News & Updates

As we continue to acknowledge National Volunteer Week we turn the spotlight on long-time athlete and Northland-based coach Carolyn Smith.

Tell us about your background as an athlete?

As an eight-year-old I tagged along with my brother’s football team who attended athletics training for fitness. He stopped going as soon as I beat him but I kept going and met a coach – Colleen Brunker. She helped coach our Whangarei Girls High School 4x100m relay team to a gold medal at the New Zealand Secondary Schools Champs. We had so much fun as a group training and racing on scoria tracks. I got to race against the likes of Wendy Brown (former Commonwealth Games sprinter), whom I looked up to as she ran for the local Wellsford club down the road from Whangarei, and also Kim Robertson (New Zealand women’s 400m record-holder) at the Northern League meetings in Auckland. In those days we had bus loads of talented and successful athletes come down from up north to compete at Mt Smart.

I stopped athletics for a while once I got into my early 20s, but kept running for fun, and played representative hockey for Northland. Once the family moved to Auckland in the late 1980s, I “accidently” ended up running the Auckland Marathon in 1992 with no training. It was the first time the marathon went over the bridge and I managed to finish. That got me into running longer distances.

From there I joined the local Calliope club on the North Shore, then in the late-1990s I joined Bays Athletics.  I’ve managed to pick up some New Zealand Masters road, cross country, and senior road relay medals over the years. I also dabbled in duathlon and triathlon for a while and ended up medalling at two age group duathlon world champs. I currently run for my old club, Whangarei Athletics, and compete in the fun local Saturday events. I’m also back playing hockey after 30 years, joining some old friends in Whangarei and keeping injury free. You will see me in the Whangarei uniform at the New Zealand Cross Country champs in Taupo in late July.

How did you first become involved with coaching?

Back in the early 2000s my children joined Bays Athletics and I met Russ Hoggard (the coaching legend who earlier this year passed away). He had a tremendous impact on my early years as a coach. With his guidance and my own experience as a sprinter and distance runner, I started to help Russ with his group which had grown to over 30 athletes. We had a mixture of sprinters, middle to long distance runners, hurdlers and jumpers. I’ve been very fortunate in recent years to have worked alongside Paul Hamblyn (he’s awesome), and being able to pick the brains of coaches like Chris Pilone and Rob Mallinder, to name but a few. Russ always said to me, ‘Carolyn, you never stop learning as a coach’.

What do you enjoy and find most rewarding about coaching?

Seeing the buzz and happiness on the athletes’ faces when they achieve something makes me smile. Everyone has their own path and goals, and to know that I have helped them achieve their aims is special. It can happen in training too, when they realise ‘gosh did I just do that session’? I always say to the kids I’ve coached and to the older athletes, if you are enjoying it, then anything can happen. I still enjoy running and competing, so it rubs off on the athletes I hope!

What was the motivation to get involved with the Para Athletics project that Athletics Whangarei is part of later this year?

Since moving back up north, Judy Stewart got hold of me and mentioned she had some children she is coaching that could do with some help. I’ve been helping Judy who has done an awesome job developing the kids. When Mariah Ririnui (Athletics NZ Coaching Coordinator) and Hamish Meacheam (Athletics NZ Community Manager) approached us about the Whangarei Club being involved with Para Athletics, I thought this could be an area I can help with. Providing opportunities for everyone, no matter their ability, in the provinces as well as the main centres is great. Then I think of Russ’s quote, ‘we never stop learning’.

What qualities do you feel you need to be a good coach?

Passion and patience, enthusiasm, being a good communicator, being observant, and supportive, and making training fun. I love it when they finish training and walk away smiling.

Why would you encourage other athletes to get involved in coaching?

I’ve always loved helping athletes achieve their own personal goals, young or old. I’ve been fortunate enough to have some wonderful coaches who gave me so much time and I want to give back to others. The pleasure I’ve had from seeing an athlete I’ve developed from starting out is very special, and you realise what a positive effect you can have on someone’s life – it’s cool. I didn’t realise how much knowledge I had until I started coaching, it felt very natural. As with competing, as a coach you make lifelong friends and meet some wonderful people.