When Kate Roberts crossed the finish line of 2014 Ekurhleni 5150 African Championships, it was perhaps with mixed emotions.
It was early November and, at the tail end of a roller-coaster 2014, this particular event brought down the curtain on Robert’s lengthy elite and professional triathlon career. After a year of highs and lows, the Bloemfontein native had decided to call it day despite such achievements as a Commonwealth Games medal. Whilst many would assume that such performances would suggest a final push to Rio 2016, Roberts knew deep down that it was time to move on to something else.
“I realized that I had achieved all I wanted to in the sport,” says Roberts from her Pretoria base. “I must admit that it has taken a while getting used to not having every day structured around training but the transition has been easier than I first anticipated. It’s been three months since my last race and I have no regrets.”
Professional athletes are creatures of habit; they have to be. As an elite cyclist once stated, routine is everything, where such daily structure is critical for the athlete in their maintaining consistent training, recovery and - above all - purpose. Purpose in the sense that everything the athlete does is done with getting the absolute best out of themselves come competition time; training and recovery being part of the broader spectrum of that mantra of ‘doing everything possible.’
If anyone knows this, it is Roberts. Leaving South Africa in 2009, the two-time Olympian spent four years as part of one of the most meticulously-driven training squads in the world. Under the tutelage of the Australian coach Darren Smith, Roberts was exposed to what it truly means to ‘pay attention to detail.’
“My time with Darren was an eye opener,” she says of her time as part of the ‘D-Squad’. “He is very ‘hands-on’ and no stone is left unturned in the quest for peak performance. Darren’s rationale is such in that the athlete needs to be totally committed or not at all; there is no middle ground. I realized that there is so much more to elite competition than just training hard. When training with Darren, factors like proper technique, ideal body weight and mental toughness are priority over fancy equipment and mega-mileage. Anybody can train hard; with Darren I learnt how to train smart.”
Whilst this mindset certainly served Roberts well on the race course, it is perhaps interesting – if not telling of her character – that she views her greatest personal achievement in her two consecutive self-funded Olympic campaigns. Actual race results aside – 32nd in Beijing 2008 and 22nd in London 2012 – the experience and savvy attained in organizing and funding eight years of Olympic preparation is what she is most proud of, something which she thinks is critical in her future career plans.
“Compared to athletes from First World countries that are part of state-funded federations, I’m really proud of what I achieved on very limited resources,” explains Roberts. “Those eight years were tough at times but I certainly learned a lot about myself. Sure, I made some mistakes but I certainly don’t have any regrets. I feel content.”
Having experienced a multitude of racing and training scenarios, the experience gained from a life spent on the road is an education in itself. Whilst not initially seeing herself as a potential coach or mentor in a sport that has defined her, Robert’s return to home shores last year resulted in her identifying a critical gap in the ever-expanding local coaching market. In short, a seed was planted in her head as to a future beyond toeing the start line across the globe.
“When I left South Africa five years ago there were no real triathlon coaches. The sport is growing so rapidly here, as is coaching, but more at the age-group level. The high performance component of triathlon is something that I feel is under-developed and I saw a real need for the actual ‘hands-on’ coaching aspect. This is an area of the sport that is critical for the continued existence of junior and elite athletes who aspire to compete at the Olympic level.”
Having relocated to Pretoria in early 2014 to work with Lindsey Parry, Roberts viewed the facilities and altitude of the Jacaranda City as an ideal location to develop young multisport talent. As the final year of her athletic career progressed, the idea of a triathlon academy specific to juniors gradually evolved into reality for Roberts, who now fulfills a permanent coaching position at the TuksSport High School.
“There are currently four kids who form part of the junior triathlon academy,” says Roberts, who is a permanent employee of the Pretoria-based sports school. “The structure of the TuksSport High School is such that talented youngsters can pursue their chosen sports whilst maintaining their academic studies. The key factor is the actual class hours, which enable morning and afternoon training sessions to be performed without the pressure of rushing to and from school. This is ideal for a sport like triathlon, which involves multiple disciplines.”
Coaching is not an exact science and one size certainly does fit all. In a society where the end result is often over-emphasized at the expense of the process, the simple things that really count can fall through the cracks, often holding an athlete back from realizing his or her true potential. With this notion mind, how does Roberts view her own development and personal coaching style given her hard-earned worldly wisdom?
“I see my role extending into that of a mentor, all the while learning from other coaches and the athletes themselves. My aim is to impart the knowledge I learned through my own professional career on to the youngsters in the academy. And this is not just limited to training but more in a broader spectrum, viewing triathlon excellence as whole.
“Things like how to effectively manage an Olympic campaign; which races to participate in; not wasting money; travel and logistics; educating oneself about the qualification process; accumulating sufficient qualifying points as early as possible – the list goes on but these are factors that can make or break a professional triathlon campaign in the long term.”
Given her emphasis on applying the basics and developing an athlete’s personal growth, Roberts’ long term view includes getting kids from other schools involved in the academy. This vision would extend to securing corporate sponsorship for an expanded development program, where talented youngsters would be awarded bursaries to the triathlon academy, all the while striking an optimal balance between sport and studies.
While Roberts’ coaching journey is only in its infancy, she is already gaining confidence in her new role. With a great portion of her life having been spent as an athlete, she is now ready to give back to a sport that has afforded her the most unique of times.
“Kids are the future of the sport,” says Roberts, who sees the resurrection of a national sprint triathlon series as critical to sport moving forward. “If I was 21 now, it would be very difficult for me to get into triathlon. The old sprint series was the grounding for own career and is critical if we are going to grow the sport at the elite level.”
