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With The Coach:
John Meagher
The Gazette
Thursday, May 29, 2008
David Bedard at poolside in Pointe Claire. (JOHN KENNEY/The Gazette)
With the Coach is an series featuring a conversation with a local coach.
Coach: David Bedard, a
42-year-old diving instructor who is married to former diver Cheryl Watson. They have two daughters.
Team: The Pointe Claire Diving Club. Assistant to head coach Yi Hua Li.
Experience: Canadian diving champion and four-time Olympian
You were a free-spirited athlete. What’s it like to be a mentor to young divers?
David Bedard: It feels wonderful. It feels like everything was for a reason.
Are you going to be a strict father?
Bedard: I don’t know. The way diving is going, it’s guiding my fathering as well. When I started as a coach, I tried to be the clown and the fun kind of coach that kids really love. I think, for the most part, that worked. But in order for me to maintain my sanity/ability to coach, I can’t do that every day. So we’ve sort of changed the way we train divers. We make it a little more militant. What we do more of as coaches is the planning aspect. The divers have got their plans; they come and do it and they seem so much happier ... Nowadays it takes a different type of kid to succeed – a kid who is really good at time management and understands what it’s going to take.
As a ex-Olympian, what can you pass on to young divers?
Bedard: My biggest thing is that I try to help the kids avoid the same mistakes I did. I’ll try to make their paths a little smoother.
A career highlight?
Bedard: I still say it was my first Olympics (1994, Los Angeles), just because it was so unexpected. You go to L.A. for the Olympics and it’s pretty much the Disneyland of Olympics. Bright lights and bright colours. For a 17-, 18-year-old kid, it was pretty much a blast. After that, diving pretty much became a job. It was your job to go to the Olympics.
Speaking of jobs, ever try a 9-to-5 gig?
Bedard: I did. I was a graphic designer for almost four years after I retired.
Ever sneak a dive for old-time’s sake?
Bedard: I used to all the time. I wish I still could, but it hurts my knees and shoulders and back. I’m sore for a week afterward.