Not so much why I became a coach - but the reasons I coach.
Riding is a leveller, everyone is equal - nobody cares what you do for a living - seldom this is the case in life, this I cherish.
Coaching a student to that lightbulb moment, when you see it in their eyes at de-brief, they’ve levelled up and it’s a direct result of the coaching..
Yes, we encounter difficult students, it can be VERY hard work finding the chink in the armour and getting through, but oh sooo rewarding getting through!
Its not always difficult - the student in Bulgaria in floods of tears ( first time on a bike since breaking his spine in a road crash 8 years earlier - something he neglected to tell me until till after two days ! ) The student in India “.. I’ve saved up for six years, not been to cinema, not been for fast food, not been bowling, not been on holiday.. every spare penny I have saved just so i can be here, I can’t believe it ! “ ( This guy didn’t stop smiling one second for the entire three days ).
It’s not only about the students - my coaching peers aren’t toooo awful either. Through coaching I’ve met some exceptional people who I not only consider friends, they are people I can rely on utterly, they are often generous with their time and their thoughts, they gift these without expectation of something in return, true altruists.
