(The following article originally appeared in the July 18th, 2003 edition of the Grande Prairie Herald Tribune.)

Last Saturday afternoon, I reached a milestone in my coaching career.  For the first time ever, one of my athletes was competing live on national TV.  As the camera panned across the contestants lined up for the 1500m final at the National Track and Field Championships, there was Freddy Setterington clad is his standard issue Wapiti Striders uniform.    

Now Freddy wasn’t exactly the favorite in this particular race.  In fact, going in, he was ranked 13th in the 14 man field.  As I settled back in my Lazy Boy to witness this historic TV event, I prepared for the inevitable – I was about to witness Freddy getting a good, old fashion butt kicking.

Now the more logically inclined might ask, “Why would an athlete put him or herself in a no hope situation like this?”  If you’re destined not to challenge for the win, or at least challenge for the podium, why are you even lining up in a national championship race?  The answer is simple: you’re preparing for the great things to come in the future.

Let’s face it, for true champions, and future champions, a sound thumping can be a motivating thing.  Once you’ve been to THE SHOW, you experience first-hand what it feels like to toe the line with the best in the nation.  No amount of practicing or training can ever replace actually “being there.”  However, for the true athlete just “being there” loses its luster after the initial time or two.  “Being there and succeeding” becomes the next logical progression. 

If you’re looking for a poster child for the “butt-kicking-leads-to-future greatness” theory, look no further than local runner Jenna Huber.   In July 2001, Jenna entered the 3000m in the Junior National Championships in Calgary.  Of the seven girls entered in the race, Jenna was ranked 6th with a seed time almost a minute slower than the Number One girl.  Jenna told me afterwards that she was so nervous just warming up for the race that she was almost crying.

In the end, Jenna managed a 5th place finish in her first Junior Nationals, but more importantly she gained some important “big race experience”, or, in other words, she got her butt kicked.  Later on that fall, she gained some more “big race experience” by contesting the Junior National Cross Country Championships, placing 18th in a field of over 100.  In June 2002, she lined up in the 5000m at Senior Nationals, finishing third last in a field of 11.

By the time Jenna returned to Junior National Track and Field Championships in July 2002, she was a different athlete.  On Day One of the Championships, she knocked 25 seconds of her personal best time in the 5000m, winning the race by 25m.  She followed up that gold medal performance with yet another gold medal performance in the 3000m one day later.  

(Oh, by the way, in addition to the aforementioned butt kickings preceding her two championship runs, there was the small matter of endless kms she logged during training runs and numerous hours spent in the gym working on strength and flexibility.  The butt kickings are just one component, all be it a very important component, of the making of a champion.)
 
Of course, it hasn’t stopped there for Jenna.  As many of you know, she spent the past year at the University of Nevada (Reno) competing against some of the top university runners in North America.  Yes, she’s got her butt kicked more than a few times, but she’s also been steadily improving her times in the 3000m, 5000m, and 10,000m distances.  And rest assured, they’ll be a few more butt kickings in the next few years as Jenna pursues her ultimate goal of representing Canada in the marathon, maybe even at a World Championship or Olympic Games.  

So back to Freddy. How did things end up for our local boy in his national TV debut?  Well, to put it bluntly, he got his butt kicked; 13th out of 13 finishers.  On the upside, however, one guy dropped out, so officially he wasn’t last.  More importantly, his finishing time of 3:56 was over 3 seconds better than his previous best time for the 1500m distance.  Despite his rather modest placing, a personal best time in a national championship final is certainly nothing to be ashamed of.

Now that Freddy’s been to THE SHOW, things will be different next time.  My VCR is primed; only 51 weeks until we again see some local talent on the CBC on Saturday afternoon.