It's fair to say most people involved in Sussex athletics have heard of Vince Golding. An athlete himself in his youth, he now coaches middle distance groups based at Crawley AC. He is also part of the Sussex Endurance Squad coaching team. Kate Matthews caught up with Vince for a chat about his coaching and how it has been affected over the past year.
Kate: Who are you?
Vince: Vince Golding, coach at Crawley, including athletes from other clubs.
Kate: Which athletes do you and have you coached?
Vince: Male and female middle distance runners, including steeplechase, mainly U17/U20 but also seniors. I coach at various local venues in north and central Sussex, including once a week at K2 Crawley.
Kate: How long have you been coaching and how did you get into it?
Vince: I got involved with coaching when my son Ben took up running. I wanted to help out his training group which at the time was led by Mark Best, who had previously coached some very successful athletes. Ben was also in the Sussex Endurance Squad and that involved attending some informative sessions at St Marys. It was great to also learn from the other Sussex coaches at that time, like the ever present Dave Leach and John Clements, but also Terry Skelton, Chris Marsden, Alan Swetman, Pete Standen and Elspeth Turner.
Kate: Were you an athlete before a coach, and if so, what distances/disciplines?
Vince: Just before coaching athletics I competed at long distance triathlon, when I was out for a long run, my young (at the time) son used to accompany me on his bike, I'm not sure he was very enthusiastic!
Many years ago, I ran a bit and for a time was an unsuccessful hurdler (I remember breaking a hurdle at the English Schools). Later, before he moved overseas, I was fortunate enough to be coached by Bruce Longden. Bruce knew a thing or two about bringing success to the athletes he coached, including Daley Thompson and Sally Gunnell.
Kate: How does coaching compare to the thrill of being an athlete yourself?
Vince: Coaching is more enjoyable, it's very satisfying to see an athlete, who follows the plan, develop and succeed.
Kate: How often do you coach? Types of sessions etc?
Vince: Sometimes it can be seven days a week especially if you're advising athletes, otherwise it's at training sessions three or four times a week.
Kate: What are the highs and lows of being a coach?
Vince: When the group hits a great session on a warm summer's evening is a high and when the group moans about a session on a wet winter's evening is a low.
Kate: What is/are your proudest moment(s)?
Vince: Was pleased when Joe Smith won EA U15 3000m title, but also when any athlete has got the best out of themselves and some have qualified for Schools teams (Surrey and Sussex. They're not all listed on the great god of Pof10!)
Kate: What have been the hardest moments?
Vince: When an athlete has a set back through illness or injury.
Kate: How do you motivate your athletes to keep going and focus etc?
Vince: Shout louder. Keep it fun and try to help the more obsessive athletes keep things in perspective.
Kate: What has coaching athletics brought to your life?
Vince: Coaching is fun.
Kate: Has coaching changed over the years?
Vince: Although hard work pays off, it's a continuous learning process and maybe sport science is a bit more to the forefront now.
Kate: What are the main difficulties that face you and your athletes in normal times?
Vince: Any non-professional runner has the constraint of time.
Kate: What have been the main difficulties facing you and your athletes during Covid19? How have you overcome these? Is it getting harder to manage the more lockdowns we face?
Vince: The lockdowns have been challenging, with stop start group training and no access to local facilities. The athletes have to be even more self-motivated when there's no group environment to push them on.
Kate: Would you encourage others to become coaches and why?
Vince: Yep. We need more help, as some coaches come and go due to personal circumstances, there's a danger that we can't take on more athletes in clubs.