4 minute read
How to build a winning team
from Ahoy! June 2022
by Koko Mueller
A Q&A session with the 2019-2021 RHKYC outrigger canoeing performance coach Alex de Miranda
WORDS: MARTINA REDAELLI AND ALEX DE MIRANDA | IMAGE: FRANCK TETARD
Advertisement
Alex de Miranda has been the RHKYC performance coach for Outrigger Canoeing for the past three seasons. He is leaving Hong Kong soon and therefore his role with the Club to return to his native Brazil.
On behalf of the RHKYC Outrigger Canoeing section, we would like to thank him for the time, dedication and heart he gave in coaching the team.
He has shown incredible patience and willingness to care and motivate the team and inspiring each paddler to work hard and to go the extra mile for the crew.
It is said that hard work pays off and this is clearly shown by the results the RHKYC brough home over the last three seasons.
His love for the ocean, his happiness on the water and his lucky red pants on the race days are going to be missed, but we wish him all the best for his next adventure.
Let’s now get to know a bit more about him, through a short Q&A session.
Q. From a paddler to a paddling coach: tell us a bit about your transition and experience. A. The transition was fairly easy. I knew how I wanted to coach because those were things that I felt I missed in my own experience as a paddler. For instance, we all hear about how one needs to reach, but I missed guidance of what that means – what am I stretching forward – and drills on how to get used to doing that.
The only hard part was separating the coach from the competitor, so what I found out was that being a member of a crew and coaching it at the same time is counterproductive for me. I had to come to terms with the idea that success is having paddlers I coach do well, and not necessarily being on their crews. As it turns out, once that happened, I found that being a reserve paddler for whatever crew needed me was really rewarding.
Q. What are three of your qualities that helped you to be successful? A. I genuinely want people to do well and enjoy paddling. I enjoy the process, and not just the results – results matter a lot, but they only come if we are patient and don't rush past necessary steps. I like to work hard, and like people who work hard – I had to learn to be better about inspiring people to work hard, rather than harassing them to do so. All these traits are more like things I learned than innate qualities, so I forget them every once in a while, but the overall intention is there.
Q. What is the most difficult decision you had to make as the RHKYC OC coach? A. Moving people from the crew they want to paddle into those they are less excited about. That is never fun, but fortunately in most cases RHKYC paddlers are graceful about it even when they are displeased and understand that those decisions are for the good of the club. Having good captains also helped immensely. Of course, that is a lie. The most difficult decision was deciding to move away from the position. These have been really great seasons, and there in no way I can be happy about leaving the club.
Q. Describe one of your most successful moments as the RHKYC OC coach. A. I think the headline moment was the sprint to the end with the guys at the end of ATIR. I feel it really showed all the qualities that we were trying to develop throughout the season. Technique, fitness, and grit all came together in what I think will remain a classic ATIR moment.
Realistically, though, that is just the headline. I think that being able to work with Steph to keep the women's dominance of local paddling by folding many new paddlers into the squad was a huge success too.
Q. What is your favourite sports quote? A. I don't really have a quote, but something I read about the British Track Cycling program when they rose to dominance really resounded. Their coach said that if you can squeeze a little bit more speed out of many little details, those gains really add up. That has stuck with me, so I am constantly thinking about how to help people get a bit better in every little aspect of their stroke, to surf a little better, to find that one spot where the 1% improvement is hiding.
CONTACTS
Rowing Manager rowingmanager@rhkyc.org.hk Coastal Rowing coastalrowing@rhkyc.org.hk Shatin Men’s Racing shatinrowingmen@rhkyc.org. hk Shatin Women’s Racing shatinrowingladies@rhkyc.org.hk
Every pair tells a story.
Behind every pair of Maui Jim sunglasses there is a cherished personal story that ties to those that came before, growing into a beautiful, unique pattern that is the Maui Jim ‘ohana. Try on a pair and see for yourself that PolarizedPlus2® lenses protect eyes from harmful rays, eliminate glare, and make colours more vivid. The View's Better From Here.
