Behind every great athlete is a good coach

"Be not afraid of greatness; some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them." William Shakespeare

We each strive to achieve some measure of greatness in this life. And why shouldn't we? We have unlimited potential for greatness. But the question that needs to be asked is how do we measure greatness. Some people see greatness as being the smartest, the fastest, completing expert on Guitar Hero or conquering world of warcraft. Other see true greatness is being a loving mother, a good friend.

To me, true greatness is being confronted with a task and giving it all that you have to accomplish it. Often, you will fall short of completing a task, but if you can reflect on the failure and honestly say you gave it everything you possible could. That is true greatness.

Personally, I measure my greatness through sport. I want to be a great athlete and Ive asked myself this question for years now, what makes a truly great athlete?

I think a great athlete is not only just a model of physical ability, but a person people can still look to for inspiration off the track. Someone who gives everything they have to what they love and someone who can honestly say after a hard race "I gave it my all" no matter what place they came in.

A great athlete shouldn't have to ask themselves wether they want to train today. A great athlete has the motivation to train everyday.

A good athlete rises to the occasion, a great athlete rises to EVERY occasion.

A great athlete believes in themselves.

All these are good definitions of a great athlete but what is talent, without direction? What is strength, without cause? And this thought process has lead me to my answer to the question that i have been pondering for years. Behind every great athlete is a good coach. To teach and to guide you. An athlete with talent and no coach makes no sense at all. Success is 60 per cent about the coaching and 40 per cent about the athlete.

A great athlete believes in their coach.

My coach is the backbone of my training. He gives me my game plan and guides me regarding what to and what not to do. He is a very important part of my training, and my life. He gives me my program and gets me to do it. He motivates me to believe in myself and to be the best i can.

All of my greatest success is due to my current coach. I was wondering idly for so long. It took 14 years to win my first national gold, and i did it within 4 months of my new coach. I was the overnight success that took 14 years. To say the 14 year lead up was a waste of time would be a lie. But without purpose and direction from a dedicated and talented coach maybe i would still be counting those years til my breakthrough gold.

True greatness shouldn't be measured by what you can do for yourself. But by what you can do for others. Thats how I came to consider my coach truly great.