Not every athlete gets the chance to compete on the international stage. But for Capital’s new track and field coach, Justin Rodhe, the competition was on the biggest stage of all.
Rodhe, who represented Canada at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the shot put competition, first became exposed to track and field in the seventh grade. Back then, he preferred the discus more than the shot put, mainly due to the unfamiliarity of pushing the shot put for more distance.
“I was always a little ahead of the curve, but I was never a standout,” Rodhe said.
Despite the challenges he faced, Rodhe showed great aptitude for the sport, and continued to progress and develop his skills throughout his high school and college years.
Even with his progression, Rodhe never set out to become a professional athlete and compete in the Olympics. Instead, his original intention was to become a throwing coach.
In 2008, he moved to Canada to study under Anatoliy Bondarchuk, the most decorated throwing coach in history. As a part of his training to become a coach, Rodhe had to participate in the same training program that the athletes did. His training included 10 two-hour practice sessions per week for 50 weeks, with both throwing and weightlifting at each session. Over the course of a year, Rodhe would throw around 10,000 times.
“Everything in your life is devoted to it,” Rodhe said. “It’s all of your sleep, all of your rest, all of your work.”
At one point, Rodhe was training 35 hours a week while working an additional 45 hours.
As he progressed through the training program, Rodhe showed major improvements in the sport, and found himself at the world class level and competing in the London Olympics for Team Canada.
Being in London for the Olympic Games brought its own set of challenges for Rodhe, who found that the logistical side of the competition was not the best environment for him athletically. Having to be around thousands of athletes and support staff in Olympic Village made it difficult for Rodhe to perform.
Even with the complications that the Olympics brought him, it did not detract from Rodhe’s overall Olympic experience. Because he took part in the track and field competition, Rodhe had the privilege to perform in front of 90,000 people in Olympic Stadium. He said that the energy and emotion that the fans brought to the stadium created a unique sporting experience that is like no other in professional sports.
In spite of going up against the world’s best throwers, Rodhe was not nervous about the actual competition. His nerves mainly came from knowing that all of the preparation, training, and work that he had done the previous four years came down to a single moment. He wanted to make the moment count.
Rodhe originally planned on competing in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, but in April of this year decided to retire from competition. After retiring, Rodhe considered his options and made the decision to focus on being a coach and developing his business, Rogue Throws, which specializes in providing training equipment for throwers. Rodhe is also continuing his education by pursuing a master’s degree at Capital.
When considering his options for coaching jobs, Rodhe was attracted to Capital because of its small campus size, the purity of Division III athletics, and the ability to be in an environment that was similar to his own college experience at University of Mount Union.
As a coach, Rodhe’s main focus is improving the individual performances of the athletes, and helping them to achieve personal bests that will translate into higher conference placings. He is working to establish a team atmosphere with a new training philosophy that the athletes can own for themselves to improve. Being able to work with a group of athletes who are mainly underclassmen allows Rodhe more time to help them develop their skills that will build momentum for the team going into future seasons. Instead of being worried about who they will face in competitions, Rodhe is focused on building up his athletes.
“We’re gonna do the best job that we can here with our athletes, and when we go to competitions, the tape measure will sort out who stands where,” Rodhe said.
