Kudos to the Coach



A large part of my professional life entails coach education. The nature of the beast is that I spend way too much time educating & way too little time learning. Granted, every class or individual I teach challenges me on some aspect or another & I gain by going more extensively into that aspect & learning a great deal. I also have a number of resources from which I gain great gobbets of useful information on almost a daily basis. Gone are the days where I would have access to a mentor coach on a regular basis, who could guide my thought process & challenge me to come up with creative solutions to my coaching challenges. Of course there are also my athletes, old & young, fast & not so fast, who are constant sources of learning for me.

However, once in a while I come across an individual who blows me away with their level of expertise, their ability to apply the science creatively, & at the same time have that unfathomable depth of patience, creativity & compassion for the human condition that they can take them lovingly through the hellish process of self-flagellation so that they come out the other end masters of their craft & masters of themselves within their chosen endurance event.
Such a man is my friend Roberto Solano from Costa Rica (http://www.hypoxiccostarica.com/); genius, savant, compassionate teacher & uber coach. With little in the way of big buck support, in an economically challenged community, with great vision, resourcefulness, personal investment & drive he has produced 4 Olympians for the London Olympics in 2 different sports (triathlon & marathon) from 3 different countries!!
Roberto I have learned SO much from you & believe that Olympic & World Championship medals for your athletes require only a matter of time. Thank you for all you do for the athletes, our community & for me in my coaching journey.
"¡Felicitaciones por tu éxito y que éxito sea tuyo siempre mi amigo!" "Congratulations on your success and may success be yours always my friend"  - I believe & hope  that’s right.
Roberto is a great example to follow – he started with a vision, prepared with extensive formal international training, apprenticed with one of the greatest minds in exercise science, Gre’goire Millet & then dove in practically with athletes in running, cycling, soccer & his 1^st love, triathlon, (these are the sports of which I know!). His success is hardly overnight – he has worked hard producing high level junior football (soccer) players, & is managing the coaching & racing of cycling teams also.
Triathlon thanks you Roberto – & I am sure your athletes do also. Keep up the great work & keep showing the world what’s possible.
Thank you also from me – it is an honor & great pleasure to know you & share your journey
Bobby McGee