FACE TO FACE: Local cycling stalwart Garry Dawson has coached junior world championship athletes for more than 20 years.
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Recently he returned from South Africa with triple world champion Megan Dunn.
For Dawson, himself a national champion, the thrill of watching his riders succeed is the best part of the job.
Dawson has seen more than six of his riders take out national championships, including his son Brent who also won gold at the junior world championships in 1985.
But outside of cycling Garry is a family man who loves his rugby league and boxing.
The Daily Liberal yesterday caught up with Garry to find out a bit more about the man himself and his recent trip to South Africa.
Q. In 25 years of coaching you have worked up a pretty impressive portfolio of international success - tell us a bit about that.
A. Well, I have had six
riders go on to place
at the junior world championships.
I had Trent Asimus who placed fourth, James Lago who also placed fourth, my son Brent Dawson who attended the championships twice, won a gold and a bronze, Andrew Taylor who placed fourth, Chris Pascoe who got a silver and a bronze and Megan who won three golds.
I have also coached more than six others who have gone on to take out national championships and State championships.
Q. How many gold medals did the Australian team win in South Africa?
A. They actually received a record number of medals this year with seven event golds, five silver and three bronze.
Megan won the most gold medals of her team in individual events.
Q. Bearing in the mind the unsavoury incidence of drug cheating in the Tour De France, were their any positive swab readings at the junior world championships?
A. No. Megan was drug tested four times throughout the championships because every winner or world record holder is tested.
She was tested twice with the teams pursuit because in the qualifier her team broke a world record, so they were tested after that race and then again after they won gold in that event.
The tests are pretty daunting but they need to be done.
I have been to a world junior championship where a Chinese athlete was caught drug cheating.
The thing with the Tour de France was that drug cheating was a culture that was accepted for 20-odd years.
Now that they are cleaning it up it is a much more even contest.
The more busts the better, it makes the sport of cycling cleaner and more even.
Q. Tell us something we don’t already know about yours and Megan’s trip to South Africa.
A. Well, Megan wasn’t too well after her flight to South Africa, she actually fainted twice in one of her first training sessions there.
She pushed herself too hard when she wasn’t feeling well and actually collapsed in my arms.
When she got up after that she fainted again because she was still light- headed.
Q. What kind of work goes on behind the scenes to produce a world champion like Megan?
A. Megan is just that good, I have been to nine or 10 world championships and I really couldn’t see anyone beating her.
When she is in form she is impossible to beat.
As far as I’m concerned the rest of the riders out there racing against her were only racing for second place.
As for the training I give her, I tend to stick to the basics and make sure she does a lot of kilometres and strength work.
She does at least one day a week on Mount Arthur in Wellington and we use the motorbike a lot to help with the track work and setting pace.
Q. What is the highlight of your career so far?
A. Probably watching Megan win her three golds.
The Australian coach Garry Sutton actually said the girls team pursuit win was the best performance we saw from the Australian team.
Q. Has cycling always been your preferred sport?
A. I actually love my rugby league. I follow the Dragons and I played for Dubbo Macquarie for four years. I like boxing too.
Q. So who is Garry Dawson outside of cycling?
A. Well I am the manager of works and maintenance at the zoo and I have been there for 22 years. I follow the Dragons and that’s about it.
Q. Family?
A. Wife Margaret, kids Brent, Kate and Tim, a cockatoo Fred and a couple of fish.
Q. Where were you born?
A. I was born in Dubbo and did my schooling at De La Soul.
I moved away from Dubbo for six years to manage a motel in Narrandera.
Q. What is your biggest achievement in life so far?
A. It would have to be my kids.
Q. What do you enjoy doing outside of cycling?
A. I don’t have time for much else. I work and I am out on the track for about 20 hours a week with the kids.
Q. Who has been the biggest influence in your life and coaching career?
A. Probably my dad. He coached us, my brother Tom won a national championship.
My other brother Percy was a duel NSW champion but he was killed at 13 when he was cycling home from training one day.
A car was over taking and drove into a group of riders, everyone got out of the way expect him.
Q.Did your brothers death ever affect your will to cycle and coach?
A. It put a big strain on mum and dad, mum would stand out the front under the tree just waiting to see if we would make it home from training.
It has affected the way I coach, when I send the kids off now I follow with the motorbike and I am always drumming into them the importance of safety.
Especially this day and age when the drivers are worse, they don’t have much respect for cyclists or pedestrians.
Q. Where do you see your life in five years time.
A. Hopefully watching Megan at the Olympics.
Its all there for her, the support, the talent and the infrastructure.
The balls in her court.
What ever Megan wants she can get really.