Rare double for region

BY STU PIDDINGTON

South Canterbury athletics coach Don Garland is looking towards the London Olympics.

A man of many talents, his latest job is to choose those who will compete there and at other major meetings in the black singlet with silver fern.

At the Athletics New Zealand annual meeting Garland, Graham O'Brien and Tony Rogers were elected track and field selectors for the next two years.

That means Garland will help pick all New Zealand teams from juniors right up to World Championships, Olympics and Commonwealth Game level.

It gives South Canterbury Amateur Athletics Club a rare double, with Timaru Boys' High School rector Kevin O'Sullivan the convener of New Zealand Road Race and Cross Country panel.

Garland was surprised when he was approached to see if he was interested in the job and then heard nothing until he was elected.

The 55-year-old has no doubt what his job is.

"You need to talk to the athletes and encourage them, especially those on the verge of breaking into the top tiers.

"Tell them to be proactive in applying – too many miss out purely by not nominating themselves under the current system."

Garland said he was looking forward to the job as he enjoyed the vibrancy of young people and took delight in seeing them achieve.

"It's also great to have Terry Lomax back at Athletics NZ as high-performance manager after time with the British Olympic team."

He is also excited by the junior talent coming through including shot putter Jacko Gill, middle distance runners Aaron Pulford and Hannah Newbould, looking towards Rio.

"Valerie Vili has set the benchmark and it's up to us to build systems that allow others to follow."

Garland has a long history in the sport since he was the senior Timaru Boys' High School sprint champion in 1972 and 1973 and also took the New Zealand Secondary Schools titles.

The following year he was in the Commonwealth Games training squad for Christchurch.

Garland went on to take numerous podium places at senior New Zealand championships but his titles came in relay for Canterbury.

He was coached by Bruce Savage who also helped Dick Tayler and Laurie D'Arcy. Returning to Timaru in 1989 after a stint working in Ashburton, Garland was asked to help out the South Canterbury Amateur Athletics Club with coaching.

"Then they just kept coming for the next 20 years."

Garland said he coached both rugby and athletics out of love of the sports.

"I just gave back what I got out of it."

His dedication is astounding. He has often travelled to Christchurch every weekend over summer and then followed rugby teams over the winter for the past decade.

In 1994 his first New Zealand coaching job was with a junior team to Europe for six weeks.

"I remember hamstring injuries counted a couple of sprinters out so I ran in the relay and again at the Afura Games in 2003, when I was the manager and the relay was short, to allow the other athletes the experience of competing."

Since then he has not been far away from the track.

- © Fairfax NZ News