18.08.2010

Coach diary: Sharon Hannan on tour

Sharon Hannan, coach of Olympic silver medallist Sally Pearson, talks about life on the road in Europe.

Welcome to my world – August, 2010

I’m sitting on a train on my way to Cologne (GER). We have been in Switzerland since Saturday evening for the Luzern meet, which was actually held in a small village called Nottwil. This was because the Luzern Stadium is being completely rebuilt and this has created much excitement amongst the locals.

Nottwil is the home of the Guido A. Zach Institute for Paraplegic Research. The facility has two hotels with perhaps 400+ rooms.  It has a full hospital, catering specifically for spinal injuries and rehabilitation. It has a large indoor multi-purpose sports hall and a purpose-built athletics track, where the meet was conducted. It also has major research areas and clinics and a complete teaching university for nurses and I’m guessing also for doctors and specialists.

We had to change trains at Basel, so I thought it was a good time for a toilet break. However, it cost money - Swiss money - of which I had none, so no go. There was a lady pleading with the staff to allow her two young boys to go but even though there was lots of loud discussion and gesticulating, they weren’t allowed.  A kind lady waiting in the line paid for the two boys.

Let me take you back to where I left off with my last diary entry.

The week of the Gay Games in Cologne proved a real challenge. We decided we were going to train at Leverkusen, where the pole vaulters are training and living. We checked the internet and found a tram that stopped nearby and from there it was a 15-minute walk. Well, we either went the wrong way or the internet didn’t understand English, because the tram took an hour, then we walked for close to an hour and still it was 2km further. We decided that wasn’t going to be a suitable option for the session each day, so turned around and went home.

About 800m from ‘our’ track there is a track that belongs to what appears to be a very well-off athletics club. I had been in to see the manager to enquire as to its availability for our use for the three days before we left for Stockholm (SWE). The assistant manager advised that the cost was 50 Euros per person for one hour. (Pick me up off the floor... brings back memories of somewhere on the Gold Coast !!).

After chatting to Alana Boyd, we found out that she trained there sometimes and never asked and never paid. So we joined her there on the Sunday afternoon and we didn’t ask anyone and we didn’t pay. Easy fixed!!  We met a coach named Jarma (spelled literally) on the track and his young athlete is the world leader in the boys' U18 800m with a PB of 1:46. He’s currently at the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore.

On the Monday, we found out that the wrestling and power lifting events, which were being conducted at theindoor track at the university, were already completed, so we trained indoors for the next two sessions. Unfortunately, the air is very thin inside and Sally was unable to breathe enough to be able to complete either session. She was also experiencing back tightness and was unable to finish the scheduled pool session on the Wednesday. This has created a deal of angst in my mind since her two outstanding performances at the end of the week. More on this later.

Our last session for the week was a pool session on departure day. No such luck with the swimming being completed. Ken Green and Nina told us there was a pool in Neumarkt so we set off with what seemed like easy instructions. After walking in a complete circle for about 35 minutes, we found the pool.  However, they wouldn’t let me in because I wasn’t swimming.  Another hiccup. I guess it doesn’t really matter if I’m at the pool or not, because Sally knows how many 'strides' she can do in a set time and so counts strides instead of having me on a stopwatch. Once in the dressing rooms she encountered barriers with no understandable signage and was yelled at by staff for apparently going the wrong way. This didn’t make for a relaxed and happy athlete. We were meant to go home via an ice-bath at the uni but we went straight home from the pool.

Sally’s second competition of her European campaign was at the Diamond League meet in Stockholm. There were heats and finals 80 minutes apart. It had been 15 days since Sal had raced and she started jumping out of her skin early in the week.  Everything became an exciting step towards Stockholm. Each sleep, each session and then each hour. All good signs.

We arrived in Stockholm late on Thursday evening after an easy tram/train trip to Cologne airport and a good flight.  We were held up at the airport for about 40 minutes waiting on poles for the German girl, Spieglberg. In the end, our volunteer guides decided to take us to the hotel and leave another volunteer with the Germans. When we checked in at about 10pm, we made an assumption that the rooms would be twin-share and asked to room together; “Yes, yes this is okay," was the response. Up we went to the third floor and opened the door to find one double bed. Sal turned around and went straight back to the check-in desk and  we were pleasantly surprised to be allocated our own rooms, no sharing.  The dining room was meant to be closed already, but thankfully they stayed open for late arrivals.

I didn’t set any alarms for Friday morning and woke up at 8am after a great sleep. The Stockholm meet is always accompanied by a seminar, which I missed last year but enjoyed the year before. The organisers arranged for me to be taken by car to the university and also picked me up at the scheduled lunch break, so I could get back to the hotel and prepare for the evening races.

The seminar’s theme was “The Golden Decade of Sports in the UK” and focused on topics such as Business Opportunities, Leveraging London and Olympic Evolution.

