Only a special coach would bring nearly 100 former athletes to a reunion so long after many ended their competitive careers. Toby Bowyer was such a coach and I felt honoured to be invited to speak at the special reunion at the weekend.
Leading cycling coach Ron Cheatley spoke immediately before me. Cheatley highlighted that communication was a key coaching attribute. Without communication there can be no motivation and without motivation there is no performance and however knowledgeable a coach is if he or she can't communicate there is little chance of success.
Cheatley went on to say that watching Bowyer in action as he sped around the cycle track at Cooks Gardens (in the days the grass track the cycle track was outside the running track) he observed a great well organised coach in action and stated that this was to stand him in good stead in his own coaching career.
Bowyer's athletes also understood the importance of communication and organisation and learnt so many life skills in the process. Those that put together the weekend demonstrated those same commendable communication and life skills.
Bowyer was one of my first visitors on arrival in New Zealand in 1973 and I was flattered that he should take the trouble to visit and talk to a young athlete and teacher. He encouraged me to join the club's activities and later be part of the committee.
I, like him, quickly realised that as a coach in a smaller town it was no use grumbling how things were being run and if you wanted a well organised competition structure it was important to help and serve in administration.