Christian Stauffer's sons, Charles and Louise, 1st and 2nd in Biathlon 12/02/2012

Note:

If you are keen and have queries, please contact Coach Rameshon at 9100 4369 or you can email him at m.rameshon@gmail.com or swift.rameshon@gmail.com. Please refer to website http://flexifitness.com.sg (for more information on him and his programmes)

By Rameshon
Bsc (Hons) Degree in Physical Education, Loughborough University (1992-1994)

Masters in Education (University of Western Australia, 2005-2008)

Christian Stauffer -Believes that a sport should be chosen by the child, not parent.

Picture 1 - Dan Johnson (left) and Christian (right) and Mika Kume (behind) raising the Singapore flag towards the finish of 250 Sahara challenge (2009)

Flexifitness athlete, Louise, came in 2nd in the Youth Aquathlon race where his brother Charles also came tops by finishing first. The father, Christian, lost to only 3 young men in the Open section, running as a veteran, competing young men. It was an achievement as a family and I was proud to hear this as Louise is under our Flexifitness programme. From his conversation, I found out that Christian has the necessary wisdom on how to develop children in sports so that it becomes a lifetime sport. He believes that training is not about training, training and more training. It is about how to get faster using the right methods, especially when one is young. He believes that motor skills should be developed when one is young.

I gave him an interview as I believe that more can be learnt from his wisdom as a father to 3 children. 

An Interview With Christian Stauffer (250km Sahara Challenge participant) 

What is the race about?

It was Super Sprint Series at Orchid Country Club. It was an Aquathlon race with 250m Swim / 2.5km run at Yishun. All category had to run the same distance (Youth/Women/Open) which makes it challenging for the youth. It is more challenging for the  Women and Open race.

Where was it held?

The premises of Orchard Country Club was used in Yishun

When was it held?

Last Sunday morning on 12th of February.

What are the events that your family members took part in?

Eva, Louis and Charles competed in the Youth 12-16-year-old race. I ran in the Open race.

Were you concerned about their ability to take part in the competition?

No. I usually make sure before entering that the distances match their abilities and will ensure safety first before the race.

Are you happy with the performance?

We were happy with the performance and we everyone enjoyed it and had a good time. It was also a good way to spend time for the family. For the younger ones, it is not about placing or competition but it is more about giving ones individual best. You don't race to train yourself,  but you train and do your best as you can.

Can you tell us details on the performance by you and the rest in your family who took part in this event?

Charles came 1st youth overall and had a strong swim and good run.

Louis came in 2nd youth overall with a good swim and a strong run.

Eva came in 5th or 6th overall with a good swim and ok run.

I came 4th in my wave and still do not have the final results. I came 3rd out of the water then 1st out of T1 and could not maintain that through the run as most of the good runners were probably 20 years younger:)

What is your opinion on children and competition?

For children, until 14-15-year-old sports should focus on motor skills, movements, stability and essentially on the enjoyment of the activities. We, especially, nowadays, see in front of a computer or phone and they do not have the natural ways to learn of how we learnt in the past, like how we did. When I was a kid I used to go down my building and kick the soccer ball, or ride a bike or run every day with my neighbours. So, first is about enjoying, and acquiring the necessary skills and fitness. To me it is also about learning rules, sport is an integral part of education.  One should respect of teammates and opponents, coaches, referees, volunteers etc... and essentially be committed to goals in the sport. I do not push my kids to do sports but when they choose an activity, their chosen sport. I only expect from them the commitment they should learn to do. On my part, I am just a facilitator in the process.

How about parents who are favourable to children to get competitive?

This is a tricky question. For people in sports, everyone would love to see his son/daughter running like Usain Bolt or Gebrselassie or play tennis like Federer or ride like Armstrong BUT this comes down to being realistic and putting things in perspective.

High-performance athletes are gifted people and they have to put in a lot of work to achieve and only few can do it through determination and dedication. The gift without the work does not work and unfortunately work without the gift also does not work as shown in research. The new generation is sometimes reluctant to put in the work. Depending on the sport you choose it is important to work on coordination when one is young and also get a proper coach who is knowledgeable and has the ability to coach kids or teens, which is totally different from coaching adults. There is an age, especially when the child gets older, at least 15 years of age one should learn not to make the child competitive but train and go for competition using kids training methods of training with fun using maybe games. Once the child reaches between 15 and 18, it is up to the child to compete, as this is the right age to compete.  It is also to the kid to choose a sport and then further commit once reaching adulthood. Parents should encourage, and facilitate and be responsible for their needs.

What is your next goal?

We will race the metasprint series as a family in the respective categories. This will be more challenging as it is more competitive. For Louis and Eva, we prefer them to just enjoy and it is not about winning.  For Charles, it is about enjoying the time to train with a structured programme and race to improve and perhaps defend his last year winning. It is his last year in U16...Next year, he will race his first sprint distance (500m Swim/20km bike/5km run) in Zurich. For me, it is always about getting to the finish in one peace. Luckily, this time there are different age group categories involved so I will probably try to do a respectable placing in the 45-49yo.

Why do you like sports a lot?

I like sports because it has values that have helped me in all walks of life: work, friendship, family etc… I realise that we need commitment, teamwork, hard work, passion, honesty, be driven, having goals that can be transferred to our work and life. We can go far, in the long run.

What sports will you give your children?

I believe that I will give Sports that will give my children the values plus a sport that develop fitness. If on the top of that, they can do well in the sports chosen sports, whether it be a triathlon, biathlon, running, ironman, etc they choose, I will be a firm supporter.

What is your advice to people who want to take part in races like the 250km Sahara Challenge?

My advice is to cherish and enjoy more on the experience and not about going through an ordeal. So, it is good to be gradual, progressive and consistent in your training and build up one’s distance, find experienced people to share with, find good teammates to train and race with, be committed in putting the time to train and to get your family behind you to support. Another advice of mine is for people to not train like an amateur and try to race like a professional. I will always remember a quote from Chris McCormack who is one of the most respected World-class triathletes. He was referring to the difference between amateurs and professions who said that when he races there is no 2nd or 3rd place, he is coming for the win because it is his job. That is what makes the difference. So, Enjoy the experience!

Note:

By Narayanan

Rameshon has taught in Hwa Chong Institution, plus several schools, and Republic Polytechnic as well. He has won many accolades and he was awarded Merit Award for 1991 marathon performance in breaking the national record of Singapore, at that time. He has made 22 male athletes do a marathon in sub-3hrs. He has made 7 female runners do sub-4 hours for the marathon, as well. He was inducted to the ‘Roll of Honour’  by the then College of Physical Education, organised by Singapore Olympic Academy, in 1998, for breaking the National record repeatedly 4 times, till he did 2hr 24min 22sec).

He also has a Coaching group and he trains them on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 7pm at Botanic Gardens. Those interested can call him at 91004369 for coaching assistance, to improve performance. There is also personal training that he does for many in a week. You can e-mail him at swift.rameshon@gmail.com.