Former GHK fast man Brian "one shoe" Whittle speaks out on the state of
athletics coaching in Scotland--some interesting parallels here,
Brian along with Derek Stark helped organise Hawks tours to France and Italy in recent years

THE HERALD REPORTS

Whittle: time for coaches to put themselves back on track


DOUG GILLON, Athletics Correspondent January 16 2009
He's famous for running the third leg of the European Championship 4 x
400 metres relay with one shoe, yet still helping Britain win gold. He
was also noted as a world-class 800 metres runner and a man prepared
to open his mouth and sometimes put his foot in it.

But Brian Whittle is now a coach, and still every bit as frank and
outspoken as when he ran. It's more than 20 years since his 45.22, but
that's still second on the Scottish 400m all-time list. And his
1:45.47 in 1990 - the year he was fourth in the Commonwealth Games -
still ranks second at 800m.

He is entitled to be proud, but instead he's ashamed that these times,
and others from an even earlier era, still dominate the national
rankings.

advertisement

Tonight, however, he launches a bid to do something about it. He has
arranged a forum at Grangemouth (7pm) and there's an open invitation
to every coach in the country. He wants to deliver a needs-analysis
for Scottish coaches whom he claims, with justification, have been
shamefully marginalised.

"Since the sport has gone professional, the regard in which coaches
are held has fallen drastically," he says. "It's at the point where
the very people who need to implement any future plan are never asked
any more."

Specifically, respected Edinburgh coach Bill Walker, who has mentored
a succession of internationalists over almost half a century, says:
"The professional coaching staff are creaming off top athletes,
alienating them from their coaches. Instead of supporting coaches,
they're undermining them."

In some cases parents and coaches are barred from staying in the same
hotel as their children or their athletes.

"Last summer national event coaches were axed, pending drafting of a
new six-year plan. Contracts were not renewed, causing considerable
anger.

"So all winter there has been no coaching structure," says Whittle.
"Nothing going on at a time which is critical. We're just over five
years from a home Commonwealth Games 2014 days from today. Don't talk
about 2010 - who the hell's going to be on that plane?"

Perhaps surprisingly he puts some blame on coaches. "We can't always
blame the governing body. What are we doing as coaches, working with
kids whom we think can become Commonwealth-class athletes? What are we
doing to maximise our development?

"If your ambition is to produce an athlete who might win medals in the
Scottish Championships - fine. But our ambition as a country should be
to get back to producing world-class talent.

To do that we must pool our resources, talk to each other, stop
flinging mud, and find a unified way forward.

"If we don't do something right now, it's going to be too late. It's
already too late in many cases. We have regressed so much that there
is now a disconnect between where we are, and where world class is.
You have to be able to see world class from where you are to be able
to reach out for it.

"There's too much in-fighting; too much biting, scratching, and
kicking. Too much hoarding - coaches trying to keep ideas to
themselves."

Some Scottish coaches will not share the same straight for a coaching
session, lest they reveal some dark secret. Yet Whittle sought help
from Clyde Hart, coach of the two greatest 400m runners in the world:
Michael Johnson and Jeremy Wariner.

"He was happy to gave me chapter and verse. So in Scotland we have to
get to the position where all that combined knowledge can be shared by
everybody.

"So at Grangemouth we're getting together to discuss what we need to
do to ensure we have the best chance of producing quality athletes.
It's been proven in the past that it can be done.

"Then we need to decide what support we need from scottishathletics to
execute the plan. We are looking for support, but we have to look at
ourselves as well.

"We do feel excluded by scottish-athletics. There's not enough
consultation, not enough networking. Let's restore the coaches'
commission. We'd like a say in what it looks like, and how it operates
to service what we need. Not just what scottishathletics needs. We
have to have a voice, and know it will be listened to.

"Scottish coaches have thrown a lot of mud at scottishathletics. It's
become an entrenched view. We've got to stop that, but the governing
body has to open up a little, and allow coaches' input."

This article was originally posted on 16-Jan-2009, 19:38 by Hugh Barrow.
Last updated by Hugh Barrow on 16-Jan-2009, 19:41.