Benoni High Athletic Club (BHAC) coach Richard O’Donoghue credited periodisation and polarisation after four of his athletes qualified for the national cross-country championships on September 7 in Vanderbijlpark.
Kevin and Emma Hickley, Bronwyn Nel and Kiana Pepler will represent CGA at the national event after a successful season where Kevin, Nel and Pepler grabbed silver medals at the provincial championships on August 17.
The BHAC will also be represented by Kaitlyn Mackay and Camryn de Meyer.
“This has been five years in the making. They are now graduating. They are progressing from ‘I’ll never win today’. They are stepping into the arena now and believe they can win. They look at their competitors and know it’s going to be a good race because of the presence of some athletes. But two or three years ago, they believed they couldn’t win because their competitors were too fast,” said O’Donoghue.
O’Donoghue credited this success to teamwork, emphasising the importance of peaking at the right time.
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“It’s a group endeavour. The quality of the runner depends on the quality of the group. The group rubs off on the quality of the runner. That’s what we believe. Periodisation is extremely important,” he said.
While winning and making provincial and national teams is important, the coach added that children should be allowed to develop gradually, especially in their formative years, rather than a rigid results-driven approach.
“Polarisation becomes the next level when you’ve got periodising right. In the early years, we periodise but it’s a case of building. When we get to senior level, we want to see people go to the Olympics and not buy their tickets to the Games. We want them to go there because they are good enough to do so.”
He wished the runners well at the nationals, saying seeing them graduate into seniors is fantastic.
“Winning or losing, making a team or not, graduating as they have is fantastic. Watching them go about their business is fantastic. That’s all there is to it. Win or lose, it’s about the experience. They are happy children, which is good.”
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