Post-Tokyo Coaching Carousal

[fatsculler]

Always thought the benefits of Canadians was they weren't Americans and that Kiwis weren't Aussies

[loblaw]

I'm talking about the actual people, not the histories of the countries. Canada is a very left leaning, progressive country. Despite what it may seem like from the outside looking in the majority of the NZ population is very conservative. You won't find a lot of she/her's in NZ.

You could tell from everything that came out about Dave Thompson's time with RCA that his athletes were shocked that a coach would raise his voice at them, criticise them, be demanding etc. He coached at a consistantly high level from school to Olympic level in NZ with both men and women for close to 20 years without issue. That's a cultural difference.

Might have been a specific issue with athlete and coach there. I can tell you, having grown up playing hockey (ice hockey), that nobody in Canada would be unfamiliar with "the angry coach". Also live in Alberta, which is somewhere around Texas in the political spectrum.

Having lived in a few different countries, generally speaking I'd say the variability within any country is broader than the difference between any two. But if I had to chose two nations that "couldn't be more different" from a cultural/political/societal point of view, certainly NZ and Canada wouldn't be at the top of my list! Lets maybe have a closer look at Chad and North Korea.

[loblaw]

Sounds like Rowing Canada going to have some turnover with Iain Brambell gone with coaches Dick Tonks and Terry Paul. Hopefully they can figure out a way to keep Michelle Darville in the fold.

[cir]

Yes Michelle coached the eight in Rio but much more credit should go to Dave Thompson. Dave Thompson rebuilt the women's' program after Rio. The number of women returning to the program was small and he developed new athletes and rebuilt the numbers. He put together the women's pair and saw their potential as medal winners. He also implemented the New Zealand way of training and the 2k scores in the program improved. He was a mentor to Michelle and Phil Marshall who coached the pair under difficult circumstances to a bronze.

I do not know the reasons behind his dismissal but without him the women's results in Tokyo would not have been the same. Canada is now looking for a top coach to lead both the men's and women's programs. I really do not think they can fill it from inside. Had Thompson not been let go he could maybe have been the one to fill the role.

[flat drive]

Can confirm that both Ian Wright and Dave Thompson have gone back to Maadi Cup level in NZ (Hamilton Boys and Waikato Dio) so won't be coaching National team level

[Rowcoach]

Can confirm that both Ian Wright and Dave Thompson have gone back to Maadi Cup level in NZ (Hamilton Boys and Waikato Dio) so won't be coaching National team level

Will probably both be seen in the Junior Team.

[Stewie Griffin Should Cox]

You know, it’s a lot more fun coaching at lower levels.

Even Masters.

[FlaminAT]

What a shocker. New Head Coach for Germany Christian Felkel has just thrown the towel in. Never even started! Brigitte Bielig is to take over. Doesn't believe he can work in the present system.

Or in other words....Germany future is looking bleak and he can see that. Wrong time to take over the reins.

Wishing Frau Bielig the very best. Women can do just aswell as the men. Sabine Tschäge did a wonderful job with the German LM2x in Tokio.

[Rowcoach]

What a shocker. New Head Coach for Germany Christian Felkel has just thrown the towel in. Never even started! Brigitte Bielig is to take over. Doesn't believe he can work in the present system.

Or in other words....Germany future is looking bleak and he can see that. Wrong time to take over the reins.

Wishing Frau Bielig the very best. Women can do just aswell as the men. Sabine Tschäge did a wonderful job with the German LM2x in Tokio.

Maybe got a better offer from one of the systems looking for new coach. Having lived in an English speaking country/system for 20 years he may prefer something in Canada, Aus, GB (again)

[fatsculler]

Announcement from DRV regarding Felkel
https://www.rudern.de/news/2021/chef-bu ... elig-kommt

27 OCT 2021 - 12:15 pm | ASSOCIATION | FROM GERMAN ROWING ASSOCIATION

Head coach: Christian Felkel is leaving, Brigitte Bielig is coming

Christian Felkel leaves, Brigitte Bielig takes over!
With great surprise and even greater regret, the German Rowing Association announces the resignation of the chief national coach Christian Felkel, who came on board in March 2021. Felkel leaves at his own request, U23 national trainer Brigitte Bielig takes over the post as head national trainer.

Felkel, who has worked his way into the German training landscape and funding structures since March, has decided for himself that under the framework and federal conditions he cannot achieve his ideas of training and goals in top-class Olympic sport. Personal reasons that could not be taken into account in advance also led Christian Felkel to make his decision. Despite several discussions and offers from and with the DRV board of directors and sports director Mario Woldt, Christian Felkel only took the step of parting ways as the last consequence.

Luck in misfortune: With U23 national trainer Brigitte Bielig, a very successful trainer who not only brings many years of know-how, but also knows and masters the complex structures of the DRV and the German competitive sports landscape, is moving to the top position. Bielig will take over the duties of head national coach with immediate effect, so as not to lose any time for the selection and training with regard to the Olympic Games 2024.

Christian Felkel leaves the DRV with an unknown destination. “It's a shame that Christian doesn't see any further prospects for his work in the DRV. We got used to it well and I was looking forward to an intensive cooperation, especially since the structural conditions after the rowing day speak in favor of a competitive sports orientation ”, says Mario Woldt.

[limegreenspeed]

What a shocker. New Head Coach for Germany Christian Felkel has just thrown the towel in. Never even started! Brigitte Bielig is to take over. Doesn't believe he can work in the present system.

Or in other words....Germany future is looking bleak and he can see that. Wrong time to take over the reins.

