Page 12 - Sports Energy News, Cornwall, Issue No 40

12
A Coach, a Dad, and a
Very Fine Line to Walk. Youth Olympics Experience
By Staff Writer
ot sure that in the 12 years
NI have been associated with
my son’s sports if I have been a
help or a hindrance. Don’t ask
him! I may not like the answer. It
has been an incredible time and
I would not trade it for anything.
All that time together in cars
bonding, at least that’s the way I
remember it. Now that I think of
it. I do remember seeing him with
headphones on a lot or playing on
the iPad. Oh well, I am pretty sure
we had fun.
I know that I have tried to
separate coaching and being Dad
the best I could and to not bring it
home from the ball field, the gym,
or the hockey rink. I also know
that I was not very good at doing
it sometimes. You want to be the
coach, but he does not always see
you that way and when you want
to be the dad he sometimes doesn’t
really want that either. Worst
of all are the moments when he
needs his dad but you have to be
the coach. You have to treat him
the same as every other player. I
have to let the players know that I
am fair. He is just like every other
player I say to myself behind the
bench or at practice. That’s the
fine line. It must be so frustrating
at times for him. I am sure he sees
it the other way. I am hard on him
and the other guys get away with
everything. He may be right; we
are always hardest on our own.
Who can blame him, right? If
I am not telling him how and what
to do on the ice, then I am telling
him how and what to do at home.
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Christian Seguin’s 2016
That must get hard on the head By Molly Kett order to be in peak shape for pre-
after a while. I can see my son is competition and focus during. There
ocal physiotherapist Christian were also some stations offered to
nodding in agreement, where ever
LSeguin spent most of February teach athletes how to relax and to
he is.
in Lillehammer, Norway treating focus.
This will probably be the last athletes at the 2016 Youth Olympics. “It was touching on every sphere
year I coach my son in any sport Seguin says it was a great learning of game preparation, it was really
and I am sure that is a relief to experience. good,” says Seguin.
him, but I hope not. I hope he “It was very nurturing, very much Seguin found the entire experience
looks back and is glad his dad a learning experience and a very equally as enriching for him as it was
took the time to do his best as enriching experience in terms of the athletes.
a coach and to be a part of his basically just being able to be there; “Being in Cornwall, it doesn’t
youth the best way I knew how; it was a good level of games and allow me to be exposed regularly to
the athletes were not just focused
by being there. My head is full of on the games but focused very sports such as skeleton, bobsleigh,
great memories of tournaments in much on learning and that’s what it luge, biathlon, competitive levels
Toronto, Rochester, Jay Peak in was all about,” says Seguin. “The of cross-country ski, downhill ski,
the winter, Burlington Vermont in educational process was as important slalom. These sports are not as
the spring, Maine in the summer, as the games, simply to be able to exposed here and I was able to be
and the odd game that we won. expose them to training practices, with the team, be part of the team, and
as much as I would teach them to use
Memories of great kids that I have fair play, drug free training, and drug
gotten to know and that my son free performance.” physiotherapy resources and be ready
and to do proper game preparation, at
has become lifelong friends with. Seguin says fair play is relating
the same time I would learn as much
I hope that is what my son takes to the effects of gambling on some
on their sport,” says Seguin. “For me
from all of it, memories. Forget sports, and how clean sports will have it was as much a learning experience
about the win-loss, remember the a long benefit for athletes. The games as it was a giving experience.”
had stations dedicated to teaching the
night in Lake Placid the team went
athletes proper training practices, Initially, Seguin was preparing
bowling, the times at the beach in
including skills that were significant the athletes and taking care of their
Portland Maine, the wave pool, previous injuries, to get them into
outside of each athlete’s realm of
and don’t forget the night in the their best shape possible. During the
expertise. Seguin says this program
hospital waiting room ( is it broken was rewarding for the athletes. games, Seguin did treat a few acute
or not?). injuries, sprains, strains, concussions,
“Throughout the experience there and so on. Injuries incurred were
So even though it was a fine would be different sport ambassadors more often expected for certain
line to walk, it was one of the best that would come,” says Seguin. sports. Fortunately they didn’t have
walks I have ever taken. So thank “One of the big names was Lindsay to deal with any major injuries.
Vaughn, who is an American downhill
you to my son for all his patience skier and multi-medalist, and there Seguin enjoyed his time immensely,
and his understanding when the would be people in every discipline particularly being able to run the
old man went off on a rant, thank so that the athletes could be exposed clinic in the evening and get to know
you to him for all the special to what it’s like and they could ask the different athletes participating.
moments we shared because of his the questions. It was an open forum “To be able to exchange on their
hard work, thank you to him for so that they would be exposed to day and their accomplishments, as
being a leader when I needed him experience in that sense” well as their failures or challenges
to be one, and mostly, thank you to and to be able to share and see what
my son for being him. During the games, Seguin found learning would come out of it, that
that the athletes would be involved in was definitely my first favourite
learning how to use resources such as
What a walk!
medicine, physiotherapy, nutrition, part,” says Seguin. “Norway was a
Coach Dad or training practices properly, in Continued on page 35