first presented to John Carew in 1993 for his work with Kieren
Perkins up to the Barcelona Olympics and Russian coach Victor Viktoraddenko for his
efforts with Denis Pankratov up to the Atlanta Olympics. Frost was also named Australian
Swimming Coach of the Year and awarded the title of 'Master Coach'.
It may well be the pinnacle of his coaching career for the lad from Lithgow who first took
an interest in coaching when he started helping out at the local pool's learn-to-swim
centre. He found out early on that there weren't opportunities for serious swimmers, and
by default, serious coaches, to train full-time and knew that if he wanted to make a
career of coaching, he had to move to Sydney. He took on swim coaching at Padstow and then
the Sutherland Leisure Centre. It's now well known that it was there, while his sister
Christine trained, that a young Ian Thorpe first came to Frost's attention.
'It was his enthusiasm that struck me,' Frost recalls. 'He just loved the water, loved
swimming and he knew that the harder he trained, the more rewards there would be.'
Even today, Frost says Thorpe's enthusiasm hasn't waned. 'I have to be at the pool at
four[am] for the squad. Ian could come in later, but he'd rather be there at four working
with everyone else.'
As a former engineer, Frost takes delight in the mechanics of swimming strokes, which he
says is crucial for any swimmer who is serious about the sport.
'A lot of swimmers neglect technique to be fit, but technique can win you extra distance.
It's essential that young people learn good technique from an early age.'
Frost says honing his technique has been an important part of Thorpe's training over the
period of their relationship. Now, it seems the hardest hurdles are platueas in his times.
'There will always be some stabilising during training, but we need to continue to set
goals in training and in competition until we make another breakthrough. We'll still see
improvement in Ian over the next three years. It's important to watch that he doesn't
overtrain and maintains his skill and technique.'
He says that while his early relationship with Thorpe centred on a coach/father figure
role, they now have a mutual respect for one another that translates into results in the
pool.
'That respect comes from having achieved what we've achieved. Ian takes on board
everything I say, he accepts what I have to offer. Now, I suppose I might give him a bit
more flexibility about how he does it, but he listens and understands.'
Frost
says he shares Thorpe's rewards and ranks Thorpe's gold medal winning performances at
Sydney as among his career highlights. But he says he had a special buzz from having
Thorpe present during the recent WSCA ceremony.
The bond between the two is reinforced every day as they meet at that curious pre-dawn
time that is the world of dedicated sports people. Frost's day generally begins at four
and he works with Thorpe and other squad members including the up-and-coming Kate
Krywulycz for three hours. Three times a week he takes his charges to the gym. He then has
a couple of hours in the office and if he gets a chance, heads to the golf course to 'hit
a few balls'. By 3pm he's back at the pool and works through until 7 or 8 at night.
The time on the golf course is not entirely hedonistic. Frost says golf does inspire
thoughts about swimming and technique. 'Golf and swimming are about human movement and
fluency, about technique and coordination. You might not be really fit, but if your
technique is good you can drive the ball well. Timing and rhythm in golf are crucial, and
so it is with swimming. It's not just a case of going up and down. A lot of individual
sports are like that, tennis is probably another one.'
To add to his recent accolades, Frost was recently named head coach of the
Australian men's swim team, which he says will give him 'great scope to express my views
and give input into the direction that Australian swimming takes'.
Although this will add to his current workload, Frost says he will enjoy the professional
development htmlects of discussions, workshops and team camps with Australian team head
coach Don Talbot, and Mark Regan, the new women's head coach, both of whom Frost greatly
admires.
As for the future, Frost says he'll stick with coaching as long as Thorpe is involved but
will never get the sport entirely out of his system.
'I'd be prepared to go into a different field, perhaps the administration side of the
sport. I think my experiences as coach would help me do that.'
(article appears in Sports Coach, Vol 24 No. 2, 2001)
|
