Alex Gardiner
 Senior Director: Olympic Programming
 Canadian Olympic Committee
 Interview Date: December 11, 2006
 Duration: 37:26 mins / 37:30 mins 
 File Size: 34.4MB / 34.5MB
 Est Download Time: 5 minutes
 Download Part I: MP3 / WMA
 Download Part II: MP3 / WMA

Alex Gardiner began his career in sport as a personal coach in track and field.  Since this time he has held a number of senior positions within the Canadian sport system including Head Athletics Coach at the University of Manitoba, Director of Technical Programs, Chief Executive Officer, and Chief Technical Officer at Athletics Canada, General Manager of the National Sport Centre: Manitoba, and most recently Director of International Performance and Senior Director: Olympic Programming with the Canadian Olympic Committee.  Alex served as the head coach of Canada’s Athletics teams at the 1991, 1993, 2001 and 2003 World Athletics Championships as well the 2004 Olympic Games.  Alex is an avid student of sport and is one of a few Canadian athletics coaches to earn level five through the National Coaching Certification Program.

In this interview Alex discusses his early years as a coach, the individuals who influenced his thinking, along with recent developments in the Canadian high performance sport structure.  He also discusses the impact these developments will have on coaches and goes on to provide an overview of best practices coming out of successful Canadian and international sport organizations.



 Tom Tellez – Olympic Coach
 Interview Date: December 1, 2006
 Duration: 55:25 mins
 File Size: 51MB
 Est Download Time: 7 minutes

 Download (Part I): MP3 / WMA
 Download (Part II): MP3 / WMA



Coach Tom Tellez is one of the world’s pre-eminent biomechanists in the sport of track and field as well as one of its greatest coaches. The roster of athletes that have been tutored by Coach Tellez include Dwight Stones, Mike Tully, Willie Banks, Floyd Heard, Mike Marsh, Kirk Baptiste, Joe Deloach, Leroy Burrell and of course, Carl Lewis. In the period 1984 to 1996, six of the seven US sprinters who won Olympic gold medals were coached by Tellez and seven of the overall 13 sprint medals won by US athletes were won under his mentorship. In addition, during his 22-year seasons as the University of Houston’s head coach he produced countless national champions across the throws, jumps, sprint and hurdle events.

In part one of this extraordinary two part interview, coach Tellez discusses his early coaching development and education, his training methodology, the keys to coaching biomechanical analysis, and an in depth 30 minute analysis of sprint acceleration and hurdle mechanics. It is a rare glimpse into the genius of one of our sport’s greatest intellects.   

In part two of this audio interview, coach Tellez describes his approach to speed development, strength development, planning and periodization as well as the correlation of speed and strength in the development of an athlete. In addition, he discusses the programming that developed Carl Lewis, coaching development in the United States, and how to become an effective coach; invaluable information for coaches at all levels.




 Dan Pfaff – Olympic Coach
 Interview Date: November 22, 2006
 Duration: 57:32 mins
 File Size: 53MB 
 Est Download Time: 7 minutes

 Download: MP3 / WMA


Coach Dan Pfaff is widely regarded as one of the world’s top track and field coaches, having coached 33 Olympians to seven medals and 44 World Championships performers to nine medals. Among these are Donovan Bailey (1996 Olympic double-gold medalist, WR Holder, 100m), Bruny Surin (1996 Olympic gold medalist, 4 x 100m relay, 1999 World Championships silver medalist, 100m), Obadele Thompson (2000 Olympic bronze medalist, 100m), Dudley Dorival (2001 World Championships bronze medalist, 110m Hurdles) and Mark Boswell (1999 World Championships silver medalist, 2003 WC bronze medalist, HJ).

In this interview coach Pfaff discusses his coaching education history, his mentors, the current coaching and athlete development models in the USA as well as such technical topics as speed development, 100m race strategy, periodization and planning, tapering for final phase preparation and the coach / athlete / medical team triad. A truly unique opportunity to see inside the mind of one of the world’s great coaches.




 Frank Dick, OBE – Olympic Coach
 President, EACA
 Interview Date: November 11, 2006
 Duration: 60: mins
 File Size: 55MB
 Est Download Time: 7 minutes

 Download: MP3 / WMA



Frank Dick is the former director of coaching for UK Athletics and current president of the European Athletics Coaches Association. Frank was awarded the OBE (Officer of the British Empire) in 1989, induction to the UK Coaches Hall of Fame in 1999, and the prestigious titles UK Sporting Hero by Sport UK in 2001, as well as the Geoffrey Dyson award. He served as Chief Coach to the British team at four Olympic Games, seven European Cups, three European Championships and three World Championships and has helped develop Daley Thompson, Boris Becker, Gerhard Berger, Denise Lewis, Marat Safin and Katarina Witt among other top athletes.

In this interview Frank discusses his coaching history and career highlights, his work with such athletes as Daley Thompson and Boris Becker, the importance of the professionalization of coaches and the IAAF Coaching Academy and Academy Archive. As well he discusses the future of athletics worldwide and the global development of coaches.




 Dr. Wolfgang Ritzdorf
 Former German National Coach - Jumps
 Professor
 Interview Date: November 11, 2006
 Duration: 32:05 mins
 File Size: 30MB
 Est Download Time: 5 minutes

 Download: MP3 / WMA


Dr. Ritzdorf is a senior lecturer at the German Sports University in Cologne where he is also the vice dean of the Institute of Motor Control and Movement Technique. He is also a former national coach for Germany and a senior lecturer in the IAAF Coaches Education and Certification system. He has coached 6 women over 1.90m in the high jump including Ulrike Meyfarth (1984 Olympic Champion) and Heike Henkel (1992 Olympic Champion).

Dr. Ritzdorf discusses various aspects of training methodology for the jumping events including speed and technique development, periodization concepts, tapering and peaking for the jumping events and various kinds of strength development. As well he discusses the current coaching development model in Germany and his biomechanic resource website, the Coaches Eye. 

 Iwan Thomas, MBE  
 British Record Holder - 400m
 Olympic Silver Medalist, 4 x 400m
 Interview Date: October 20, 2006
 Duration: 40:26 mins
 File Size: 37MB
 Est Download Time: 5 minutes

 Download: MP3 / WMA

Iwan is a former European, Commonwealth and World Cup Champion in the 400m, as well as the British Record Holder (44.36) in that event. He was a member of the famed British 1996 Olympic 4 x 400m silver medal relay team that still stands as the second fastest team in history. He is also a Member of the British Empire (MBE).

Iwan discusses his early days in sport, his late coming into athletics as well as his relationship with his long time coach Mike Smith. In addition he describes his training methods, his battles with injuries and his experiences during his reign as British 400m champion through the “golden years” of the event in Britain. Here's your chance to spend 40 minutes with one of the great competitors in our sport.