“That was an interesting
challenge. Yes, they listened to
me,” says Foster, “but I couldn’t
pretend that I knew everything
so we had an open forum. We
voted on everything but my vote
counted first.”
It took a couple of years before
Foster started to make progress to
the front of the field and he recalls
that it was “a real insight” when
he beat everyone at the national
trials. “I realised that I was quite
good.”
Foster says he found it hard to try
and explain to people what to do.
“For me the technique seemed
quite natural. Trying to explain it
was harder than I thought, but,”
says Foster, “I’m getting better.”
“I’ve gone the
full circle”
The making of
© Getty Images/Clive Brunskill
Foster’s own start in rowing came
as a 14 year old. His impression of
the sport was one of freedom. “It
was different from playing rugby,
you could disappear around the
corner and the coach couldn’t
see you. On a rugby pitch you’re
always in full sight.”
Foster went on to win two
consecutive years at the World
Rowing Junior Championships,
1987 and 1988. But, at only 23
years old, Foster endured his
first back operation. A second
back operation came five years
later. With every intention to
continue rowing after winning
gold at the Sydney Olympics in
the famous golden four Foster
suffered knee problems. The
three-time Olympian decided
his body was trying to tell him
something.
“I’ve gone the full circle,” says
Foster.
Foster is currently working with
Great Britain’s men’s national
squad. M.S.B.■
Coach Foster
One injury too many pushed
Great Britain’s Tim Foster out
of the national team and into
premature retirement. But the
rowing community wasted
no time in nabbing Foster,
fast tracking him from rowing
boat to coaching launch
before he could think twice.
Even prior to London winning
the bid to host the Olympic
Games, Great Britain was already
establishing a scheme to produce
a new generation of coaches by
2012. Foster was selected as part
of the initial group.
“I wanted to stay involved in the
sport and it was a good excuse not
to get a proper job,” says Foster.
The scheme encourages Foster to
spend half of his time coaching
and the other half learning.
Recently Foster travelled to New
Zealand and Australia to take in
local knowledge, not just from
rowing, but from a number of
sporting disciplines.
“Sometimes we are too insular,”
says Foster. “A lot of what
I’m doing at the moment is
learning from other sports.”
As a rower technical adeptness
was Foster’s strength and Foster
readily draws that into his own
coaching style.
“I talk a lot about technique. I
want crews to row a certain way,
with a certain style and rhythm.
I’m a hard task master, but I’m
not a shouter. I say tough calls
with a smile on my face.”
When Foster was first approached
about coaching he had retired
from competition only a few
months previously. He quickly
gained coaching success less than
a year later when his men’s coxed
four won gold at the 2002 World
Rowing Championships.
Interestingly the coxed four
contained three rowers from the
men’s eight that Foster had won
silver with at the 1999 World
Rowing Championships.
© FISA
Tim Foster signing autographs at the 2005 Rowing World Cup in Eton / Tim Foster signe des
autographes en marge de la Coupe du monde d’aviron 2005 à Eton.
