{"id":230193,"date":"2020-02-12T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-02-12T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/germistoncitynews.co.za\/230193\/passing-on-a-love-for-athletics\/"},"modified":"2020-02-11T15:33:16","modified_gmt":"2020-02-11T13:33:16","slug":"passing-on-a-love-for-athletics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/sports-news\/2020\/02\/12\/passing-on-a-love-for-athletics\/","title":{"rendered":"Passing on a love for athletics"},"content":{"rendered":"

Forty years ago, long-time Parkhill Gardens resident Stephan\u00e9 Kotz\u00e9, who recently overcame colon cancer, made the decision to step away from only competing as an athlete and decided to begin training young athletes.<\/p>\n

\u201cI began training athletes at Germiston Stadium in 1980,\u201d said Kotz\u00e9 during a recent training session with two of his athletes at Ho\u00ebrskool Goudrif.<\/p>

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\u201cI was a top athlete myself, competing in the 100m and 200m sprints and long jump.<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring my competitive years I even held a South African record in long jump,\u201d said the well-known Germiston Callies Harriers coach.<\/p>

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When Kotz\u00e9 began his career as a schoolteacher, where he taught history and physical training (PT), he started to focus more on nurturing young athletes\u2019 talents and less on competing.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was 29 years old when I began coaching,\u201d explained Kotz\u00e9.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would still compete myself, while training, in the early years, but in time I focused all my energy on coaching.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kotz\u00e9 first began coaching school athletes, which was part of his job description, but soon he was also coaching senior athletes.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have coached 65 South African champions, which does not include my athletes who have placed second and third at championships,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cPedro Aaron was my 65th gold medallist.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some of the highlights of Kotz\u00e9\u2019s coaching career include the number of Olympians he has coached.<\/p>\n

\u201cA huge highlight of my career has been all the Olympic athletes I have coached and the Olympic Games I was able to attend, namely in 1996, 2000 and 2004,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was one of the best long jumpers in Africa, but due to apartheid I was unable to compete internationally, so it is a great highlight for me to see my athletes competing on the world stage.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am lucky enough to pass on my knowledge and coach on all levels.\u201d<\/p>\n

But to have these opportunities has meant a lot of hard work and dedication from Kotz\u00e9.<\/p>\n

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ALSO READ: Young athlete dreams of racing in the Olympics<\/a><\/h4>\n

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\u201cCoaching is not something that pays well, so if you do not have a career on the side helping you make ends meet, you might struggle,\u201d Kotz\u00e9 said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to have a passion for the sport and for sharing your knowledge.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was born to be an athlete and to share what I know with athletes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kotz\u00e9 had a love not only for athletics, but also for rugby.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was also a good rugby player and coach in my day,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Kotz\u00e9 said he plans to continue coaching, but admits that he will take it year by year and day by day.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is very difficult to say how long I will continue coaching,\u201d Kotz\u00e9 said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI will see how it goes.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Hav<\/strong>e a story?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Contact the newsroom by emailing: Melissa Hart (Editor)\u00a0<\/span>germistoncitynews@caxton.co.za<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>or Leigh Hodgson (News Editor)\u00a0<\/span>leighh@caxton.co.za.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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