The seminar attendees were welcomed by Mr Andrew Mitchell, the British Ambassador to Sweden. The first presentation was by Peter Mann, representing the UK Trade and Investment Sector Advisory Group, and his own company, which is pmplegacy. The company specialises in assisting countries to bid for, plan, conduct and evaluate the economic, social, cultural, sporting, educational and/or environmental benefits of hosting a global event. 

The process was described as a “Project Journey” which involves evaluating, bidding, planning, and delivering an event. Peter spoke at length about the importance of legacy, about how the design of everything from building, to ticketing, to the actual competition and to the cultural experiences, should leave a legacy for the community, the city and the country. The overriding result of hosting a global sports event should be legacy. There are even conferences on the concept of legacy now. Peter quoted the IOC, which has stated “Legacy is part of our DNA”.

Peter Mann also spoke of the 2018 Commonwealth Games bid process and asked the audience who would win. Hambantota (Sri Lanka), which has 50,000 people and wants to grow to a city of 600,000 residents, but which is a city full of recent survivors of civil war, and recent survivors of a tsunami that almost decimated their city? Or would the Gold Coast, with its beautiful beaches, great weather, stable government, existing sporting infrastructure and first-class reputation as a country for running successful global events, be the winner? 

Peter Mann’s company has agreed to assist Hambantota with its bid for the 2018 Commonwealth Games, and he believes Hambantota will win, because of the legacy that would be created for the people, the city and the country. I raised my hand and introduced myself as Sharon Hannan, from the Gold Coast (insert a great deal of laughter from the audience) and indicated I would advise our bid team of this information.

During a five-minute break between presenters, Peter came and sat beside me and said, “You’re not really from the Gold Coast are you?” My positive response brought a, “What are you doing here?” to which I replied that I was actually a coach and I was there with a Gold Coaster for the meet later in the evening. I certainly felt proud to be a Gold Coaster that day and will be extremely excited if I hear “And the winner is... Gold Coast” when the decision is announced next year in November (I think!).

All presenters made several mentions each of the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. Comments ranged from what they learned to what they can do better and even what they can’t match. This filled me with pride every time and also brought back many memories. We hosted the British and Swedish Olympic teams at our track on the Gold Coast for several weeks leading into the Games. It was my first ever taste of international events and competitors. Glowing mention was made of Sydney's volunteers and this is an ares London particualrly wants to eminate.

The next presentation was made by Chris Holmes OBE, winner of a staggering nine Paralympic gold medals, six at a single Games. Chris talked about his own sporting journey and of his involvement on LOCOG (the organising committee for the London 2012 Olympics.

Tom Jones was the next speaker. Great name for a Pom. Tom is the Associate Principal of a company named Populous, which is a global design practice (far more than just architects) that specialises in creating environments that draw people and communities together. Part of  Tom’s presentation involved a 'walk' through the Olympic stadiums since the 1800s. Interesting to note that the 1912 Olympic Stadium built in Stockholm still stands today almost precisely as it did back then. I tried to take a few more photos of it last week when we were there, but coaches have very limited access to a small area behind the 1500m start and from there you just can’t really do it justice. 

Tom “stripped” down the 2012 Olympic Stadium layer by layer and it will be very interesting and exciting both in design and colour and then long-term use post-2012. The current plans is for the staidum to be dramatically reduced from 80,000 seats to 25,000 post-2012. However, other organistaions such as football have indicated interest in hosting major events there, so it may end up housing more than 25,000 spectators.

The stadium sits on an island and all access is by bridges. It's different to any stadium I've been to in that it will have literally hundreds and hundreds of entry points. One entry point every 2.5m around the stadium in fact! All amenities and food service outlets will be in domes of various sizes outside the stadium. The spectators will be very close to the action.

I was obviously interested in where the warm-up track was situated. It’s not too far from the stadium and access will either be by walking or buggies. The throwers will be pleased to know there’s a separate throwing field beside the warm-up track. There will also be a secondary synthetic track area under the main stadium. Part of the dilemma for large stadiums is people movement. London will have a high-speed train which will take seven minutes to go from Kings Cross to Olympic Park.  Impressive!!  Interesting to note that Tom indicated they were working with the Gold Coast bid team for 2018.

The final presentation I stayed for was by Paul Gauger. Paul heads up the 'VisitBritain' team and is looking at both mainstream and niche broadcasters, print media, digital media, radio and local, state and federal communities and governments to pull together, disseminate and 'live' the VisitBritain message. Another very interesting connection to Australia here; Paul is an Aussie and worked for Tourism Australia throughout the lead-up to, and during, the 2000 Olympics. He suggested that one thing he learned from Sydney, and which Britain will do better, is the post-event promotion and marketing of Britain. He reminded us that 2012 is the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II and the country will celebrate her 60 years of reign in quite some spectacular style throughout the year.

