James had been Hamish’s Performance and Technique Analyst (PTA), alongside Matt Ingram, since he joined HPSNZ in September 2022. He had also provided S&C support to a number of HPSNZ Performance Pathway athletes in softball, netball and athletics, before starting his coaching role.
“My journey with HPSNZ started in 2014 as an athlete, but my next path began in 2019 when I started an S&C internship in Christchurch which has proved a pivotal point in my career.”
In addition, James coaches eight other track and field athletes outside his HPSNZ role and had worked with Hamish’s former coach, Terry Lomax, in an assistant role since 2020.
Fast forward to October last year and the end of the international track and field season when James transitioned into his role as Hamish’s lead coach.
“In many respects my move into being the lead coach was accelerated and happened slightly sooner than expected but it had been part of the next progression for Terry and me,” says James.
“I’ve always had an excellent relationship with Hamish and I’ve been lucky to have Terry mentor me and be one of many people who have helped lead me into this level of coaching.”
James continued his role as a PTA with HPSNZ but dropped his S&C role when his coaching commitments increased late last year.
“There’s a very tight HPSNZ team in Christchurch and I work extremely closely with Simeon Joplin (S&C) and Tamsin Chittock (Physio) who have been working with Hamish for many years. Matt Ingram and I support each other well, particularly across the domestic athletics season when competition support demands are high.”
Other members of Hamish’s team are John Quinn (Mental Skills), Rebecca Cooke (Nutrition) and Anna Simcic (Performance Life) who have all played a significant role in Hamish’s progress.
“The same support team, plus coach George Edwards, also work together with Paralympic silver medal winning 400m runner, Will Stedman whose success has been another absolute highlight. The crossover of support staff for these two campaigns has been really beneficial for both athletes and for the team to function well together.”
James takes his own previous experience as a high jumper and hurdler into his coaching and PTA roles.
“A significant role of the PTA is to understand the physics of a particular event and the biomechanics of how we can improve an athlete’s performance. I’ve found this skill set to be very transferrable to the coaching environment.
“I believe my understanding of the physical and technical aspects an athlete needs to improve is from my PTA role but it has proved invaluable to speeding up my move into a coaching role.
“Our next challenge is to learn and grow from Hamish’s success, both in creating a plan to continue his progression and also in using these lessons to help the next generation of athletes develop.”