Wishing Frau Bielig the very best. Women can do just aswell as the men. Sabine Tschäge did a wonderful job with the German LM2x in Tokio.

What is so dysfunctional about the system? Is this 2008 all over again? The men seemed well set up to continue their eight project.

[FlaminAT]

Rowing in Germany has many problems to solve. They do well at Junior Level and U23 level (although they are in decline here too) but never really make the step up. The centralisation policy is failing right now. It may well work in the future but right now it is not. The only medallists in Tokio were the Mens 8+ and the LM2x. The LM2x was trained outside the centralisation system and the 8+ has been for years centralised in Dortmund.

One problem you have in Germany is it is too big for centralisation. Career oportunities and qualifications are different (in some cases but not all) from State to State. A good example is a young female sculler from Bavaria wants to become a teacher but also scull for the German Team and when her sport career is over become a teacher in Bavaria. She is now forced to go to Berlin (centralisation for female scullers) and in theory could study to become a teacher in Berlin. Only the qualification she gets in Berlin is not valid for Bavaria! So why bother!

Also the last of the good years for rowers (92-95) are finishing their careers and what is available is just not as good as these rowers were. Generation thing?

Another issue is the fact that once a trainer always a trainer until retirement. Job for life...sort of!

The situation in Germany will probably get worse and then perhaps we shall see an improvement after Paris. In reality the only boats with a chance of medalling in Paris (as of today) ire Big Ollie (caveat..calm water) and the Womens Quad. The Mens 8+ has only 2 who are carrying on as of today. The LM2x have retired but there is a miniscule chance they will get back together 2023.

And there are more reasons........

[fatsculler]

Rowing in Germany has many problems to solve. They do well at Junior Level and U23 level (although they are in decline here too) but never really make the step up. The centralisation policy is failing right now. It may well work in the future but right now it is not. The only medallists in Tokio were the Mens 8+ and the LM2x. The LM2x was trained outside the centralisation system and the 8+ has been for years centralised in Dortmund.

One problem you have in Germany is it is too big for centralisation. Career oportunities and qualifications are different (in some cases but not all) from State to State. A good example is a young female sculler from Bavaria wants to become a teacher but also scull for the German Team and when her sport career is over become a teacher in Bavaria. She is now forced to go to Berlin (centralisation for female scullers) and in theory could study to become a teacher in Berlin. Only the qualification she gets in Berlin is not valid for Bavaria! So why bother!

Also the last of the good years for rowers (92-95) are finishing their careers and what is available is just not as good as these rowers were. Generation thing?

Another issue is the fact that once a trainer always a trainer until retirement. Job for life...sort of!

The situation in Germany will probably get worse and then perhaps we shall see an improvement after Paris. In reality the only boats with a chance of medalling in Paris (as of today) ire Big Ollie (caveat..calm water) and the Womens Quad. The Mens 8+ has only 2 who are carrying on as of today. The LM2x have retired but there is a miniscule chance they will get back together 2023.

And there are more reasons........

In terms of athletes Germany looks to facing the same situation that GB had after Rio, large numbers of established athletes retiring without a decent pipeline of talent in place to take over. For GB it’s taken more than one Olympic cycle to recover (I think GB will be back to being a force to be reckoned with in Paris). The rest of the Paris Olympiad may be a bit barren for Germany. Even the W4X will face a tough challenge from a number of countries.

[Remomex]

Rowing in Germany has many problems to solve. They do well at Junior Level and U23 level (although they are in decline here too) but never really make the step up. The centralisation policy is failing right now. It may well work in the future but right now it is not. The only medallists in Tokio were the Mens 8+ and the LM2x. The LM2x was trained outside the centralisation system and the 8+ has been for years centralised in Dortmund.

One problem you have in Germany is it is too big for centralisation. Career oportunities and qualifications are different (in some cases but not all) from State to State. A good example is a young female sculler from Bavaria wants to become a teacher but also scull for the German Team and when her sport career is over become a teacher in Bavaria. She is now forced to go to Berlin (centralisation for female scullers) and in theory could study to become a teacher in Berlin. Only the qualification she gets in Berlin is not valid for Bavaria! So why bother!

Also the last of the good years for rowers (92-95) are finishing their careers and what is available is just not as good as these rowers were. Generation thing?

Another issue is the fact that once a trainer always a trainer until retirement. Job for life...sort of!

The situation in Germany will probably get worse and then perhaps we shall see an improvement after Paris. In reality the only boats with a chance of medalling in Paris (as of today) ire Big Ollie (caveat..calm water) and the Womens Quad. The Mens 8+ has only 2 who are carrying on as of today. The LM2x have retired but there is a miniscule chance they will get back together 2023.

And there are more reasons........

For a bit I thought you were talking about the US...

Is Germany really in that big a struggle? In 2008, they won 1 silver (W2x) and 1 bronze medal (W4x). In 2012 they medaled in the M8, M4x, W4x. In 2016 they again medaled in the M8, M4x, W4x. 2020(1) medals in M8 and LM2x. They haven't won more than 3 medals in 4 Olympic cycles, which is quite a long time. I suppose the lack of medals in both M4x and W4x must be a big disappointment but it's hard to dominate an event for that long.

[Rocket-Sauce]

Snip...
The LM2x have retired but there is a miniscule chance they will get back together 2023.

And there are more reasons........

Doubtful they will get back together. Jason Osbourne has signed a professional cycling contract with Deceuninck–Quick-Step after winning the esports cycling worlds. Sort of like winning CRASH-B and getting a scholarship??