The meet in Stockholm had heats and finals scheduled for the women’s hurdles. Sal drew heat two alongside Priscilla Lopes-Schliep and new kid on the block, Queen Harrison. Heat one was won by Lolo Jones in a time of 12.78 and Sal placed third in her heat with a time of 12.70. The temperature on the warm-up track had dropped by about fiur or five degrees after the heats, so Sal stayed mostly in her tracksuit. According to the official results, the temp dropped from 20 to 19 degrees between the heats and finals, but it definitely felt like more outside.) There’s a very fine line between keeping warm and staying fresh when there is such a short turnaround, but we obviously managed. 

We talked about getting a better start and then running her own race from the front. I was most pleased with her last three or four hurdles, as this is where speed endurance and technique endurance is critical. So... the plan was simply to get a 'Sally' start and the race would look after itself.

Sally drew lane seven in the final because she only placed third in her heat. Lane draw doesn’t tend to bother her too much though, and sometimes in hurdles it can be good to be away from arms and legs and feet in the middle. The only problem with lane seven is sometimes it means we don’t get good footage for analysis. However, the broadcasters must have decided that the race was fairly open and the footage was not focused on the centre lanes.

Sal got a great start and led the whole way. Priscilla tried to catch her but it was in vain, although it ended up being a great race.  If you’ve seen the footage, you’ll see how surprised Sal was afterwards. The time was 12.57 with a +0.2 tail wind. Wow!!

We both found it difficult to sleep that night. Sal probably because she was sill excited and fired up. Me probably for the same reasons. Next morning we left the hotel at 8.30am to start the journey from Stockholm in Sweden to Luzern in Switzerland.  Our long day of travel saw us checking in sometime after 6pm. The weather was awesome, but when we woke up on race day (Sunday) it resembled Cologne of the past two weeks!!  Bugger!!  Luckily it cleared later on and the conditions weren’t too bad for sprinting.

Sally was fairly relaxed, and just keen to see how she would go backing up so soon after her great Stockholm races. Remember she had only done half a dozen races for the YEAR. She surprised us all – a 12.59 with zero wind and another first placing.

Well, didn’t this pose some questions for me!  Did she peak because of an unscheduled extremely light week?  Remember the stuff earlier about thin air and tight back and unfinished sessions? How can I program her back to pre-competition mode when her ‘majors’ are the Continental Cup and the Commonwealth Games? Lots of decisions to make. Another sleepless night with lots of questions running around in my head.

So, we started the week with no training on Monday but that was taken up with a five hour train journey from Luzern to Cologne anyway. Tuesday was gym as per usual in the morning, but we ice-bathed afterwards, which we normally only do after track sessions. In the afternoon I just wanted her to 'roll the legs over' with three 180m runs in about 24.5 and with six minutes recovery between.  Well her legs rolled over at 22.35, 21.92 and 21.90. A little faster than I expected, but she didn’t look stressed or overworked at any stage. So good signs.

She did a pool session on Wednesday morning and was perplexed because all three reps felt the same to her but were markedly different in times. The first was an equal PB and the next two were about 15 per cent slower. I suggested that her neural system still hadn’t recovered from the three races and in particular, the two very fast ones. The track session on Wednesday afternoon was faster across the three reps she did than I expected as well, but she pulled up sore, especially in the hammies. She’d had some good sessions of physio/massage on each of the days because the Australian physio arrived in Cologne whilst we were away racing.

Yesterday was Thursday and another travel day. No training and no treatment. Race day today. Sal doesn’t like to have therapy the day before she races because she usually feels a bit flat afterwards. So hopefully, she’d warm up really well and there would be no soreness. London is a great meet and this year is already a sell-out. The weather is meant to be awful but we’re really hoping it clears before the evening. There are heats and finals again of the hurdles so two races here.

We had no problems with travel yesterday, but two of the Aussies did. Steve Hooker was actually travelling on Wednesday night, but saw that his poles didn’t get on his plane so he refused to board. EasyJet decided they couldn’t take the poles at all, so Steve had to find another flight on an airline that could take his poles. German Wings did the job and he finally arrived in London but at Stansted airport, which is much further away than Gatwick, where EasyJet was landing. The second Aussie to have problems was Aaron Rouge-Serret. Haven’t heard the full story yet, but apparently he simply missed his flight, so that meant another ticket on another flight.

There could be some disgruntled Kiwi ex-pats in the crowd tonight. Apparently the women’s and men’s shot put competitions have been switched from Friday to Saturday and vice versa, because one of the male competitors won’t arrive in time for his scheduled comp tonight. Valerie Vili would have to be a crowd puller anywhere in the world and there would be a large number of Kiwis here in the UK I’m sure.

Oh the joys of international travel. Could you imagine managers organising flights from all over Australia for all athletes competing in the national championships? Then organising airport pick-ups for all, their rooms and breakfast, lunch and dinner coupons, accreditation, and the same for their coach, their training and competition transport, their return flights, airport transfers, etc? Huge jobs.

Have already had the London Diamond League event, but will write that up tomorrow or the next day. If I don’t send this now it will never get there!!

Sharon

Keep up-to-date with Sharon's travels here.