page revision date : Sunday 28th june 2009
David teaches others how to speed around the track
After a number of years being involved in playing a variety of sports, David Thomas took up athletics and, besides doing well himself, has also taken up coaching youngsters in sprinting with the Pembrokeshire Harriers where he can put his own experience to good use.
As a result, David attends the Tuesday and Thursday evening sessions at the STP School track and is enjoying the chance to coach to not only give a start to budding runners over 100 and 200 metres but also to work with talented sprinters like Ellie Rowland, Ben Charles, James Iles, Matthew Richards, Ellie Norkett, and Amy Leahy, to name but a few.
David would say that he and the other coaches at the Harriers are always on the lookout for talent which can be mixed with a commitment and will to persevere, a recipe that usually results in success. His work involves not only sprint drills but starting techniques using blocks, flying 30s for acceleration, over distance for stamina, power shoots using weighted vests, plus resistance work that might include running up Tower Hill or amongst the sand dunes in Freshwater or Tenby! He never asks his young charges to do anything he won’t battle on with himself and he also enjoys, if that is the right word, gym work which includes bench presses, squats and power cleans to help build up arm and leg strength!
A day early – and sprint success
He also says that training must have a fun element to it and at 26 years of age still enjoys competition – but has had the odd moment where he has not quite got things right and had his leg pulled. One such occasion came when he had travelled to represent the Harriers in Aberdare but when he arrived on the Saturday at about 1pm he was amazed to find no one else there – and on enquiry discovered that he was a day early since the meeting was taking place on a Sunday. But David was back the following day, a sadder but wiser young man!
It was this sort of persistence that earned him fourth place in the Welsh Indoor Championships over 200 metres UWIC in Cardiff, something which he was rightly proud of, as well as second place in the West Wales 100 metres final and lots of other top three finishes at athletics tracks all over Wales.
Carew connection
David began his sporting career in the village of Carew, where he played both cricket and football from about seven years of age. His father Kerry Thomas helped coach the football alongside Barry Neill, with Tony Scourfield in charge of cricket. He played both until he was 18 years old and had one season with Carmarthen Town in football before switching to the oval ball game at Pembroke, where he played in a youth team coached by Clive and Adrian Rowlands. Then it was on to Narberth, playing every position, except prop, with the Athletic team but also turning out for the Otters’ first XV as a centre on several occasions.
Met Mark and became a Harrier
He joined the Harriers about eight years ago after meeting Mark Richards, who introduced him to the track and is also coaching the sprint events as a level three coach. David is level two coach and says that one day, when he has the time, he hopes to try his level three award. This intrepid duo coach all the speed merchants from nine upwards and David says that he thoroughly enjoys his involvement – even more that competition now.
He plans to keep coaching for as long as he enjoys it and is quick to praise the whole set-up at the Pembrokeshire Harriers.
“They are a great bunch, both the youngsters and coaches and I am proud to be part of the set-up.”
It seems that the admiration is mutual because Peter Freeman, the doyen of coaches at the club returned the compliment when he told us,
“We are very fortunate to have so many eager and talented coaches and David Thomas is certainly one of those – he has a flair for bringing out the best in his young charges and long may he continue to give youngsters a kick-start to their sprint careers.”
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