Sophie Robb, Siobhan Balle & Luke Clements win New Zealand Road Race titles.
| I celebrate all my athletes and their successes, however it is no secret that the most personal fulfilment I get is from seeing the crop of juniors that I coach achieving things that they had perhaps thought out of their grasp. Yesterday was a prime example of this. Six athlete coached by James Kuegler Coaching ran at the New Zealand Road Race Championships at St Peter’s School in Cambridge. Three of those athletes won national titles. Sophie Robb (Auckland City Athletics) won the U13 Girls title, Siobhan Balle (Papakura Athletics & Harrier Club) took out the U15 Girls title, and Luke Clements (Papakura Athletics & Harrier Club) was victorious, taking the U15 Boys title. As a coach it is a pretty special thing when an athlete wins a New Zealand title. I’m hopeful that For Siobhan, Sophie and Luke this is their first of many, but for right now, it is nice to be in a place where we can enjoy and reflect on this success. |  Siobhan Balle, James Kuegler & Bronwyn Mitchell |
The success of these three athletes was, frankly, a bonus. The main goal when working with any athlete, especially a junior athlete, is to enhance wellbeing, and to aid in the development of well rounded, functional human beings who are able to express their health in a positive manner and enjoy themselves whilst moving, both now and into the future.
The U13 and U15 races at the NZ Road Champs are each run as mixed race. Sophie and Siobhan both benefited from racing with the boys, as both were able to lock in with the boys around them, thus holding a higher intensity than the rest of the girls in the races were able maintain. This grit and focus paid off big time and I am beyond pleased with their results.
Sophie, who attends St. Cuthbert's College, is backing the NZ Road Race up with the Auckland Intermediate Schools Cross Country Champs at Muriwai on Tuesday, September 4 and the AIMS Games Cross Country in Tauranga on Sunday, September 9. This is a demanding period of racing, though if anyone is going to thrive it will be Sophie, and I expect that she will get stronger over the course of the eight day period.
The national title that Siobhan gained caps a spectacular run of results over the last two weeks. Taking the U15 title in the Athletics Auckland Road Race Championships, the U15 Athletics Auckland Grand Prix Series and the junior girls title at the Auckland Secondary Schools Road Race.
ACG Strathallan student Siobhan, said that the win “Helped me prove to myself that I can do anything I set my mind to, it’s just getting over that last hurdle of my mind.” And Siobhan did just that. By calmly engaging and staying on top of her doubts she is now enjoying a national title.
For Luke, who hails from Whangarei, and attend Mount Albert Grammar School, the raw power has always been there, the learning and development as an athlete has been, and continues to be, learning how to race intelligently. Luke strategically controlled the pace from the start in a lead group of the road race, biding his time until launching an attack with 300 metres to run.
The U13 and U15 races at the NZ Road Champs are each run as mixed race. Sophie and Siobhan both benefited from racing with the boys, as both were able to lock in with the boys around them, thus holding a higher intensity than the rest of the girls in the races were able maintain. This grit and focus paid off big time and I am beyond pleased with their results.
Sophie, who attends St. Cuthbert's College, is backing the NZ Road Race up with the Auckland Intermediate Schools Cross Country Champs at Muriwai on Tuesday, September 4 and the AIMS Games Cross Country in Tauranga on Sunday, September 9. This is a demanding period of racing, though if anyone is going to thrive it will be Sophie, and I expect that she will get stronger over the course of the eight day period.
The national title that Siobhan gained caps a spectacular run of results over the last two weeks. Taking the U15 title in the Athletics Auckland Road Race Championships, the U15 Athletics Auckland Grand Prix Series and the junior girls title at the Auckland Secondary Schools Road Race.
ACG Strathallan student Siobhan, said that the win “Helped me prove to myself that I can do anything I set my mind to, it’s just getting over that last hurdle of my mind.” And Siobhan did just that. By calmly engaging and staying on top of her doubts she is now enjoying a national title.
For Luke, who hails from Whangarei, and attend Mount Albert Grammar School, the raw power has always been there, the learning and development as an athlete has been, and continues to be, learning how to race intelligently. Luke strategically controlled the pace from the start in a lead group of the road race, biding his time until launching an attack with 300 metres to run.
 Luke Clements |  Sophie Robb & James Kuegler |
